Worlds apart and Visual metaphors

Buckingham Palace and its Net Curtains

A common fact unknown is that Buckingham palace shown above has evert window dressed with net. Unlike the images below the Queen has gone for more subtle plain curtains whereas some enthusiasts take it a little too far... are these window dressings considered bad or good taste?

What I want to incorporate into my final piece is the unique attributes that make the personalities of certain sectors of society that actually use net curtains. And from the my research it seems that the areas of upper class wealth have elaborately decorated nets as show pieces to show exemplary taste and wealth, whilst the other prolific sector is the lower class to which the net curtains serve the purpose shielding prying eyes off the expensive goods they hold within their houses.

Material sourcing in Shepherds Bush

The common place to find net curtains will be the local cheap market or stalls found in british cities. In Birmingham the Rag market, in London anywhere out of the main city where local trade can be found.

I visited the Shepherds Bush market to search out suitable materials for my outcome, the reason for me to look for materials before i have started penning my pattern is due to the fact I am aware of the time frame in which I have to create my final piece and feel by not thorough investigation and experimentation of material my piece could suffer especially in its visibility at a luxury item to which I would like to prescribe a value to.


To begin the process of construction of my piece I looked at the best suitable materials as a basis for me to overlay my graphics. I set a criteria to which I felt would allow me to get the best source of material in which I could create solid imagery ob top of allowing clear visibility to the eye yet still have the ability to be semi transparent.

Whist in the right shops I looked at hanging structures in which i may need for any photographic footage I may use post net curtain in terms of documentation of the piece if I wanted to put it in situ or even out of it.

Processes and Manufacturing of final piece

Meeting with Kenny


As a first point of enquiry of appropriate forms of material to impose my imagery for my final outcome, I visited the textile print department at chelsea. Here I was able to learn about the different forms of textile print outcomes... i.e. Sublimation and etc. 


It seems if I was to use this service my net curtain imagery will have to be in black due to the fact that printers dont print white. This makes me debate if I should go down this avenue as I will only have the imagery black if it significantly is of purposeful for me to not have my pattern work to not be white (the typical colour of lacework).

The Veil and its relevance to the work I am producing

The Islamic veil and concept of modesty, privacy and resistance.

The western assumption of the veil and its traditional use view the aspect of the veil as patriarchies and a sign of women’s backwardness, subordination and oppression. This uni dimensional approach narrows the study of the veil to single context analysis and leads to a distorted view of a complex cultural phenomenon.

The etymology of a term like “veil” has the meaning assigned to it as “a covering,” in the sense of “to cover with” or “conceal or disguise other ways of explanation are:

- covering in the sense of cover

- covering in the sense of shade

- modes of communication a sense of disguise, concealment, conceal or concealed, deception and sham.

The last on the lust is of the veil becoming a sign of signification.

In terms of putting this research into the wider context of my project it can be seen that the act of seclusion and veiling is a phenomena of bewilderment to why people may conceal the fear of the unknown or distrust on the people who “keep their cards to themselves”.

There is a certain ideal of fantasy in terms of the element of disguise. From examining the Islamic veil and what it has to imply by the use of it there are some unthought of ideals to why the women of this culture would conform:

- to separate group members from nonmembers

- to place the individual in the social organisation

- to place the individual in a gender category

- to indicate social conduct to indicate high status or rank

- to control sexual activity

- to enhance role performance

- to give the individual a sense of activity.

Pulling the final curtain on research... and the beginning of an intention

What my work research means in the wider aspect of this project

Within the time given it has been appropriate for me to research the breadth of net curtains and lace. The reason for this being to feel that I have fully grasped what is possible for me to create a successful outcome.

With what I have researched the use of net curtains are visual forms of a persons human right to enjoy the privacy of their homes. From that you build upon the idea of the decorative aspect of these curtains in particular the decadence in the print.

With all things visual an aesthetic value is assigned and I feel confident that my project should lead through a path where I avoid the kitsch and x –rated to avoid the trapping of what has been used by many an artist before.

The concept of taste does arise and interest me especially in such a subjective field of house decoration. What fascinates me is how certain people will purposely buy the most extravagant net curtains to show status and good taste within a community though the thought of someone showing such a display goes against the primary aim of the functional use of net curtains (to prevent people from seeing valuables held inside the house).

What is fashionable is faddish…

Pattern

From going through the archive collection I noticed the main infrastructure of lace that

makes it decorative and that was simply the use of pattern and its repetition to create solid

visuals in which there is a continuation of symbolism through the imagery.

The dictionary definition of pattern is crucial to blog as i need to be precise with every

design element to create a successful yet true representation of what a net curtain is known

to have. To have this definition I an set the basic structure of the design in which will be

crucial to overlay subversive tones which parody the research I have conducted on voyeurism.

pattern¹

n

1. an arrangement of repeated or corresponding parts, decorative motifs, etc. although

the notes seemed random, a careful listener could detect a pattern

2. a decorative design a paisley pattern

3. a style various patterns of cutlery

4. a plan or diagram used as a guide in making something a paper pattern for a dress

5. a standard way of moving, acting, etc. traffic patterns

6. a model worthy of imitation a pattern of kindness

7. a representative sample

8. (Engineering / Metallurgy) a wooden or metal shape or model used in a foundry to make a mould

9. (Military / Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery)

a. the arrangement of marks made in a target by bullets

b. a diagram displaying such an arrangement

vb (tr)

1. (often foll by after or on) to model

2. to arrange as or decorate with a pattern

[C14 patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus example, from Latin: patron¹]

Video work as a relevant output

In the movie clip above is a club night that used net curtains to project on, due

to the nature of the material that typical curtains are made from they allow

for partial image to pass through multiple layers. The reason why this is of any

interest to me is for in which the way the curtains was were used in a modern

setting relevant to its audience and its needs.

And lastly the bizzare