Away to Oxford

Oriel College, University of Oxford, venue of 2nd Global Conference on Fashion

Lack of recent posts is due to my preparation of a paper to be presented this week at 2nd Global Conference on Fashion, hosted at the University of Oxford by Inter-disciplinary.net. I attended to give a paper at the first conference last year, so am glad to have been invited back, and to have the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with some of the academics and fashion professionals who attended last time, and to meet some new faces too. The opportunity to ''network'' within the field of fashion theory is somewhat limited, particularly as relatively few of these type of conferences are held, so am looking forward to hearing about the research of others in related fields. At last year's conference some of the most interesting papers were those that related to fashion from a theoretical and historical perspective, areas in which my own knowledge is less developed (my own knowledge of ''fashion history'' is gleaned from my own haphazard reading, hence the number of gaps in my understanding), as well as those who had traveled from places outside the usual Euro-American fashion theory arena, which last year included speakers from Russia, South Africa, Japan and Jamaica.

Presenting my own work in the form of an academic paper at such a conference has also become a useful tool in my own research methodology; as well as finding a forum in which to present my work before an informed audience. In particular, the feedback in the Q&A session at the end of the presentation was useful in finding if in ''testing'' my work that is is understood in a wider context outside of my immediate academic community. It also provided me with a few useful leads and new ideas to explore, so am hoping for more of the same this year, not least because I still feel that as my research topic on the ''Fashion City'' is so under-developed it needs a few learned and rigorous ears to help iron-out the anomalies or to pick out potential pit-falls.

One of the ''finds'' of last year's conference came in the form of the academic fashion blog Worn Through to which Lucy Collins of Temple University contributes. This American-focused blog, which is more like a magazine, is full of interesting perspectives on the teaching of fashion and fashion curating, with news on exhibitions, new publications, conferences and potential job opportunities. Visit the site and view their latest posts at: http://www.wornthrough.com/

For more information on the conference, and the archive of last years, visit: http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/fashion/

The Science of Scent

Yesterday, I went to attend a lecture at the grand-sounding Royal Institution of Great Britain, a place that has been a leading centre in scientific research in the UK for more than 200 years. The lecture I attended was part of their public programme, and the talk, The Science of Scent: Adventures in a creative mind, was the third and final lecture in a series on thinking about the developments in smell, held in conjunction with Procter & Gamble (P&G).

Led by Will Andrews, a fragrance evaluator for P&G, he began by stating how the aim of this lecture was think about the idea or image of fragrances, or smells, and to introduce how this process happened. He emphasized that while the development of a perfume is very much a design process, it is not an art, but rather an expert profession. The training process to be become an expert perfumer takes several years, not least due to the complexity of learning the various components that go into making a perfume. In particular there is the need for perfumers to get to grips with the vast number of ingredients that a perfume can be made of, which runs into the thousands, both natural and synthetic, and their potential to inform the making of new perfumes through their infinite variety of combinations. While working with odours or smells is very much an inward process, necessitated by the need to work with perfume ingredients in an isolated way, Andrews explained that the ‘’design process’’ of perfume is similar to others, such as graphic or textile design. In particular, the development of a ‘’reference point’’ for commencing the development of a new perfume, where certain influences are more potent or relevant than others. For fragrance in particular, however, the ‘’memory’’ of certain odours, such as though from childhood, like certain fruits, or the perfume your Nana used to wear, are especially relevant reference points. As so many smells are associated with particular experiences, there comes the challenge of how to develop such a compelling memories or ideas into a wearable fragrance. For example, Andrews mentioned how many people like the smell of petrol, yet this is not an odour you do not necessarily wish to wear on your skin.


Lecture Theatre, RIGB, London

In developing a new perfume for a fashion brand Andrews identified the three main challenges all perfumers face in creating new ones. We each of us have personal emotional responses to certain odours, finding some repugnant and others comforting. The perfumer, however, needs to remain objective in the selection of ingredients. Secondly, and perhaps surprisingly, Andrews stated that there is no universal measure of odours as such, that is it not possible to count the total number of smells, and nor can smell be calibrated in the same music can, which can be measured in terms of decibels for instance. In addition there is no specific language of odour in our culture, which compounds the difficulty of describing odours in words objectively. To get around this problem every perfume company develops their own base or structure of referents. Andrews made reference to the wine tasting ‘’wheel’’ developed by Ann Noble in 1990, which has held to combat a similar problem in the wine industry. Similarly, P&G makes use of its own wheel of table of odour types, broadly divided into male and female, with ‘’male’’ odours being on the more woody or aromatic spectrum, and ‘’female’’ odours tending to be in the floral spectrum. As Andrews noted, even though scent is not gendered per se, there is no such thing as a 'female' of a 'male' odour, societal conventions developed over time dictate that is has become gendered. In developing perfumes aimed at women or men it remains as useful division for those working in creating new perfumes for fashion brands.

In gaining an insight into how a perfumer works on developing ideas for new perfumes Andrew had brought along colleagues from P&G Prestige, who included senior perfumer Jose-Maria Velazquez. Originally from Mexico, Velazquez explained how those smells and odours from childhoold remained important references. As a professional perfumer with 20 years experinece he explained that even today he was perhaps only familiar with only half the potential kinds of smells there are, including both natural and synthetic. Although there is a definite structure to learning the processes of perfume development (Velazquez began his career as a chemist), it was emphasized that a creative flair was just as important as technical know-how in the role of perfumer. In illustrating how and where perfumers develop their inspiration, Andrews spoke about how one perfume had come about through a perfumers idea to combine the odour of the forest in the Acadia National Park, on the USA's Eastern seaboard, with the odour of the Atlantic Ocean, on which the forest pines fall into. In the same way that fashion designers seek inspiration in places or through experiences, so to does the perfumer. For Andrews, the partnership of fashion and perfume acts as the perfect platform, describing scent as ''clothing without a physical form''. He mentioned the example of the original Hugo Boss fragrance as a highly successful example of this.


Hugo Man Green

In concluding, Andrews described how developing a perfume can be compared to working on a film production. Even though perfumery may, on the surface, appear a solitary occupation, working on fragrances in a laboratory, the reality of creating a new perfume with a fashion brand is very much a team effort. In the Q&A that followed the lecture he briefly referenced the differing concepts of smell in the Western and Easter traditions. While scent-wearing in the Europe developed as a way of covering up the noxious smells of both personal body odour and the urban dirt of the city, in Asia, the traditions are very different, although there was no time to elaborate on this further.

With the main lecture over, the audience was divided up into three groups, and we had the opportunity to hear further from the P&G Prestige perfumers about the process of putting a perfume together, and specifically the ''layering'' of smells. Velazquez led the group I was in, and it was certainly interesting to hear about the challenge he faced in developing a perfume which replicated the odour of leather. During his talk we were offered samples of the five different smells that were used at differing times during the process, from initial samples from original natural and synthetic smells, through to a more polished scent. Even as a non-expert perfumer, it was intriguing to note the significant difference between the natural and synthetic smells. While I am sure P&G were revealing no real 'secrets', we were informed that this new leather-like perfume designed with men in mind was in fact a 'sneak preview' of a forthcoming perfume for an un-named fashion brand.

Links:

The Royal Institution of Great Britain: http://www.rigb.org/registrationControl?action=home

P&G (UK and Ireland): http://www.uk.pg.com/index.html

Hugo - Hugo Boss Fragrances: http://www.hugo.com/

Boss - Hugo Boss Fragrances: http://www.boss-fragrances.co.uk/mens-fragrances/boss-bottled-night/?lc=gb

William Kentridge

As great as it is to have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a specific field of research, in my case fashion culture, it is still necessary, indeed, sometimes vital, to step outside of it. In part, this a way to 're-charge the batteries', so to speak, and on the other hand it also offers the opportunity to reflect on the research question(s). Yesterday's Q&A between artist William Kentridge and author Marina Warner, orgainised by the Amination Department, proved to be a case in point. It's always intriguing to hear about other people's working processes, and Kentridge proved to be a generous and enlightening guide into his own work, from scrappy, quick drawings, to polished animated film. Kentridge showed us both a finished film, his well-known Tide Table, as well as excerpts of film showing his working practices, including much in relation to his looking at how the body moves in motion through space. Much of this discussion provoked much 'food-for-thought' in relation to my own intial foray's into filmmaking, particularly Kentridge's explanation of working through 'accident'. Certainly much of my own recent experience of film-making has felt like that, feeling my way through the darkness. It seems that even for the seemingly very accomplished film-maker the 'accident' remains very much a part of their working process, leading to more intriguing possibilities, or the development of a body of work that might not already have happened. For a little insight into Kentridge's working process, and excerpts from Tide Table, see the short film above made by SF Moma.

A Day Off...

As in common with my fellow F&T researchers the opportunity for 'time off' from the research seems almost an oxymoron. It seems as if there is never a day when there isn't some task to be fulfilled, such as a library to visit, an image to scan, a form to fill in, or a contact to chase up. And yet even the 'downtime' moments are important as a means to re-charge the batteries in readiness for the next hurdle to overcome. Not to mention the opportunity for some 'thinking time' just to let the mind wander, as often it is those 'empty moments' when the best ideas are allowed to form and take root.

My birthday this week proved just such an opportunity, not to mention the chance to enjoy some of the glorious sunshine London seems to be experiencing at the moment. And yet even this day provided an opportunity to indulge in the (pleasurable) research of activity of experiencing the fashionable atmosphere of my new favourite gelataria, Amorino, with friends in Soho. 'Fashion as experience' is something that is increasingly becoming an important element for fashion brands, as they seek to branch out from the sale of products, providing their customers with exhibition, eating and entertainment experiences. To this end, some of the birthday gifts I received will also endeavour different ways of experiencing fashion...not to mention the distractive possibilities of settling down with a good novel...can't quite remember the last time I sat down with a non-theory-type book!


Napkin from Amorino, perhaps the best ice-cream in London - check them out at: www.amorino.com/fr/


A bow tie - for the dapper fashion researcher about town


Look! What's this? A novel...remind me what are they for again?


Budapest - the next Fashion Capital?


Some stylish packaging


A fashion film


A well-packaged shopping voucher from Selfridges...well, I could do with some shoes...

Preparing for Maastricht

This week has seen me mostly finalizing preparations for the exhibition of my first short film project in time for the journey to the Netherlands. I am participating in the Fashion Clash Expo 2010 which is being held in Maastricht, famous for the signing of the EU treaty, its hosting of the annual TEFAF fine art and antiques fair, and is the self-styled culinary capital of the Netherlands. Am looking forward to this trip, partly as I will be in the company of Caroline Collinge, my collaborator for this project (she'll be showcasing her own costume installation), and also for the chance of visiting Maastricht as the perhaps one the more unusual claimants to the title of Fashion City.

Prior to this project I have seldom viewed myself as a 'maker' in the sense of someone who produces artifacts or objects for exhibition. Yet here I am located in an institution of makers, of one sort or another, and now I am myself producing research which can also be viewed as a tangible product, not only as an ethereal idea or scheme. It will be interesting to hear the responses and feedback from visitors to the Expo about my own and Caroline's work, especially as for me I am entering into very much unknown territory on many levels.

Fashion Clash itself is an unusual event, it that over its short run of just three days it combines the curating of an exhibition, the performance of fashion with runway shows and even a trade fair element with a shop set up for participants to sell their wears (perhaps the opportunity to collect a Fashion Souvenir even?). The event organisers, Branko Popovic and Nawie Kuiper, aim to showcase a variety of practitioners who work across fashion in an inter-disciplinary way, so am curious to see how they achieve this aim.

More information about Fashion Clash Maastricht 2010 can be found at: www.fashionclash.nl

Return to Blythe House - The Concise Dictionary of Dress

Last week some of the F&T research group made the return journey back to Blythe House, this time to view the exhibition The Concise Dictionary of Dress, curated by Judith Clark and Adam Phillips in collaboration with Artangel. For anyone who has not yet seen this intriguing exhibit, I am almost rather loathe to reveal too many details, for fear of spoiling what is probably the 'must-see' fashion exhibition of the year.

To give an overall impression, rather being located in a glossy, purpose-built set, as many of Clark's past exhibitions have been, the exhibits were instead located within the working archives of the V&A Museum, located at Blythe House. Visitors are not allowed to wander at will through the vast rooms and winding corridors, which to some may come as a relief, such is the labyrinthine quality of the building. As a fellow visitor remarked, you certainly have the sense that something awful could happen to you, for instance, if you were accidentally locked in for the night. Instead, we were guided through the exhibits on a structured tour of the building, being with a journey in a large goods lift up to the fourth floor of the building. Beginning on the roof, we were led through a variety of rooms, travelling up and down winding staircases, eventually finding ourselves outside in the courtyard where the old coal-bunkers were located.

What struck me most about this exhibition, was less about the actual artefacts that we were directed to look at, than the play on the ambiance of the building itself. Atmospherics were very much an important part of the overall 'feeling' and experience of this exhibition for the visitor. Often, in exhibition design the 'comfortableness' of the exhibition experience is often forgotten, particularly if anyone who has had to endure the heaving crowds of a busy 'blockbuster' exhibition on an otherwise relaxed Sunday afternoon will appreciate. Yet in The Concise Dictionary of Dress the visitor was exposed to a contradiction in the experience of this exhibition. On the one hand we were offered the privilege of being allowed to explore a building normally closed to the general public, with the added 'luxury' of being attended to by a personal guide. Yet at the same time, in being (gently) forced to move around the building to view the next exhibit, there was little time to linger or savour the exhibits as you might in a 'normal' (and uncrowded) exhibition space.

Judith Clark and Adam Philips are to give a talk in a couple of weeks at LCF, where Clark is head of the MA course for Fashion Curation, so am intrigued to attend that to hear more about their motivation and intent for this exhibition.

Curating Design

Today I attended a cross-college seminar hosted by David Crowley from the Critical and Historical Studies Department on the subject of Design Exhibitions: What are they? And what might they be? The seminar consisted of a short presentation from several practitioners/curators in the field of design exhibitions including Claire Catterall of Somerset House, Daniel Charney an RCA tutor and curator at Aram Gallery, Nina Due of the Design Museum, and Gareth Willams, formally a curator at the V&A, and now a tutor at the RCA.

Each curator gave an insight into their own experiences and reflections on their approaches to curating design within the context of their own specialism and/or institution. Catterall gave perhaps the most personal perspective, reflecting on her experiences working in both formal institutional settings, such as the Design Museum and Somerset House, and also as a freelance curator, through her own set-up as part of Scarlet Projects. Due gave an interesting insight into the Design Museum’s current perspective of enhancing the visitor experience, where visitors are encouraged to engage and be inspired as much by the events the museum hosts as its static exhibitions. Charney, meanwhile, described his experiences of working in a not-for-profit curatorial space located within the confines of a commercial setting in the form of the Aram Gallery in the Aram shop in London’s Covent Garden. Finally Williams reflected on his experiences as a curator for both the permanent design and architecture collections at the V&A and also for temporary and topical exhibitions, such as the recent Telling Tales. Following on from this, a panel discussion was formed of each of the speakers, who were also joined by Mark Sladen, formally of the ICA, and moderated by Crowley.

My own interest in curating is as a research methodology, as in my own current project on Fashion Souvenirs, and while none of the speakers raised this, the seminar raised some intriguing points. One of key points made towards the end of the discussion was about the ‘ordinariness’ of design and design objects in everyday life. Yet by taking objects out of their intended context and placing them on a pedestal in a gallery space poses problems for curators who seek to engage in their audience in participating in design exhibitions, not merely as passive observers, but as active and fully absorbed participants. Many curators today are engaged not so much in putting on exhibitions per se, but ‘projects’, or perhaps ‘event making’ to create a dialogue and active awareness in exhibition visitors. This has particular implications for the curating of fashion and textiles, where the tactile nature of the objects on show is such an integral part. Yet for reasons of preservation and conservation touching in any form usually remains strictly forbidden. An interesting example where this can be circumnavigated comes in the form of the Centraal Museum’s recent retrospective on Alexander van Slobbe in Utrecht, where a whole room was set up as an atelier complete with sewing machines, cutting tables and an ironing board. In this space visitors were encouraged to make their own simple tunic-style dress supplied from a pattern of one of van Slobbe’s archetypal designs. While many UK museums such as the V&A and the FTM run practical workshops under supervision, it is difficult to imagine how any would locate such an apparent health and safety ‘risk’ directly in the gallery space itself.

Overall, this discussion was an insight into the diverse strands of curating design and the challenges and opportunities provoked by differing contexts in the curation of design objects. Design, taken generally as something commercial, has often had to fight its corner in being accepted into grand institutions. Yet, as was raised in this discussion, many design 'objects' are made specifically for exhibition, that is their 'usefulness' is not to be found in their practicality, but rather in the appreciation of their design as an end in itself. Yet, as I have found with my own curatorial project, Fashion Souvenirs, their remain many aspects of design that have yet to have their 'ordinariness' fully appraised or appreciated.