PINK

- Hussein Chalayan

- Alexander McQueen

Thinking in terms of garment shadows or representations and also memory and recognition, I decided to have a play with some silicone. Coincidentally in the candy pink that apppeared in earlier experiments, I wanted to see whether this material, (which is generally used to create a mould with) would successfully clone a section of a garment. I used an old pair of jeans - intending to capture the creases and details of the fly area.




This is the result of the mould that was created. The sections that were absolutely lathered in vaseline peeled away quite well, though the silicone ran deep into the pocket where it was pretty well adhered to the fabric. I also needed a second layer in sections.







Casting back into the mould was quite easy - as the surface was smooth and all vassed-up. The result probably would have been more successful had the silicone been applied in two coats in round two, although I think overall, the details that were captured are impressive! A thicker solution / material during the casting process is a possiblity for the next step.

Looking at the samples in relation to my concept, I think I have achieved an "imperfect and faint representation" (which was one of the dictionary meanings that stood out for me) of the jeans. Using a foreign material, I was hoping to also explore the idea that I have associated shadows with memory - or more specifically, processing visual information; 'filling in the gaps'.