Initial experiments - Lo-tech materials

http://www.pinterest.com/gracechj/unit-x/

Looking to the colours and structures of the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I created some samples using lo-tech materials such as wire, straws, strummer line, birthday candles, pins and bin liner. Using crochet and knit techniques I created structures which I think evoked roller coasters. I like the contrast between the traditional knit and crochet techniques with the unconventional materials. Through the use of varied materials I was able to create a combination of different textures.  Photography allowed me to experiment with compositions and manipulate and record my samples in variety of different ways. 

Bellevue Archive

At the Bellevue archive I was drawn to the photographs of the performances with animals and their trainers and the decorative costumes which they wore, which I would like to research further. Each costume was designed to compliment the different performance which is why the minimal and exotic lion tamer's costume is so different to the dancers' long skirted costumes.

Blackpool Costumes

When looking at the costumes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I tried to capture the different textures and materials of the costumes in my photographs, such as the combination of metal with soft fabric. All these costumes were designed to have a big impact, as they were used in performances, therefore they had very striking and unusual shapes and silhouettes. These were created through the use of wire to give fabric form and shape, which is something I would like to experiment with in my own samples.

Blackpool Structures

At Blackpool Pleasure Beach we saw the park closed without the noise, games and people you would associate with a theme park. This allowed me to see it in a different light, I was solely focused on the aesthetics and architectural structures of the rides. These created interesting negative shapes, silhouettes and shadows, which is something I would look to recreate in my own sample moquettes. I could imagine it as an abandoned theme park, when I saw the rides still without children there was something sad about them.