The END

With this project finally finished, I am happy with the outcomes and feel that I have kept true to my original brief. Possible ways in which this body of work can become a viable commercial opportunity, is through shop display. I am currently compiling everything together to pitch to companies such as Radley and etc. 

The final video

The final video piece (with no sound):

Originally I had set myself to do a production video, but through developments in this project I felt the process simply was not particularly interesting as it was simply a touch of a button press print job.

My new concept consisting of slicing video footage to claver crops of the curtains with two sections simultaneously moving at any given moment

The link is below

http://vimeo.com/12356351

a from Arvind Lall on Vimeo.

CD cover

Even though this is a minor part of my work, I still thought it was necessary to use the unifying patterns on all the work included in the presentation. The image below is of the DVD cover to my short moving image piece. I used the images that I had taken earlier in the week from the photo shoot I had in the photography studio. 

Revised prints

The images above are prints I have created. They serve as captions to my film piece. They visually explore the British notion of neighbours peeking over the washing line, the idea like neighbours being nosey and trying to "keep up with the Joneses".

My font choice changed to Georgia italic because i felt it best represented suburban living. Dont ask me why but I felt it aesthetically went with imagery, the idea of being quaint or kitsch comes to mind when im presented with this font. Even far enough to say there is a hint of nostalgia with this comfortably homely font.

Window frame

To best display my curtain for marking I did not want to recreate a washing line indoors, I felt that this could look tacky and reduce my piece to a novelty piece. Therefore I thought to make a simple wooden frame to which my curtains can be framed and put into the context of actual window dressing.

I chose to paint the frame white to not be overpower the print of the curtains.

Two days of filming

In the studio and DVD cover image

With my curtain printed, hemmed, and photographed outdoors, I felt that it was important to have the curtain captured with no features in background, to simply allow the main focus of the stills to be the material that it is printed on allowing for emphasised drape and shadow to feature more prominently.

Below are some of the photos:

 

The importance of having these images are that they will serve the purpose of one of them being the from cover image of the DVD that will hold my moving image piece. 

Photographing the curtain in situation

For creating a curtain I thought it was crucial for me to document them in situation to demonstrate the working of them as actual net curtains. What I was pleasantly surprised about them was that the light actually bleached the 70% grey, so to the images were not as strong to the visible eye. This was important for me as I wanted the curtains to be a statement through its design, not to rely on the strong bold colour which could be too brash.

Rain on my parade...

So scheduled to film today, at least having some footage to get some more experience in the particular way in which I want to capture the curtains. With the rain in full force I haven't been able to do this.

So with the aim not to have my day wasted I focused on the shots needed and how I would structure the short film around two curtain pieces aka two narratives. The film acts as a digital version of the real life objects.

My project and what I am attempting to convey is already established in the blog to what the net curtains are aiming to represent and the print I created was devised in such away that it itself could speak on its own behalf. So I want the video to be a clean and simple affair of having the camera pan onto the curtains focusing more and more in detail as the movie will go on.

The soundtrack to back it is still undecided.

Having this time free I used as an opportunity to focus simply on capturing the curtains through a way of considering the video as a poster or print. I used this task to look at how the two narratives could be translated and even the visual of what font I may use for the title and etc.

Below are mock up visuals that originally were to be posters but now are the way in which I will create the film piece to possibly become.

NB. The images were created on photoshop with photos I had taken yesterday mixed with the list of proverbs I wanted to include.

Proverbs for moving image title...

The opening title is important as it must capture the essence of the work and be as brief and familiar as possible to the audience for a clear recognition of the aim of my moving image piece.

Here is a short list of english proverbs found that I have whittled from the many:

A social climber,

All that glitters is not gold,

An englishman's home is his castle,

Cleanliness is next to godliness,

Don't wash your dirty linen in public,

Good fences make good neighbours,

Money talks,

Never judge a book by its cover,

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

From this list I shall pick two that I find appropriate.

Practice makes perfect...

13.4 metres of hemming completed in 24 hours...

So after an intensive day of hemming I completed what I consider to be possibly humanly impossible of hemming by hand each side length of fabric. Which had to be cut and measured to finally create the form of what can now be constituted as fully working set of window net curtains.

Video footage of experiencing the space

Location of filming found...

Through searching high and low for a good spot in London I simply overlooked the perfect spot, situated a stone throw from uni which I pass nearly every day.

Here are some of the photos and vids of my exploration of the space as an environment to epitomise the juxtaposition of the class that is displayed through the curtains.

 

Fabric printed

Whilst on my way home from collecting my print I thought to take advantage of the sunny and breezy day. I quickly threw the fabric over a court yard pole and crudely filmed it move to get an idea of possibilities for the next stage of this project which will be filming the piece.

My trip to the metal workshop...

From speaking to the metal workshop technician about the display of my curtains I was left to consider the following two possibilities...

Option 1

Extendable legs to construct a portable washing line to which I will be able to take the curtains around london for shooting...

Option 2

A frame that I have customised from the chelsea scrap yard. I got the technician to remove any unnecessary bars from the frame to allow for a frame to possibly hang my curtain on. the only issue which will probably prevent me from using this is the fact that it is very heavy and takes two people to carry.

 

Printing footage

The following are visuals of some of the film footage I have taken of my piece being printed. This footage will be used possibly in one of films which document the production of the piece. 

Location, Location, Location

With the design finally finished I have begun to scour locations around London to capture my net in situ and etc...

The locations I am yet to decide on are area to photograph and film the curtains...

Here are some photographs I have taken of appropriate places to capture my work:


HACKNEY

BERMONDSEY

OVAL

CHELSEA

A way to display my 70% grey print...

I have handed my files to be printed with Cameron Gilmartins, the print will be done within three days from file hand in.

When choosing the final colour and material to be used I had to seriously consider the transparency of the material. With this in mind I enquired with the representative of the company with my final choices and confirmed the appropriate way in which to have my design printed.

I went for the image to be 70% grey on silk chiffon, the material was very close to the density of visibility of that from a typical voile curtain, and due to natural light bleaching the print I couldn't have the print any more lighter than 70% or the image would be practically invisible to the eye when hung up

So...

Whilst my piece is being printed I have now a couple of days to create a frame to suspend the curtains. This frame will be needed to hold the piece without having to alter its surroundings i.e. drill holes for the washing line and etc.

I originally had a look at what was in the market and even had to return something I thought would be ideal for the curtain.

So I am know going see if I should make a custom make a frame at a metal workshop. And figure the deciding factors for the display of the piece.

FINAL DESIGN (not in actual colour choice)

Shades decision

So from my earlier post about my indecision of what shade of greytone I was considering to use for my design I thought to resolve this dilemma by simply transferring the gradient image I created onto fabric. 


The image was first printed on tracing paper and I then also used Image maker a product that allows the ability to transfer photocopies onto fabric.


The result were then stuck onto a window to assess the clarity of visibility of print which allowed me to discern shades of greytone against each other.

   

Corrections

With dealing pattern, staring at a small screen doesn't help especially dealing with the nature of something that is to be printed. So I printed my second draft designs in A1 scale and circled in red all the corrections that are needed to the design that I couldn't quite see clearly on my laptop.

Second draft of curtain design

Shades

It is important that I decide on appropriate colours for the print especially as this can risk visibility and the contrast of the design against its situational surroundings i.e. the visibility indoors or outdoors on the two fabrics I have chosen.

To eliminate chance I want to at least close enough see what possible results I can obtain. To do this I have created a graduated gradient pattern as an example to print and possibly manually try and transfer onto fabrics I obtained from Shepherds bush market earlier on in this project.

Its crucial to consider this factor as anything printed on fabric is visibility bleached by the sun light.

The shades of colour im considering come in form of grades of grey: 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40%