Diva-Beyonce

This music video captures the aesthetic that we were thinking of using. The location is a desolate warehouse, the lighting is black and white with desaturated colours coming though. They use mannequins throughout the video. The styling is very futuristic with structured shapes and metallics.

Julius Bramanto

Another common relation when thinking about mannequins is robots. Robots in fashion has been done a bazillion times but I was particularly attracted to these images by Julius Bramanto as they show a 'fashion robot' in charge of a huge warehouse. The location and the style of model create a disassociated mood. The models pose and expression make it seem like even though she is a robot she still doesn't want to be doing a banal job! Again the metallic clothing teamed with black and white reflect the common vision of a robot.

Dangling Models

"Nordic designer Barbara i Gongini teamed with photographer Niclas Jessen to create these cutting edge images to promote her upcoming I-rEguLar collection for 2009.

These photos were taken in a theater warehouse, which creates a somewhat eerie abandoned feel. Adding to this perception the model is seen dangling by a harness from the rafters in one shot and tied to a bar by her jacket shoulders in another.

The photographs are quirky, but as Gongini says, her goal is not to mass produce the brand but rather to “be represented in the most exclusive concept-boutiques all over the world.”

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/barbara-i-gongini-niclas-jessen-royal-theatre-warehouse

The Innocent by Diego Diaz

For our shoot we thought of making the models look like mannequins. I like this shoot as it is a different twist on the mannequin style, like the models are off-duty when the shop closes. It is playful and quite provocative. I think the styling works well using the white but accentuating it with a splash of colour. It is not cliche mannequin styling they have used textures such as the floaty white fabric combined with the pvs patent gloves and shoes to add a contemporary twist as anyone can dress a model in head-to-toe white and call her a mannequin. I like the cool colour palette and desaturated feel to the images. This location is great as it mixes the glamorous with the dirty and industrial. The warehouse background also adds a lot of angles and geometric shapes which reflect the models poses.

Group meeting

After our first group meeting we came up with the concept of education preparing thousands of children in primary school to be shipped on to secondary school and then college, university etc until they are 'picked' to  work in a specific job. This 'academic journey' reminded us of a mass produced assembly line similar to ones that would be found in huge factories. We are going down the route that suggests that education prepares everyone in such a way that no-one can break the mould and the ideal is acquiring skills and knowledge so that ultimately you can be hired by a company that only wants you for the talents you possess. People are no longer individuals when it comes to business they are just a name and a list of knowledge that may or may not meet the specific criteria required to work in a certain job. CV's and interviews don't represent a person truthfully. Creativity is shunned, you are expected to conform.
It is quite a cynical view on education however I think it will translate brilliantly into a series of photos.

Erla Maria Arnadottir

 I think these illustrations are interesting as they play with the idea of children educating themselves and putting into practise what they have learned. They are portraits of Erla's children and show their wacky ideas and surreal view on life. They are very cutesy until you look deeper into the imagery and see the bones and the blood. The 'hair' in the images represents the children's vivid imaginations, tangling around each other in a dishevelled way yet still bright and colourful. I like the use of the bold colours contrasting with an aged sepia texture in the background.

Calvin Ho

Mixed-media is an idea we've been thinking about. Adding subtle illustrations and typography can really add to an image but if it isn't relevant it can be distracting and pointless. I think this series of images work really well. I think they have achieved the perfect mix of different media. I also like the colour palette, styling and the surreal element too.

Jan Von Holleben 'Dreams of Flying'

I really like this concept. I think that the perspective works really well and again it is related to the vivid imaginations of younger children.
Jan Von Holleben's work is very playful and innocent.
 'Crossing the desert on the back of a dog or searching for lost treasures on the bottom of the ocean, Jan von Holleben’s photographs make nostalgic dreams come true.

Jan brings the influences of his parents – a cinematographer and child therapist – to his work. His focus on the visual representation of childhood, ‘Child-History’ and concepts of ‘Playing’, come from his teacher training coursework: he combines these theories with his personal experience and childhood memories. Inspired by classic childhood books as well as modern superheroes, he has produced ‘Dreams of Flying’ since 2002 with children from his local neighbourhood in Southwest Germany !'

Yeondoo Jung 'Wonderland'

When thinking about education I always think about primary school as I think that was where I enjoyed being educated the most. My favourite class at school was art and even in reception we always used to draw weird and wonderful pictures. My younger sister is only five and she draws the most imaginative things I have ever seen! I think before you have started 'proper' education you have much more creativity and have no limits to the imagination. Yeondoo Jung has created images from children's drawing and I think it is a really fun and creative concept. They are executed quite literally but it could be an idea to rework something like this in a more technical fashion-related way.

James Mollison 'Where Children Sleep'

When thinking about 'Education' I think about how it is something that unites most children around the world. Each child is an individual and has their own background but whilst in school or a learning environment they are all taught the same thing in the same way.

This photography series shows the children and their bedrooms. How a child is raised at home by their family is completely different all over the world.

James Mollison explaining his work...

Education

For the new brief we have been given the starting point of 'Education'. Education is such a broad subject and it can be related to almost anything so deriving an original concept will be interesting. I am working in the same group as in the previous project but with the addition of fellow styling student, Rebecca Day. I think that having two stylists means that we can really do some experimental styling and work together to push our boundaries further. So the group is myself, Josh Brown, Becky Aubrey and Rebecca Day.