T
he fabric used for both the designs provides the framework for the shape and structure as the pieces interact with the body, providing a soft but protective environment for the wearer. The countless layers of fabric folding, tucking and merging at certain points creates texture and unconventional focus points (Figure 44 and Figure 45). The different areas of sheer and solid create shadowing within the designs, playing with the eye to create optical illusions. Junichiro Tanizaki mused about how darkness affects the way in which a woman’s body is seen or not seen (Hodge & Mears, 2006), the depth of fabric and shadowing created concentrates focus on different areas of the body without revealing the body shape within.They hid as much of her as they could in the shadows, concealing her arms and legs in the folds of long sleeves and skirts, so that one part and one only stood out – her face. The curve less body may, by comparison with western women, be ugly. But our thoughts do not travel to what we cannot see. The unseen for us does not exist (Tanizaki, 1977, p. 14).
The use of dark and light, solid and sheer enhances and contrasts certain parts of the designs creating different emphasis on areas that encourage the viewer and wearer to intently examine how one section integrates and interacts with another (Figure 44 and Figure 45).
To add depth and contrast to piece ‘one’ the white SO was layered with black SO, “both black and white are timeless, essential structural elements…producing emotional effects and responses” (Crewe, 2010, p. 2098). By contrasting the back of piece ‘one’ with sheer layers of white and black enhances the shadowing effect as seen in Figure 44 and Figure 46. At the back of this piece the layers open up with an opening to see the body, drawing the eye inwards to the darker core, but allowing the eye to move outwards following the layers to the white outside edges and wide asymmetric silhouette.
Figure 48 & Figure 49 Piece 2 - Asymmetry through layers and as rotated around body. Image: Ted Whitaker, Courtesy of Amelia Hope. 2017. The fullness of the heavier linen fronts of the first piece gives a linear focus through
the front of the body. The soft yet heavy fronts open up through the centre, allowing the wearer to see a slither of skin and illusion of elongating the body. The illusion of height can be altered with both the pieces by pulling up or down folds in the fabric see Figure 47. Sections of the designs can be extended and elevated, playing with height and coverage around head and neck, Koda (2001) suggests, a long neck shows dignity, authority and a sense of wellbeing.
A sense of balance is created with the dark fronts dragging downwards in contrast to the light stiff layers kicking out from the upper back. The ‘kick out’ section sharply juts out from the upper back, the fullness created with layers at the back f lows around the body to the sides as shifted and rotated on the body. The layers of black and white SO at the back generate depth and a sense of extra volume through shadowing, the layers of net enhance the soft but structured shadowing effect.
Figure 50 Piece 2 – Shielding around head. Image: Ted Whitaker, Courtesy of Amelia Hope. 2017. The ‘second’ piece expands outwards and downwards in different directions, retaining f low asymmetrically across and around the body shown in Figure 48 and Figure 49. As the piece is rotated, length is created with the different layers and extensions. Fullness and volume has been added to the upper and lower body but this travels asymmetrically around the body kicking out to the sides at different levels and angles, creating high and low focal points and playing with the eye. The top half is accentuated with fabric volume, the f low moves from one shoulder diagonally down to the opposite hem, wrapping around the body. The sheer stiff fabric folds around the shoulders to cover one shoulder completely and shields around the head and neck (Figure 48 and Figure 49). The height and structure around the shoulders and head elongates, while adding a sense of width yet narrowness as moved around the body. The length of the pieces extends past the feet and up around the head if desired, giving the wearer a sense of empowerment and protection (Figure 50).
The exaggerated volume and shape created on one side of the body of piece ‘two’, moves in an outwards direction away from the body creating a sense of lightness and movement (Figure 50). This balances the more solid, structured and layered ‘kick out’ section on the opposing side (Figure 48 and Figure 49). Parts of the body within can be seen peeping through openings in the piece, the legs can be viewed drawing the eye inwards, however there is no central viewpoint with perspective decentred (Quinn, 2003).