27/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Critique)

The critique today proved to be a useful experience as I was not only able to look at other people's work but have my observed and commented on. The comments I received were positive about my work and the majority of people I passed mentioned that they had liked my editorial or film. When walking around, I tried my best to comment on others' work and give them ideas or magazines and publications that I thought their work could work great in.

It was tricky to comment on the design students' work as I found that, as with some of the other promotion students, we weren't as interested nor comfortable in critiquing their work. As a promotion student, I'm always half in awe of the design students and whilst I love looking through their sketchbooks to gain insight into how a designer goes from concept to final garment, I don't feel as though I am capable of really critiquing their work. Rather than that, I admired it and commented on things such as the layout of their book and how I thought they had really grasped the idea of deconstruct and reconstruct in their designs.

25/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Dazed Digital)

Feature on front page of Dazed Digital - Caroline Wong 

Feature on my film in the Arts + Culture section - Caroline Wong

26/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Final Film)

An art film exploring the deconstruction of a mind through mental health disorders whilst guiding and retelling a personal journey.

Model: Ina KoFilm: Caroline WongWords: Caroline Wong, Ina Ko

With thanks to: 

Lisa Dunt, Christele Mbosso, Loredana Pozzuto, Phoebe Smith, 

Maymana Arefin, Philippe Barbaroussis, Blanc Kim

26/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Final Editorial)

Front Cover - Caroline Wong

Opening editorial page - Caroline Wong

Model: Ina Ko

Photography: Caroline Wong

Garments: Lisa Dunt, Loredana Pozzuto, 

Christele Mbosso, Phoebe Smith

Lighting assistants: Lisa Dunt, Christele Mbosso

Maymana Arefin, Philippe Barbaroussis

25/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Editing Process)

Final stage of editing in Premiere Pro - Caroline Wong

To edit the photos, I wanted to retain the dark look to the images without losing the garment or the model. It was tricky editing to get the best of both worlds as changing the brightness and contrast both gave displeasing results. In the end, for most of the photos, I toyed around with the hue of the images as well as the shadowing and highlights. Again, the graininess of the images was something I enjoyed as I felt they worked well for my target audience (Dazed & Confused readers).

Editing the film was a long process. First, I had to detach all the audio from the clips and render them in black and white. After the initial piecing together, I then recorded the speaking soundtrack in time to the film as it played. There was a few times where I had to rerecord as I either spoke too fast or too slow but all in all, it was plain sailing up until this point as I had planned everything out from the shots to the script of the film. I had also previously recorded additional audio that I knew I wanted to use in the run up to shooting day and these included sounds such as shoes clacking on the floor and boiling water as it bubbles. The aim of this inclusion of everyday and mundane noises was to symbolise that depression could happen to anybody. Everybody walks on the pavement. Everybody has to cook. Everybody is susceptible to a mental health disorder.

I then exported the movie from iMovie into Premiere Pro as there is a lot more freedom when customising text in the Adobe programme. The longest part of the editing process was adding in subtitles as I wanted to subtitle my voice as it played in the background of the film. As it took a long time, I learnt that subtitling is time consuming especially when you're not using a specific programme designed for subtitling. Either way, now that I've done it, I know that I'm capable of doing it again and I'll be much faster in the future.

24/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Shooting)

Contact Sheet I - Caroline Wong

As shooting took place in the evening when it was dark and cold, we faced a number of problems. The first was that the lighting was near impossible to get right for the first 30 minutes or so. As I was having to use makeshift lighting such as car headlights and torches, I employed the use of reflectors to try and make the light go further but they didn't prove useful in the end. Eventually however, I managed to capture a number of shots that I thought could be used.

Another problem I encountered was with my camera as it was becoming increasingly temperamental. As we were running on a tight schedule, I was forced to quickly think of another means of photographing the photoshoot and ended up having to film and photograph on an iPhone 6. Whilst this obviously meant that the resolution of the images would be compromised, I liked the grainy effect that was left in some of the images and for the film footage, the darker clips tied in remarkably well with my vision for it.

Were I to do the shoot again, I think I would try to shoot in a similar location but with enough space to set up studio lighting (I would have also used studio lighting had I been able to take it out to a location). I would also try to document the shoot using film photography and had I had more time and the facilities to do so, I would have liked to have converted the images into black and white photograms to experiment with placing colour on the images manually through hand-painting. I think that hand-painted photos that are originally black and white have a romantic and somewhat ominous feel to them which would have tied in nicely with the images I produced. 

23/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Location scouting)

Location polaroids - Caroline Wong 

To channel Jeff Bark, I have decided to shoot outdoors at night. I wanted the location to be woody and leafy but given the timings, any local woods would be closed and shut by the time we wanted to shoot. On top of this, as I don't drive, it would be extremely difficult to bring all the equipment needed to light the shoot. When explaining the dilemma to Lisa, one of the designers I'm collaborating with, she mentioned that I could use car headlights if there was somewhere close by to my house that wouldn't be locked up at a certain time. With that thought, I realised that the alleyway right by my front door would be perfect.

The alleyway is used as a through fare by everyone would lives on my street and the streets perpendicular to us to get to the main road. The alleyway is also entrance to a number of garages where people can park their cars. Because of this, it has a perfect balance of greenery and walkable space which would come in handy when setting up tripods. On top of this, I could use our car headlights by simply asking my mother to drive in a little.

The location seems perfect for the shoot and with my cousin's high pain tolerance, she's agreed that the nettles are neither a turn off nor a problem for her. Having checked the weather, it appears that it may rain and so this might result in problems but for the most part, we're going to take it as it comes since there's no way of rescheduling the shoot that will be taking place on Tuesday. Of course, if we had the choice, we would shoot on a different day but given the quick turnaround time, there simply isn't another choice.

21/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Hair & Make-Up)

Images from hair and make-up concept board - Caroline Wong

For hair and make-up, I wanted to have a look that would suit my muse of a crazed maiden. My idea behind the look was that at a glance, the make up would look normal and beautiful. Nothing would stand out as being 'off' and she would look polished. However, if taking a longer glance, one would begin to notice that something isn't quite right with the model and this was a focal point in my research into the beauty side of things.

As make-up and hair is another one of my interests, I started by looking into recent trends. With models at Preen's SS15 sporting fake freckles, I decided that it would be interesting to give Ina freckles as this would emulate a more earthly appeal. On top of this, I wanted brows to be bushy but not quite natural and I plan on doing this by using mascara that will not only hold the hairs in place but also thicken and lengthen them too. The majority of the face make-up inspiration came from looking at Vivienne Westwood's looks on the runway as they are often considered to be crazy and out there. I noticed in one catwalk, models sported a 'bitten' lip where their lipstick appeared to have been smudged or smeared all over their face. I've decided to copy this in a more subtle way to connote the uncaring side to ones appearance when they are depressed.

For hair, I knew I wanted to have big, curly and frizzy hair. As my cousin has naturally straight hair, I first thought of looking into how possible it was to create an afro and then went on to try it on myself. Sure enough, it was doable. I collected photographs from the Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs 2011 shows which had models don frizzy hair and again, this suits the crazed maiden ideal I have in my mind.

The entire look together with my cousin's pale and scarred skin should hopefully photograph beautifully. Also, as Dazed tends to use their main feature model as their front page model, I will be taking photos to be used for the front cover of the magazine and so face make-up in this respect is extremely important. I'm really glad that I have the opportunity to try out a dramatic look as for the past two projects, I've worked in my usual minimalist style where natural or no make-up has been the go-to look. It's been fun being able to really get creative with the hair and make-up looks.

20/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Further concept research)

For my further research into my concept, I've looked into both Ina's and my own dealings with mental health. I looked retrospectively at the lowest periods and gathered Ina's poems, menus, section forms and sheets from group therapy to look at. For myself, I looked back into the archives of blogs and online diaries and plucked out most of those written when I felt down. The thoughts and feelings that I've collected for my research will go towards the script for the art film I'm planning.

The following is a poem Ina wrote after her overdose at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. I believe it is a recent writing, dating to maybe a year ago. This will also be put in the script for the film.

This is the starting of my greatest fear,

Living the rest of my life.

Sitting up each morning,

to face all the little fears,

to muddle through this world.

This is the starting of a war,

To fight not for country or religion,

but for myself.

So many battles I've lost,

But perhaps I'll win one today.

This is the starting of my rise to grace.

My self-esteem lies shattered in the grass,

Waiting for glue and tape

To resurrect it once more,

So I may stand tall once again.

This is the starting of the rest of my life,

Filled with sadness and happiness,

Peppered with tears and laughter

And if I'm lucky,

Coloured in love.

This is the starting of a brand new day,

One that may lead to many more,

One that will take me to my future,

If I can find the strength,

To just survive today.

19/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Magazine Research)

Dazed & Confused May 2009 Cover

As I've chosen Dazed and Confused to be the publication I'm working for, I have set about looking into what market the magazine appeals to and what their ethos is. As their most recent Nicki Minaj issue is nowhere to be found, I've looked back into past issues that I have to gain this insight and try to better understand the magazine.

Dazed readers range from the ages of 18-30years and all have an interest in high fashion as well as music, arts, culture and photography. As so much of Dazed's content revolves around current affairs, I think my editorial and article would be perfect for the magazine. My film that I am creating is also something I believe would be seen on Dazeddigital, the magazine's website as they tend to highlight and arouse interest for new and upcoming artists.

Vocabulary used in articles and interviews for Dazed are usually serious when they need to be, but expletives and slang are still thrown in when appropriate. As the audience is relatively young and can be described as 'hipster', it makes sense for the magazine to use terms that they'd expect their audience to understand. Interviews are never censored- if a star swears, the magazine publishes it. It gives free reign to the contributors to say and do as they please.

I would describe Dazed and Confused as a magazine for what people consider 'arty' and maybe even somewhat 'pretentious'. I can see the girls walking around Brick Lane clutching their Holga cameras and snubbing the Ugg boot clad girls walking out of the nearby Mac store reading Dazed. I can also see the laid-back, smokes-weed-in-his-bathroom-with-his-friends-but-prefers-nights-in-with-a-round-of-beers-and-a-guitar-type guy flicking through his girlfriend's copy of Dazed and thoroughly enjoying it. What I can't see however is any old average Joe picking up a copy of Dazed and actually reading it.

19/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Model and designer scouting)

For this shoot, I've decided that I want to team up with a number of designers to create my editorial. As I want the garments to look somewhat haute couture and less high street, I figured that it would be better to seek out designs from the students in my class. After frolicking about and testing the water, I now have the 4 designers I'll be working with: Loredana, Christele, Phoebe and Lisa, all of which are womenswear apart from Lisa who is (as it stands) creating an accessory.

For my model, I originally thought about accessibility and asked Loredana if she would model for the shoot. I originally chose her for her long hair as I have a few ideas for hair and make-up and I figured her pale skin would also look great in the nighttime shots. However, due to previous plans, Loredana wasn't free and so I had to look elsewhere.

My next (and final) point of call was to call my cousin, Ina, who is younger than me by just over a year. Not only did she fit the bill of having long hair and pale skin, she also fit the concept of my project extremely well. Ina spent a year living in The Priory, a famous psychiatric hospital with numerous branches all over the UK. She was first admitted for self harm and was then transferred into the eating disorder unit where she remained for the rest of her time there. Towards the end of her time at The Priory however, she was becoming uncontrollable and it was around this time when she was finally diagnosed with having borderline personality disorder.

It's been over a year since her parents removed her from The Priory after they were beginning to feel unable to cope with her. She was transferred to the Maudsley Hospital, a renowned centre for their research into psychiatry and psychology and has been attending as an outpatient ever since. Whilst she hasn't been dismissed from CAMHS (the NHS's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), she's currently in Year 13 applying for a degree in Medicine and is living her life relatively normally save for the vast amounts of medication she's on.

Ina is one of the few people in my life that I feel entirely comfortable around and the feeling is mutual. Having been with her from the moment she was born through everything else, we're closer than how I perceive most cousins are with each other. I think that her partaking in the shoot will bring an interesting edge to the shoot and I plan on conducting an interview with her to use as my corresponding article. I admit that I was worried she wouldn't want to take part given the nature of the shoot but when I asked her and explained the concept, she laughed hysterically and said "so you only want me because I'm mad? Okay, I'm fine with that".

19/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Concept Board)

Image from Tumblr, Quote by Cesar A. Cruz

For this project which looks at deconstruction and reconstruction, I am intending to look into mental health and disorders as these relate to a mind that has been deconstructed and reconstructed wrongly. The subject matter is very personal to me and I've decided that I want to create an emotionally raw outcome as I think that my work is always better when there is an element of something personal in it. 

My initial research has come from looking at Millais' painted portrayal of Ophelia and Van Gogh's self portrait. Ophelia is a Shakespeare character who commits suicide through grief and remorse. Van Gogh is famously known to also have cut off his own ear in a moment of broken reality having suffered major depression throughout his life. I've taken inspiration from the movie 'A Beautiful Mind' which looks at the onset of schizophrenia in a university professor and Amy Winehouse, a singer who died battling a drug addiction and depression. 

A photographer I've been looking at is Jeff Bark who has worked with Dazed and Confused on many occasions. As my concept is on mental health, I also want my corresponding article to relate to this topic and I believe that Dazed is a publication that would be interested in publishing such material. In turn, I also like Bark's images as they tend to give off a woodland feel that is somewhat dark to them. I've been told that I should aim to do something different for this project in terms of the final outcome and I'm willing to go out of my comfort zone. As the editorials I tend to make and enjoy looking at most are usually quite simplistic, I want to create an editorial fit for haute couture wear and Jeff Bark's work is a good source of inspiration for me.

The final editorial as it stands will be shot digitally using an array of coloured lights. I want the feel of the shoot to be beautiful but somewhat eery, as though you can tell something is not quite right but cannot pinpoint exactly what it is. The muse for the shoot (and thus the persona the model will be taking on) will be similar to that of a crazed maiden and I'm planning on shooting outside at night so that I can really manipulate the use of lighting and movement in the shots. 

18/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Collage Illustrations)

The Tears That You and I Know - Caroline Wong

For these collage illustrations, I cast aside my fear of ruining things and took to hacking away at an old Dazed and Confused issue. With the choice of working all day on 5 illustrations or using half the day to work on creating garments on the stand as well, I chose to focus entirely on the collages as not only do I not feel comfortable with the work I produce when working with fabric/clothes on mannequins but I also thoroughly dislike it. Collaging is also something I tend to dislike as I'm never a fan of the mishap feel the final product generally has. Saying that, I found this task rather difficult as I was never completely happy and struggled to make a start once I'd finished cutting out all the bits of clothing I could find.

The aim of my illustrations was to simply produce something that didn't look like it related entirely to fashion. I wanted my illustrations to have an element of fun or meaning to them and it wasn't until I'd finished all of them and looked at them in great detail that I realised they all shared a dark similarity. Once I'd found this common meaning to them, I began to appreciate the illustrations and went on to label them what I thought they all depicted.

The labels behind the images have now gone on to influence my research into my concept and I now have the idea of 'a deconstructed mind' in the sense of a torn apart reality relating to mental health disorders and psychiatry.