Monday, March 29, 2010


Photography: Nicole Abram
Branch/Floral Corset: Rebel Palace
Model: Sydney Abram



- I constructed this corset by candle light during Earth Hour from branches, organic silk ribbon and hawaiin flowers-


Despite sudden climate restrictions, that resulted in my project being changed from the filming of an outdoor fashion show to an indoor studio photoshoot, the final work, a documentation of my hand crafted, eco friendly corset in a Fashion context, continues to reflect my initial artist’s statement that declares Fashion as a form of collaborative Visual Arts.
Looking at the constructed corset, made from natural resources such as branches, twigs, organic silk ribbon and floral/leaf décor, in this day and age one sees a garment that lacks in practicality while maintaining an abundance of creative arrangement. However, during the earliest existence of civilization, the use of such disposable, temporary, and even uncomfortable natural resources were some of the primary, if not only sources of material for the production of functional clothing design. In “Objects in the Mirror…Reflections on the Changing Contexts of Performance Art”, Christopher Eamon describes performance art as “temporal and ephemeral…the context and overall experience will always be different at a different point in time”. I think the same can be said about Fashion styles and materials where changes are relevant to the time period in which ideas about Fashion, fabrics, purposes etc. apply to the context of which they belong. While many years ago, natural fibres were used because of availability and convenience, they are now primarily used to expose the loss of organic resources and the over consumption and production of unnatural materials. Currently our western society is slowly returning back to its natural roots and referring to ecologically conscious goods and services including food, transportation, sources of energy and clothing. These days the entirely eco-friendly corset would appear as a lovely costume piece or activist statement promoting the use of natural resources, while years ago it could have fulfilled practical uses as lingerie or body armor.
Some other contributing art practices are apparent in my final project that work to demonstrate the collaborative performance of Fashion as a Visual Art. My photographer uses lighting techniques and approaches to the photographic arts to compose images displayed throughout the short film. A small stationary video camera is utilized to record and produce a motion picture documenting different segments of the shoot to later be edited into a short film. Modeling is not an occupation I generally practice, so my performance was a representation of how I thought a model might pose, and behave. With my experiences with models during fashion shows and photoshoots, I was exploring the Fine Art realms of Drama by theatrically acting like a model. Thus the collaboration of photography, film, and theatre contributed to the eventual piece of work derived from a one of a kind Fashion garment.
Although Fashion may have held different purposes in the past, and may potentially hold different meanings in the future, it is certain that Fashion is indicative of several important factors including person, place and time. With that being said, at this time, Fashion is reflective of the expression and application of current creative skill with the guidance of a number of Fine Arts practices.

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