the interactive PDF

Resource for
Secondary Art
and Design
About this Resource
Can beauty be designed?
This resource explores how contemporary
designers have questioned historical and
contemporary ideas of beauty.
It investigates the design processes of
three contemporary designers.
Background
An exhibition, ‘Beauty By Design:
Fashioning the Renaissance’ held at the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2014
–15 showed fashion garments created
by contemporary designers, inspired by
old master paintings from the National
Galleries of Scotland collection. The
designers looked at Renaissance (1300
–1700) portraits to see how ideas about
fashion and beauty have changed over
time, and created designs that remind us
there is no one fixed definition of beauty.
Their aim was to challenge the current
‘thin ideal’ we see in the media, and
improve self-esteem by adopting a more
diverse approach to fashion design.
Your design
We invite you to respond to a design brief
and create your own original garments,
as these three designers did. Investigate
images from the National Galleries of
Scotland collection, including historical
and contemporary works, and compare
them in terms of fashion and beauty.
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‘Lace Silhouettes
Series 1’
by Mal Burkinshaw
‘Double Exposure’
by Claire Ferguson
Headpiece:
Memento Flori.
by Sally-Ann Provan
Design Brief
Further
Study
Credits
Silhouettes en Dentelle – Series
1, (Lace Silhouettes – Series 1)
by
LACE = wealth + status.
MaL Burkinshaw
inspiration
From studying old master paintings in the National
Galleries of Scotland collection, Mal was influenced
by the portrait of Margaret Graham, especially the
decorated white lace jacket worn under her black
dress. He was inspired by how lace in these times
showed wealth and status.
Black lace was popular during the Renaissance
but rarely seen in portraiture of the time.
Decorated lace jacket under the
overdress - extremely fashionable for
court ladies in the early 1600s
Elaborately
embroidered
flower motifs
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MaL Burkinshaw
development
Mal’s idea was to make us question our perceptions
of beauty in terms of body size and gender.
He decided to fuse a modern, classic jacket design
with Renaissance fashion.
Sophie Hallette lace patterns
He used black lace and developed a close
collaboration with Sophie Hallette lace. Mal
developed a technique involving laying lace on
a lightbox, the lace was mirrored so the effect
is symmetrical. He called the result ‘X-ray lace
silhouettes’.
initial concepts
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sewing lace to netting
MaL Burkinshaw
production
pinning lace on netting
Using a light box, Mal developed a technique
for ‘painting with lace’.
Over 800 hours were spent embellishing the
jackets by hand instinctively on a lightbox.
The final series of jackets could be worn by any
gender and do not conform to standard UK
size measurements.
Materials & equipment:
•
Sophie Hallette lace
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Nylon netting
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Light box
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collaging lace and netting
laying
netting on
§lightbox
final result
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Double Exposure
by
Claire Ferguson
inspiration
Claire was influenced by the fabric and silhouettes
in these portraits of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lady
Arabella Stuart.
She noted how the distinctive lines of Renaissance
dress were exaggerated in portraits of this time.
She investigated the stitching and construction
of Renaissance ruffs.
Exaggerated lines
created by corset
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Claire Ferguson
Initia l dress
Sketch
Initia l knit
Samples
development
Claire wanted to highlight how the proportions
of the fashionable female figure during the
Renaissance are different from today’s female
figure.
Tuck stitch
S ophie
sample o ver
ce
Ha llette la
She created a fabric with structure and flexibility,
that could be worked into defined shapes for two
different dresses, exploring outlines, scale, texture
and space.
large sampling on a
knitting machine
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Claire Ferguson
production
Claire created two dresses in one.
The knitted outer dress represents the silhouette
of a ‘fashionable’ Renaissance body shape, with a
fine cotton, ribbed like structure.
The inner lace dress represents a contemporary
‘fashionable’ body shape.
The knitted dress encloses the lace dress at the
waist, highlighting how proportions of the
female figure have changed with time.
Materials & equipment:
•
Pima cotton
•
Monofilament
•
Sophie Hallette lace
•
Hand operated Stoll V – bed flat knitting machine
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bed of knitting machine
showing needle layout
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symbols on bodice reveal
sitter’s character
Headpiece: Memento Flori
(Memento of Flowers)
by
Sally-Ann Provan
inspiration
Sally-Ann was interested in how Renaissance artists
used symbols to demonstrate the sitter’s status,
wealth and good character.
Shape of the ruff,
a symbol of wealth
For example, carnations stand for engagement and
a woman’s love; butterflies represent the shortness
of life; the rose is a symbol of the Virgin Mary; and
honeysuckle symbolises fidelity, love and devotion.
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Period garments were often worn held together with pins.
Sally incorporated pins into her work
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r crown?
Brim laid ove
Sally-Ann Provan
development
Brim becoming
more solid
Sally-Ann explored the shape of the ruff, but used
it around the head, framing the face, instead of
the neck.
Sally-Ann worked on a ‘dolly head’ with wire, paper
and lace to develop ideas in 3D and recorded these
with photographs.
She worked with symbols of carnations, butterflies,
roses and honeysuckles and patterns based on
Sophie Hallette lace designs.
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Laser-cut lace graduates into laserengraving, wide brim patterned
Very first shape ideas
Digital CAD (computer
aided design) image
early shape experimentation
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Sally-Ann Provan
production
Sally-Ann’s final headpiece is based on the ruff, a
fashionable and expensive accessory worn around
the neck in the Renaissance by wealthy men and
women. She combined a range of symbols to create
a contemporary, decorative piece.
Sally-Ann incorporated pearls into the work, a
favourite Renaissance jewel symbolising wealth
and purity.
Materials and equipment
•
Laser cutter
•
Laser cut acrylic
•
Gold plated pins to construct the lace edge
•
Glass pearls and crystals
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Design Brief
Client: All Walks Beyond the Catwalk www.allwalks.org
Background: All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is an organisation which
aims to challenge fashion industry dependence on one body ideal,
using inspirational press campaigns that feature a broader range
of sizes, ages and skin tones, not just the size zero models usually
seen on the catwalk.
The current ‘thin ideal’ that we see in the media has been criticised
for causing psychological damage, particularly to girls and young
women. Ideals of beauty have varied through the ages, in different
countries and societies. Today’s catwalk models look very different
to images of women painted by Renaissance artists such as Titian,
Michelangelo and Rubens.
Your design: • Identify a model who represents a body size, shape, age or background not frequently seen on the catwalk.
• Design a full 2D or 3D garment or accessory for your model
to wear on the catwalk at a fashion show for All Walks Beyond
the Catwalk.
• Base your design on the theme of Changing Ideals of Beauty.
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PRINT BRIEF (p.15)
•
•
•
•
Your design should have strong visual impact when seen
from the catwalk.
It should be cheap to make, yet look good: recycle and use
what you have in class or at home.
It must be comfortable to wear.
Create either the full size garment or accessory, or a scaled mock up.
Design Stages:
• Investigate and research: look at the 3 designers in this resource, the images on the first page and other fashion designers online for inspiration.
• Consider and develop: come up with a few different ideas
and choose the best.
• Communicate a solution: make the best idea into a
finished piece.
• Evaluate: does your finished piece meet the design brief?
• We would love to see your ideas and hear your feedback on
this resource. Please send your photos and comments to [email protected]
Resources for Further Study
Beauty by Design Website
http://www.beautybydesign.org.uk/
Sally-Ann Provan
http://www.sallyannprovan.co.uk/
millinery_edinburgh_hat_studio.php
Mal Burkinshaw
http://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/school-ofdesign/mal-burkinshaw
Claire Ferguson
http://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/school-ofdesign/claire-ferguson
National Galleries of Scotland
Online Collection
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/
collection/online-collection/
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk
http://www.allwalks.org/
Edinburgh College of Art
(School of Design)
http://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/school-ofdesign
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Resources for first designers –
Stanford University
http://dschool.stanford.edu/use-ourmethods/
Designkit for unleashing your
creativity as a designer
http://www.designkit.org/methods
Tookit: Design Thinking for
Educators
http://www
designthinkingforeducators.com/
toolkit/
Credits
Mal Burkinshaw: Senior Lecturer and Programme Director of Fashion,
Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh
Claire Ferguson: freelance knitwear designer and Teaching Fellow at
Edinburgh College of Art
Sally-Ann Provan: milliner and Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh College
of Art
Sophie Hallette: creator and manufacturer of tulle and lace in Caudry
in northern France since 1887
Dr Jill Burke: Senior Lecturer, History of Art, University of Edinburgh
Dr Patricia Allerston: Deputy Director and Chief Curator,
Scottish National Gallery
Interactive Design: Andy McGregor Design + Media Ltd
Thanks to staff and students of Holyrood High School for
helping develop this resource.
VIEW IMAGE CREDITS
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Image Credits
Page 1: Title Page
‘Silhouettes en Dentelle’ – Series 1 (Lace Silhouettes – Series 1)
by Mal Burkinshaw, 2013-14, Sophie Hallette lace, handappliquéd onto tailored jackets in nylon netting, Collection of
the artist ©Mal Burkinshaw, photography ©John Mackenzie
Page 2: What is Beauty? (key on left)
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Queen Victoria, (1819–1901) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Esther Inglis (1571–1624) by an unknown artist, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Photography Antonia Reeve
Queen Charlotte; Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, (1744 –1818) Queen of George III
by Allan Ramsay, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Allan Ramsay (1713–1784) (Self-portrait) by Alexander Nasmyth; after Allan Ramsay, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Photography Antonia Reeve
David Tennant, b.1971. by Zed Nelson, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©Zed Nelson
Diana and Actaeon (detail) by Titian, Scottish
National Gallery
Dario Franchitti, b. 1973. by David Livshin, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©David Livshin
Ruby Wax, b. 1953. by K.K. Dundas, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©K.K. Dundas
Karen Gillan, b. 1987. by Suki Dhanda, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©Suki Dhanda
Katie Leung b.1987 by KK Dundas, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©K.K. Dundas
Leda and the Swan by Unknown; after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Scottish National Gallery
Reclining Nude Female with Head Dress, Copy after Michelangelo by Francesco Salviati, National Gallery
of Scotland
Portrait of Petrus Pecquius (1562–1625) by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Scottish National Gallery
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1865–1932) by John Singer Sargent, Scottish National Gallery
[untitled: woman smoking] by Colin Jarvie Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©Catherine Jarvie
Margaret Graham, Lady Napier by Adam de Colone, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
John Byrne b.1940 by David Eustace, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, ©David Eustace
Mr Laing or Laine, by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Copy of a Figure of ‘Night’ (from the Medici Tomb), Copy; after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Scottish National Gallery
Dawn Steele b 1975 by K.K. Dundas, Scottish National Portrait Gallery ©K.K. Dundas
The Ladies Waldegrave by Joshua Reynolds, Scottish National Gallery,
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Rev. Peter Jones or Kahkewāquonāby, 1802–1856. Indian chief and missionary in Canada [b]By David Octavious Hill and Robert Adamson, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Two Generations, Owen Logan, Scottish National Portrait Gallery ©Owen Logan
A Syrian Shepherd, Attributed to Zangaki, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Portrait of an Old Lady by George Chalmers, Scottish National Gallery
Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720–1788. Eldest son of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by William Mosman
Robert Carlyle, b.1961 by K.K. Dundas, Scottish National Portrait Gallery ©K.K. Dundas
George III, 1738–1820. Reigned 1760-1820 by Allan Ramsay, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Page 3: About this Resource
Background: Sophie Hallette Lace photography ©John
Mackenzie
Page 4: Menu
Double Exposure by Claire Ferguson, 2014, Pima cotton and
monofilament with Sophie Hallette lace, Collection of the artist
©Claire Ferguson, photography ©John Mackenzie
Page 5: Mal Burkinshaw Investigation
Margaret Graham (detail)
Page 6 & 7: Mal Burkinshaw Development & Production
Progress images provided by Mal Burkinshaw
Image of final singular jacket, photograph by Stuart Munro
Page 8: Claire Ferguson Investigation
Lady Arabella Stuart (1575–1615) attributed to Robert Peake,
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Lady Arabella Stuart (detail)
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) by an unknown artist,
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Mary, Queen of Scots (detail)
Page 9 & 10: Claire Ferguson Development & Production
Progress images provided by Claire Ferguson
Page 11: Sally- Ann Provan Inspiration
Lady Agnes Douglas, Countess of Argyll, about 1574-1607.
Attributed to Adrian Vanson, Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Esther Inglis (detail)
Lady Agnes Douglas, Countess of Argyll (detail)
Page 12: Sally-Ann Provan Development
Progress images provided by Sally-Ann Provan
Page 13: Sally-Ann Provan Production
Headpiece: Memento Flori (Memento of Flowers) by Sally-Ann
Provan, 2014, Laser-cut acrylic, gold-plated pins, glass pearls
and crystals, Collection of the artist ©Sally-Ann Provan, Alistair
Clark Photography Clark Photography.