Week 3- Hussein Chalayan

Chalayan is an artist and designer, working in film, dress and installation art. Research Chalayan’s work, and then consider these questions in some thoughtful reflective writing.

1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?

Not all clothing is fashion, so what makes fashion fashion?

 

Chalayan is exceptional at making unique pieces using strange materials like "Afterwords" which explores the notions of ‘wearable, portable architecture’ as he is able to use more of a spatial design type material to construct into a garment. However, I think Hussein Chalayan’s work is more focused on art rather than fashion itself. I say this because I dont imagine people exactly being able to wear this in public, maybe Lady Gaga being the exception. He also makes the audience think twice about how he came up with all those inspirations, instead of just thinking about how the garment was made. Hussein Chalayan’s presentations demonstrate his amazing ability to combine beautiful and wearable clothes for today with an intriguing vision of the future.

http://arttattler.com/designhusseinchalayan.html

The images above of the models taking the chair covers and turning them into wearable dresses/skirts which are also from the "Afterwords"exhibition is something i found very innovative and interesting. It is showing that "not only are the fashion, they are furniture too" and definitely gives picture to the quote I used before ‘wearable, portable architecture’






http://www.impactlab.net/2009/04/12/designer-hussein-chalayan-wearable-portable-architecture/







The images from Hussein Chalayan's 'Burka' show in 1996 are probably some of the most thought provoking and challenging I have ever seen. It is between fashion and art, and rather a series of pieces which I think has been used to make a statement, especially about the importance of ones identity. These Islamic type garments worn by the models also provoke many other fascinating ideas such as humility, feminity and sexuality. Chalayan has made these models wear different length of burka with nothing underneath them, some of the model's being completely naked except for a mask and sandals. To me all the women are the same despite the different lengths of the burka. This is because the face is still hidden, which is ones self identity.

So even though both "Afterwords" and "Burka" show some aspects of fashion, such as the fact they are actually wearing it on their body, I consider it more of an art. There is a deeper meaning behind these pieces of materials, through the process of creating it and the statement which they are trying to make.

http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2006/02/shadi-ghadirian.php

2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?

 The Level Tunnel (2006)

Repose (2006) 

I think by teaming up with level Vodka and Swarovski to create "Level Tunnel" and "Repose" would impact on the Chalayan's work by giving him a certain target audience to appeal to or to fully show the funtion of the work in the best way as it is used for advertisement. It would have definitely test his skill, knowledge and his capabilities in order to create these pieces.



The meaning of the art shouldnt change even though it is used to sell a product, because they are still used to send out ideas and messages to the viewers through a visual experience. In fact it is beneficial for for both, as it is giving art a chance to be exposed to the public and it is also advertising and promoting in a creative wayby using an installation that tests your sound, scent and touch whilst blindfolding. Definitlely sounds like something I would like to try out.

3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?



 






Postmodernism has influenced this film of Chalayan's as inside the film it contains different ways of retrieving DNA and many new scientifc processes. It also argues about "how certain identies can or cannot adapt to new evironments" This reflects on the Postmodern era as it was always about being contemporary and constantly evolving to create a better living society or have a new outlook on something which Chalayans work definitly do.






http://art100.wikispaces.com/Hussein+Chalayan

4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?



It is important that the artist personally makes their own artwork as it is shows that it is genuinely theirs and that it is their own effort being put in to produce it. I believe if a piece of artwork is to be named under a certain artist, that certain artist should be the one making it. Not only would it be worth more, but considering all the effort that has been put behind the construction of the artwork, not only the physical process of it but also the thinking and concepts behind it,bit would be unfair to the original artist to do so. Its almost like going to a fancy resturant and ordering a steak but then getting someone from Mcdonalds to make it for you.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/read.php?CATEGORY_PK=&TOPIC_PK=2858