Alice in wonderland

Here is a guide through my experiments

1. I started of by creating a tea cake stand. I decided to try this out by using modroc and wire. As I started of i thought it would go well until I realised the modroc would not stay supported and sank. I began to get stressed and moved on to a different idea.

 

2. I decided to try create a tea cake holder with cardboard and tissue paper aswell. I created four tiers by using different sizes of circular objects to create a stencil. I used colourful tissue paper to cover the tiers.

 3.  After playing around with trying to make a cake stand I started to play with plasticine to try to create some tea party food for props.

4. Here are more tea party treats I made using by using polystyrene, modroc and wax. These turned out really well.  

Project so far- Alice in wonderland

Project so far- Evaluation

At the beggining of this project I decided to go into prop and costume.
First of all I decided that I wanted to re-create tea party scene making big cakes and treats. I started of by doing small experiments first to see how the outcome would turn out so I wouldnt spend time of something that wouldnt turn out right. I also tried to create a colourful cake stand. I started using cardboard and wrapping it with tissue paper, it all started falling apart, also I didnt know what sturdy material I could use to hold up the tiers for the stand. I then decided to try creating the stand out with modroc and wire. As the modroc was wet it would just flop of the wire and wouldn't hold as I would of liked it to. I would of liked it to have been straight on the bottom and round. I then moved on to making props out of plastercine, this didnt turn out very well as im more of a fast worker than doing things to precise. Also I made a few table props from polystren and modroc. I simply just cut out some shapes from the polystrene and covered them with modroc; I then decorated them with paint, wax and glitter to add the toppings.

I then began to think about making the tradional alice in wonderland into more of an adult comedy. I started looking at hidden messages and images within this film. I didnt find much information within this but what I did come up with is collecting alcohol bottles, filling them with ink/water and adding the drink me sign on the bottle top. I found miniture bottles so I could do my own mini bottles with no labels on and also closed with a cork like the original film.

I was getting really iriatble with not knowing what i wanted to make. Whilst I wondered I came across a pack of cards in the studio and came up with the idea of making a queen of hearts costume with playing cards. I began by thinking of structures on how I could hold the dress together. I decided and then proceeded to sew cards onto some ribbon so i could tie them around the body. I created 4 of these being 13 cards on each strip. I was going to just create a body fully of these strip but after a week of being off college I came to college with a fresh mind and began to create an elegant dress, but still including the strips of cards. I have used black velvet for the base of the dress as it is quite an elegant material and looks quite shiny. I have also added a small red trail on the back of the dress. I first decided to do this so i could leave a fitting space within the dress and also to cover the ribbon of the card strips. I then decided on having the strips of cards on to the bottom of the dress so the dress doesnt look bold and so in your face and also It would keep the dress more elegant. The purpose of this dress is to not give the queen of hearts a vibe of im better than everyone else. I wish for the outcome to look lady like and more of an evening dress.

When I have completed the dress I have a few things in mind what I can do. I am contemplating create sponge treats out of fabrics and also create more character costumes. I have enjoyed using textiles for this project as it brings all different types of arts into one and all different techniques can be used.


Project continued:

I have created a velvet dress with cards stuck around the bottom. I started by making the base of the dress. Which I rushed and made a mess off. I then made a red velvet back to the dress to cover up the mistakes I made.

Alice in wonderland Costume

Art deco

Art deco was a popular movement between the two World Wars. This movement affected all types of art,it combined many different styles and movements like neoclassical, constructivism, cubism, modernism, art nouveau and futurism.

Style

• geometric and angular shapes
• chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors and mirror tiles
• stylised images of aeroplanes, cars, cruise liners, skyscrapers
• nature motifs - shells, sunrises, flowers
• theatrical contrasts - highly polished wood and glossy black lacquer mixed with satin and furs

Influences

• art nouveau - deco kept the nature motifs of its predecessor but discarded its flowing organic shapes and pastels for bolder materials and colours such as chrome and black
• cubism -painters such as Picasso were experimenting with space, angles and geometry
• early Hollywood - the glamorous world of the silver screen filtered through to design using shiny fabrics, subdued lighting, and mirrors. Cocktail cabinets and smoking paraphernalia became highly fashionable

The names

• Eileen Gray - furniture
• Raymond Templier - jewellery
• Clarice Cliff - china
• René Lalique - glass and jewellery

At the time

• 1912 RMS Titanic sails
• 1922 Tutankhamun's tomb is discovered
• 1922 Ulysses by James Joyce is published
• 1931 Empire State Building is completed
• Film stars - Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
• The charleston and tango are the latest dance crazes, jazz is born and the singer Josephine Baker thrills Paris

Get the look

• Furniture - choose strong, streamlined shapes for furniture and in single pieces rather than suites.
• Fabrics - stick to plain or geometric fabrics and add highlights with cushions also in one solid block of colour.
• Floors - plain polished parquet is perfect for floors. Linoleum in abstract designs or black and white chequerboard vinyl tiles are also typical.
• Rugs - floors would have been overlaid with a large rug in geometric patterns. These were often handmade by artists such as Duncan Grant (of Bloomsbury Group fame).
• Fireplaces - fireplaces should be rectangular and bold. Surrounds were often tiled in pink, green or beige. They were made of concrete and not many survive today.
• Colour - halls suit bold colour schemes such as silver, black, chrome, yellow and red. Creams, greens and beige, or oyster and eau-de-nil suit living rooms and bedrooms.
• Cupboards - cabinets, wardrobes, etc should be in pale veneered wood and simple shapes in keeping with the light, airy feel.
• Design - the stepped profile is the epitome of the art deco shape, found everywhere from uplighters to picture surrounds. Also look for zigzags, chevrons and lightning bolts.
• Lighting - lights featuring female figures holding the ball of the lamp are typical and good reproductions abound. Also look for chrome, a brand new material at the time, and glass. Glass would have been etched, sandblasted or enamelled rather than coloured.

What to invest in

• ceramics by Susie Cooper and Clarice Cliff
• original art deco rugs
• original posters featuring Bugatti cars etc

Where to see it

• Hoover factory, Middlesex
• The Savoy, London
• Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon
• Eltham Palace, London
• Miami Beach, Florida

Further reading

• Art Deco Interiors: Decoration and Design Classics of the 1920s and 1930s by Patricia Bayer (Thames & Hudson)
• Art Deco: Flights of Fancy by Susan A Sternau (Tiger Books International)
• The Antiques Checklist: Art Deco by Eric Knowles (Mitchell Beazley)

2D

Metamorphosis body cast

Art Nouveau

Art nouveau

Art nouveau is the french term of new art. It is a colourful movement in the arts that captivated Europe during the transition from 19th century to the 20th century. In italy they called it "stile liberty" and In germany they either called it "jugendstil" or "youth style".

 

 

Style

• sinuous, elongated, curvy lines
• the whiplash line
• vertical lines and height
• stylised flowers, leaves, roots, buds and seedpods
• the female form - in a pre-Raphaelite pose with long, flowing hair
• exotic woods, marquetry, iridescent glass, silver and semi-precious stones

Influences

• arts and crafts - art nouveau shared the same belief in quality goods and fine craftsmanship but was happy with mass production
• rococo style
• botanical research

The names

• Charles Rennie Mackintosh - architect and designer of furniture and jewellery
• Alphonse Mucha - posters
• Aubrey Beardsley - book illustrations
• Louis Comfort Tiffany - lighting
• René Lalique - glass and jewellery
• Emile Galle - ceramics, glass and furniture
• Victor Horta - architect

At the time

• 1859 The Origin of the Species is written by Charles Darwin
• 1865 War and Peace is written by Tolstoy
• 1867 Disraeli is prime minister
• 1899 aspirin is first marketed
• 1901 Marconi transmits first radio signals across the Atlantic

Get the look

• Floors - are parquet and should be stained and varnished.
• Colour schemes - are quite muted and sombre and became known as 'greenery yallery' - mustard, sage green, olive green, and brown. Team these with lilac, violet and purple, peacock blue. Mackintosh experimented with all-white interiors.
• Walls - can either be painted in one of the colours of the palette or off-white, or papered.
• Wallpaper - designs are highly stylised flowers, particularly poppies, water lilies and wisteria; branches, tendrils, leaves, stems, thistles, pomegranates; peacock feathers, birds and dragonflies.
• Tiles - use in panels and intersperse patterned ones with white. A technique called tube lining was used to make the design stand out from the surface - think of piping icing on a cake.
• Furniture - Mackintosh is renowned for extremely high-backed chairs in glossy black lacquer. If that's not your style go for curvy shapes upholstered in a stylised floral fabric.
• Stained glass - panels went in doors as well as furniture - wardrobe doors, cabinets, mirrors etc, with curved leading for the stalks and leaves, ending in a flower made from pearly enamels or semi-precious stones such as amethysts.
• Door handles - beaten metal for door handles and light fittings are perfect for that handmade finish.
• Lighting - you've got to have a Tiffany lamp - the beautiful umbrella-shape rainbow of favrile glass with bronze and metal latticework. Original ones cost the earth but most of the high streets stores produce very good imitations.
• Fireplaces - look for cast iron hoods with the raised sinuous curves of flowers growing up each side and tiles. Many original ones can be picked up in salvage yards but make sure you know whether you're buying a repro or an original. If you're unsure whether a salvaged item is art nouveau, study the design carefully: it should grow from the ground upwards with a continuous organic movement.
• Ornaments - in silver, pewter and glass. There are hundreds of outlets selling Mackintosh-style clocks, frames, jewellery boxes etc. Typical art nouveau glass is iridescent with patterns of liquid oil. Lalique glass is usually a pearly opaque with etched designs.
• Flowers - and peacock feathers are the epitome of art nouveau style.

What to invest in

Due to mass production, many art nouveau items are not valuable although still highly desirable. However, if the pieces is by a known designer, the price soars.

• Original Tiffany lamps - have a marked pad on the shade.
• Emile Galle glassware - usually have a cameo or signature.
• Posters - especially ones by Alphonse Mucha, Jules Cheret and J M Cassandre. To see whether they're reproductions, feel the quality of the paper. Reproductions will be on thick, modern paper. Use a magnifying glass: if you can see tiny dots making up the colour it's probably a reproduction. Genuine ones have flat areas of colour.
• Glassware by the Daum Freres - look for the marking Daum Nancy.
• Silverware - pill boxes etc, particularly anything marked Liberty & Co.

Where to see it

• The Hill House, Upper Colquhoun Street, Helensburgh, Nr Glasgow - designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh
• Glasgow School of Art - also by Mackintosh
• tiles in the food hall in Harrods
• Paris metro - some of the station entrances still have the signs designed by Hector Guimard
• Musée D'Orsay, Paris - has a large collection of art nouveau
• Criterion Brasserie, London
• Victoria and Albert Museum

Further reading

• Essential Art Nouveau by Paul Greenhalgh (V&A Publications)
• The Life and Works of Rennie Mackintosh by Nathaniel Harris (Parragon)
• Art Nouveau Architecture & Furniture by Trewin Copplestone (Grange Books)
• Art Nouveau Glass & Ceramics by Trewin Copplestone (Grange Books)
• Art Nouveau Jewellery & Metalwork by Trewin Copplestone (Grange Books)
• Turn of the Century Style (Middlesex University Press)