MOVING OUT OF STRUGGLETOWN.

Through my research thus far, I have identified four methods with which I can disrupt the way that visual information is processed. I am interested in conducting a more refined experiment, where 'imperfect and faint' garment representations are presented and participants are to 1) interpret the information and 2) document their interpretation through the use of various 'languages'.

Method 1) To strip the object of its most recognisable features / details. Like the example of the castle images - how many details can be removed before the object is no longer recognised? In the case of this experiment, what will the participant write about when there are no typical details to describe? Will the response be more emotional? Or will other associations be made in order to make a judgement?

Method 2) To change the material. Like in the case of the wooden beanbag sculpture or the silicone jeans I have been creating. Will associations with the material affect the way that the participant reads / interprets the information? What room does this leave for reinterpretation? Will associations that deviate from the garment representation become prominent?

Method 3) Context influences perception. If I present an object that does not represent a garment at all, can the participant be influenced by this fashion context? Will associations with a garment be made? In this scenario, perhaps I can place fashion imagery within the space to measure how influencial it is - if at all.

Method 4) To present the garment as a jumble of information. Much like the way in which the garments turned out in the final stage of the previous experiment, I can tailor an installation-type area, that includes an abundance of random, abstracted garment details. "Objects are recognised by virtue of their parts. Lines, curves, diagonal lines etc." - Cognition, Exploring the Science of the Mind.

I have revisited the writings of Roland Barthes, which have become relevant as my project progresses:

"...they [written clothing and image clothing] do not have the same structure, because they are not made of the same substances and because, consequently, these substances do not have the same relations with eachother."

"...this transition, as in all structures, can only be discontinuous: the real garment can only be transformed into 'representation' by means on certain operators which we might call shifters, since they serve to transpose one structure into another, to pass, if you will, from one code to another."