Whim

Category: Apparel

My design was inspired by the work of artist and sculpture Jean Hans Arp, entitled "Human Concretion". In 1886, the Franco-Prussian war broke out in the city of Strasburg, formerly known as Alsace–Lorraine (France) - a year before Jean Arp was born to a German father and French mother. This tumultuous time contributed to Jean’s obscured national, cultural and social identity, and withered Jean’s definition of and sense of self. The aftermath of the battle saw the city returned to French rule. His name was consequently changed from Hans to Jean. Jean’s outlook on the world was certainly shaped by these times, and his true self remained undefined for a long time. During the First World War, Jean found refuge in Zurich. There he became one of the founders of the Dada Movement, which began in the early days of 1916. At that time, he began to express more originality in his pieces. The major theme of Biomorphism within the surrealistic art movement was led by Jean. Biomorphism relates to abstract objects that are inspired mainly from living organisms, not not from geometric ones. These objects typically have rounded silhouettes and non-amorphic characteristics. My main inspiration came from a statue made from plaster which remains in its natural white color. This material was significant in Jean’s design process, and can be found in all his pieces. Plaster is flexible in nature and receptive to Jean’s creative instinct and artistic whims, allowing him to intuitively sculpt biomorphic shapes. This 3D piece of art is detached from physical boundaries, and with its round and swollen shape, enhances its surrealistic nature. It is significant in that the different perspectives from which a spectator views the sculpture can produce various interpretations. The spectator’s imagination is evoked! I am fascinated by Jean’s creative and mental process, his loosening of control and certainty, his preoccupation with biomorphic forms free of concrete boundaries, and his expression of absence and not presence. It has raised questions in my mind regarding the dynamic interaction between body and clothing. What happens as a body meets a garment? Where does the garment begin and the body end? How can the biomorphic shape of our rounded silhouettes be reflected in the garment? What will be created out of the convergence of these shapes with the body? My collection is inspired by these biomorphic forms characterized by rounded and asymmetrical lines. I chose to work with natural and raw colors akin to Jean’s preference to the original white plaster of his sculptures. I wanted to create clothing that alludes to the same experience that Jean’s sculptures evoke - where every angle from which the garment is viewed elicits a unique impression. My intention in this collection was to transcend the boundaries between body and garment, and for the garment to manifest the sense of infinity; the absence of concrete boundaries.