New Visual Stakeholder- Juno Calypso

Discovered via Dazed Digital, Juno Calypso is a young photographer who’s subject of imagery is the alter-ego Joyce.

Using pastel-hued rooms filled with tacky decorations and edible props, London-born photographer Juno Calypso has created a bizarre world for her alter-ego Joyce: a woman of indefinable age seemingly teetering on the brink of either a nervous breakdown, or death by indifference. Surrounded by cream cakes, fluffy fabrics and unearthed 80s beauty products, Joyce stares emptily back from behind her office desk, her deadpan mien and glazed-over eyes reflecting a deeper exhaustion with unrealistic ideals of femininity and beauty.

I believe that this seriously disturbing concept works due to its balance of irony and sinister qualities. All of Calyspo’s images are finished with a high-gloss shine and fine-tuned approach. Through the genre of tragic comedy, this images feel acceptable. However, I am unsure of how long Calypso will continue to use this original concept. I see a huge reference to the controversial imagery and themes of Guy Bourdin. Definitely huge future stakeholder.

The middle image, is my favourite I have seen so far. The clever positioning of props and set, has connotations of social confusion and online disaster- as society is controlled through the media and web.

In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion

Cultural Calendar-

GARETH PUGH = TUDORS X STUARTS + ‘X’

The designer celebrates ‘the first power dressers’ ahead of a new exhibition

“the triangle is the strongest shape known to man”

http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/16104/1/gareth-pugh-tudors-x-stuarts-x?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Sex+Week+%7C+Southbank+skateboarders+%7C+Gareth+Pugh%27s+Tudors+x+Stuarts&utm_campaign=20130507_m115980028_Sex+Week+%7C+Southbank+skateboarders+%7C+Gareth+Pugh%27s+Tudors+x+Stuarts&utm_term=1035620_jpg

Stakeholder- Ava Duvernay

Duvernay is the award-winning director of ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ As the first black female to ever win at the Sundance film festival, she is most certainly a women of great talent and a huge future ahead of her.

I first heard of Ava in a lecture with Lucy Norris, with regards to her collaboration with Miuccia Prada. This was the first time Prada have ever commissioned a film director. As a designer still associated with a very narrow perspective regarding race and ethnicity, it was a controversial decision for the brand, however, very valuable for awareness and reputation. I believe it must have been an equally controversial decision for Duvernay to agree to the collaboration with a house with certain conventional opinions. Although, I can understand the benefits this job had for a director with such potential, and currently self-funding all her productions. Her work is all based around themes of racial equality, independence, untold stories and honesty. “The Door” for Prada, is a beautifully quiet production about lost love and unconditional love between women.

A still from the short film for Prada- ‘The Door”

Case Study- Lanvin and the Social Butterfly.

The launch of Lanvin’s new fragrance “Me” is as far from our expectations of Elbaz as we could imagine. The campaign featuring a young woman kissing her own reflection holds all the connotations of self-obsession held by generation Y.

Packaged in a box and bow, this bottle of self indulgence.

An article from theage.com questions if this is the most narcissistic generation we’ve ever seen?

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/is-this-the-most-narcissistic-generation-weve-ever-seen-20130419-2i5ne.html

Narcissism is rising faster amongst generation Y than obesity.  This product plays on the power of consumers believing they deserve the best; they deserve a gift for themselves.  A huge proportion of fragrance purchases are bought for a gift, however, this is a generation buying fragrance, cosmetics and all luxuries, because they believe they deserve it before anyone else. I have questioned why Lanvin have chosen to push forward with this product and concept. Yes it is a rising market, however, it is most certainly not their existing primary consumer. I have concluded that this is a very clever, cheap and mass-market technique to create huge money flow in return. Lanvin are hoping to start a couture range, which is certainly not cheap! Many houses even loose money with couture collections, however, it adds quality, craftsmanship and huge credibility to a label, something hugely desirable for Alber Elbaz, however, he must have the funds before he can even start dreaming of couture.

Hans Haacke 1936

I had never see any work by Hans Haacke, until my most recent trip to the capital. Born in Germany, and continuing to work in America- I noticed Haacke’s work for its relevance to several current social trends.
This interactive ‘condensation cube‘ was built in 1963. The piece reacts to the room’s light and temperature conditions, creating a piece that will never be the same on two occasions.
As I am currently studying into the fragrance market, I noted the connection between the materials used and the social trend and demand for clarity. Despite being over 50 years old, this art is hugely representative of the attitudes of modern society. As a society that is increasingly aware of the control of both the media and government; there has been a recent social trend for truth, clarity and purity. Consumers want to see what they are buying; know whats in it and be ensured of no marketing tricks.

Joseph Beuys 1921-1986

I first saw the work of Joseph Beuys at the Tate Modern, London. I believe that Beuys could be a very relevant visual stake-holder in fashion imagery. Beuys was one of the most influential artists to shift the emphasis from what an artist can make, to his own personality and opinions. Something of a priority for many modern artists today.
Using art performance, public discussion and political campaigning her expressed his own concept of art. This is a quality I find highly aspirational, with my own background in performance and expression– ballet.
This self-portrait shows the artist in his instantly recognisable clothing. I feel that despite being a very talented fine artist, that Beuys dedicated just as much effort and time into constructing his image and social position as an artist than his work.

Creating a Fragrance with Karen Gilbert

Today’s lecture with Karen was equally as exciting as yesterday’s. I found it really interesting to learn about how the sense of smell actually works. The olfactory organ acts as a receiver for scent molecules once they have been transformed into nerve signals or electrical pulses. These nerve impulses then flow to the brain via the limbic system and the hypothalamus. The limbic system is the part of the brain responsible for an individual’s moods, feelings, emotions and memories. Here the odour being smelled is connected with past experiences.

I have found the past couple of weeks so interesting and exciting that I am keen to try and find a short-course in perfumery or the fragrance market.

The most valuable part of today’s lecture for me was learning how the traditional fragrance structure or top, middle and base notes have been changed for the majority of mainstream fragrances. This is in connection with the ‘Airport fragrance culture’ I explored yesterday. Tresor by Lancome was created by perfumer Sopha Grossman and was responsible for initiating these changes. The majority of the juice is often created with heavy synthetics- very strong and long-lasting. The remainder of the juice (20%) is the top notes- very over-powering and immediate.

 Mainstream/airport perfume

In comparison, Karen showed us the most common structure for traditional fragrances, used by the vast majority of niche perfumes today. These fragrances develop and change on the skin after time. The rely on the consumer to have time, patience and respect for the craft.

Common for the majority of niche perfumes. Middle notes run throughout- heaviest after several hours of wearing the scent. Equally, top and base notes have a presence throughout the majority of the time being worn both developing whilst increasing or decreasing over time. We most certainly was to stick with this structure for our traditional, niche fragrance.

Guest Lecture- Dr. Morgaine Gaye- Food Futurologist

This lecture was most certainly very revealing in regards to consumer behaviour in the fragrance market.

“smell can not be described, only explained”

it smells like…..

• Nescafé has a scent embedded label; H&M and Abercrombie are known for having scented retail spaces.
• after-death communications associated with scent
• we can identify over 10,000 smells from as early as 12 weeks in the womb. This is when we begin to develop our preferences through taste and smell
• We have no language for scent and frequent referrals to something “fishy”, “milky” are common. We describe through the smells of other objects.

Define Odour:

american: heritage dict defines the difference between the good and bad smells

french: a psychological object

english: a psychological response

95% of taste is smell:

• Differences between preferred smells: Americans love Root beer: we associate the chemical as being used in medicines
• Winter green is a very popular flavour of chewing gum and mints in the US. Here in the UK we have associations back to WW2 when it was used as a muscle rub.

Relationships and personality

• We all have a one in 40,000 chance of meeting our exact parasitic opposite.
• the contraceptive pill changes our scent preferences
• Molecule One- Own unique smell
• Most recognisable smell- bubble gum
• second most recognisable smell- liquorice
• Realm- the scent of cyberspace
• BBC2- snatch and sniff series
• Aroma Jockeys- Djs using scent as well as sound

Trends

• Magic and fantasy
• Security
• Idealisation of earth and nature
• Social Trend- Clarity

Today’s lecture and seminar was very fascinating and allowed a much wider insight into fragrance as an industry.

BBC 4 Documentaries on Fragrance

This series of 3 documentaries on fragrance were recommended by my module leader, and were much more exciting than I could originally imagine! I really enjoyed these documentaries and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I Iearnt- this proved to give me a huge advantage when looking at haute couture scents on a research trip to London.

Here are a few of my notes made during each episode:

• Guerlain Paris- experience,John Paul Guerlain- 183 yrs of family in perfumery
• business- get them young and keep them

“take off her dress, take off her make-up, what’s left? The charm of her voice and her perfume”

“Frenchness in liquid form”

• Day before mothering sunday- most important day in the fragrance calender
• Generation y- 18-27yrs (also mentioned in Harriet Posner’s Marketing Fashion Text book)
• Chandler Vien? (check name)- famous bottle design
• 60% of all business takes place in the last 1/4 of the year

Episode 2- Bottling the Memory

• CB- I hate Perfume (Visited in NYC)

Own Image- CB I hate  perfume, NYC- January 2013

• Americans want to smell clean
• John Claude Elaina (check name)- fragrance from fantasy- few, expensive ingredients- evoke memories and emotion

Episode 3- The smell of the future

• Russians- rich, heavy
• Chinese- light, airy
• Brazillians- Fruit
• Latin Americans- use more/ shower more/ want to feel fresher
• Brasil is the fastest growing fragrance market- scent crazes- scented shoes
• Car industry- seen obsessed- aston martin showroom fragrance
• More middle class than ever in Brazil- New Wealth
• IFF- scent of bathroom cleaner
• Victorian scents-rich and musky- Grossmith Family (Brooks)
• Decades later- lighter scents
• Middle east- hugely interested- multiple bottles per purchase

Perspectives- Portillo on Picasso

 

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/perspectives/series-1/episode-1-perspectives-portillo-on-picasso

Great chance to remember the Picasso Black and White exhibition at the Guggenheim in New York. The influence of war never fails to overwhelm me!