All walks of the catwalk

'All walks beyond the catwalk is an initiative founded by Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O'Connor working with influential Catwalk designers and top industry creatives to celebrate more diversity with the fashion industry'

'Having played our part in instigating a shift in attitude, since our launch at London Fashion Week in Sept 2009 – where eight emerging designers were paired with 8 diverse models – most notably creating the ‘plus size,’ model Harley Morley and Mark Fast partnership – All Walks Beyond the Catwalk has continued to grow.'

What the company has accomplished

In November 2009 we accepted ‘Cosmopolitan Magazine Fearless Women,’ award.

In June 2010 we successfully launched the first ‘All Walks Forum,’ at Graduate Fashion Week with fashion educationalists attending from all over Britain. Many colleges have pledged to incorporate diversity modules into their teaching. Since this time we have lectured up and down the country on a voluntary basis to rave student reviews.

In Sept 2010 we launched the campaign SNAPPED with Rankin at London Fashion Week.

In Feb 2011 we celebrated diversity at the National Portrait Gallery. A record 4000 people came in one night to see our Rankin images.

In June 2011 we launched the Edinburgh College of Art, Centre of Diversity in Association with All Walks

In April 2012 we co -produced the Body Confidence Awards from Parliament chaired by MP Jo Swinson and awarded our own All Walks ‘Visionary Fashion Award.’

In June 2012 we launched the National Student Competition Diversity NOW! in association with i-D Magazine.

We are also contributing to round-table government discussions on how diversity and the beauty of individuality can make an impact in the wider culture and influence self-esteem and well-being. This has been chaired by Govt. Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone. Since the reshuffle of Aug 2012 is chaired by MP Caroline Noakes

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is a voluntary organisation that recognises the power the fashion industry has to communicate positive messages to women and men about their bodies and acts. Small steps, big ideas. We are delighted to see that our position is influencing brands as diverse as Lanvin and M&S

They are such a positive company helping not only the fashion industry to embrace different sizes, races, genders and age but also everything single person out there who reads magazines and doesn't see a REAL women on the pages. Wouldn't it be refreshing if we could see people who had more similarities to us out there in campaigns and magazines.. it would build peoples confidence in such a positive way. Encouraging people to think I don't look the same as these skinny models but i am unique and beautiful in my own way... being beautiful is so subjective, what one person sees as beautiful another doesn't.

i-D Magazine

'i-D has built its reputation on being a consistent source of inspiration in fashion culture. It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style, abiding by the premise of originate – don’t imitate. i-D has come a long way since its pre-digital, cut-and-paste days and has developed into a glossy magazine that documents fashion and contemporary culture, and has broken ground defining it too. Constantly reinventing itself, as with our website, i-D continues to encourage creativity, which is why after more than 30 years, its editorial content still manages to surprise and inspire.'

The consumers of i-D can really vary because it is so diverse there is something for everyone in it. It gives off such a fun vibe particularly for the iconic front covers which always included their signature wink with people varying from Madonna to Grace coddington.

It talks about subjects that some magazine may not even cover...people who are inspiration such as Aimee Mullins. Aimee Mullins is athlete, fashion model and actress however there is something a bit different about her she was born with a medical condition which meant both of her legs had to be amputated off. She has done some may incredible things in her life and praises her disability for letting to able to do all of it. She has walked in an Alexander McQueen show but with prosthetic boots, was the face of l'Oreal in 2011, competed in the Paralympians  and was voted last year by ZOO as one of the sexist Paralympians.

i-D magazine is one of the few magazine that when you turn the page you do not know what to expect. This is a quality i really admire about it.  

Models......

Models...

The big question why should there be limits on what a model can be whether it is size, gender, age and race. The fashion industry continues to push for skinny, tall, young and even white models.

The size zero debate that has been going on for so many years and even though small changes are being made by designers.. size zero stays as the ideal model size.

Why???

When the average British women weighs 11st and is a size 14 

Why can't we see some more REAL people in the fashion industry

It has even gone as far as using male models who look quite antagonistic to model female clothing because they can have physically skinner frames. Example shown below of andrej pejic who has taken the industry by storm as a male modelling female designs.

The point of this competition is to push the boundaries of the models that are used in the fashion world and try and make it more diversified.

I did know where to begin at the beginning of this project.. However ever since the paralympian games in the UK the 'super human' (paralympian) have made a real name for them selves and made I think everyone aware of how incredible they. They are amazing role models.. know matter what has happened to these people that has give them their disability they push to win like anyone else. 

I researched and found out about a young  paralympian called Sally Brown who at only 18 has won a bronze medal. My dad had gone to an event when she had been awarded young sports personality of the year awarde and had a long dicusson with her so though I could maybe get in contact with her about being my possible model. 

She has very striking features with her quirky freckles and strawberry blonde hair and has her left arm up to her elbow. here are some images of her below.

  

This film above is her being interviewed about all her achievements

Locations

New project focusing on us locating are work in an external context. 

We had to enter our selves in to competitions in the outside world to get a feel of what sort of area we would like to go into after our degree. 

However the competitions that the University provided were not Art direction based which is the area I am working in. It has suprised me how I have moved into an area that is so technology based. 

I reasearched on my own and found a project that fitted exactly what I wanted my brief to be and I touched on it in my last project. It is about try to look at having more diversity in the fashion industry when it come to models: with size, gender, age and race. It is sponsered my the company 'All walks on the catwalk' and i-D. A company and magazine which I really look up to and love the things they do. 

in this link below it has all the details for the competition and the different areas you can enter yourself into 

http://diversity-now.allwalks.org/

 

Context

At the start of the project I wanted my audience to mainly be the fashion industry using light to manipulate the figure into thinking that it is something it is not eg using a a larger model and by using light and Photoshop manipulate the fashion industry into using in their magazine – Helene storey fine art base however with a fashion context- dressed and suits dissolving into water

helene storey- 'wonderland'

However that changed through the course of my project and became more fine art photography based trying to it unclear to the viewer what they are looking at because the images are stained by different effects such as my textured drawings, colour filters, and the wet plate effect.

My audience are the type of people that go to scream or whisper gallery two galleries I know about because a friend used to work there. 'Promotes and established artists along with innovative cotemporary talent' one artist at scream had light books on the walls Malgosia Stepnik similar ro my own work. 'Established as part of the London art scene showcase artist on a global platform', they are always looking for something new and different.My audience are the type of people who go to these galleries they want to see something a bit different techniques they have not seen before, be confused and intriguid. Art that is accessible to anyone who wants to see modern or contemporary art, anyone who has a passion for art/ photography they should have accessibility to it.

Layout similar to Tyler shields (shown below)photographs shown in a seqence. Or even in a gallery space and a massive version of my book on the wall human size so the audience can interact with turn these huge pages to see what layer has been taken off the to to reveal  the figure slowly.

Another place to put it in sex mode digestion a digital magazine that promotes fashion, culture and the arts with psychoanalytic angle which is something I have been looking at in my lecture and seminar, modern bodies freuds theories etc. Free and availed worldwide accessible to very one.

Photoshop effects on my images

 Manipulated my projected images in Photoshop by adding different layer gradually making them harder to realize what they are. Creating an image of mainly light but a  hints of the figure.

colour filter

hard light layer

colour filter warm red, adding a darken layer effect as well

printing them onto acetate and seeing what different formations look good, adding different effect. When turning each image over another bit of the figure slowely becomes clearer

Projecting onto the figure

Did another photo-shoot with a female model and projected my close up drawing and some of the wet plate effects on to her back, the back has been the main focus throughout my project has the biggest surface area to is perfect to project images onto.

I feel these photographs work really well certain lines fall right in certain places that complement the figure. They all have different effects some look like she is disease with spots on her back other barred wire almost and others with a feather like effect

Masking age and using displace filters

Masking age buy using different techniques in photoshop. Using light in these images to make the subject look older and area I was going to experiment with which is very prominent in the fashion industry (context?). However I realise I have already many aspect to my project and going into another area would maybe mean sacrifising some of the processes and experimentation I have done alreasy.

I feel these images where very succesful, However I decided I didnt want to go down this controversial subject and stick to the other element of my project that I had done

Displace filter

However I did use this image to experiment with displacement filters because we need to put the image on to a white garment. I used the image of the wet plate effect only on the back of the jacket. It is quite an intruging image. The grey and off white really contrast with the cream of the sleeve and the whole setting of the photograph

My own wet plate photography

            I wanted to create one of the wet plate images myself however the wholeprocess is very expensive and it is hard to get your hand on the solution they use called Collodion, takes years to get it right. I Decided to recreate this effect on Photoshop, luckily there was a guide on the internet as shown below with the link.

  As I experimented more I got gradually better.   I created my own wet plate layer from one of Ian’s images because it was so hard to re-create it myself. The image is of the background from the biker photograph

http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/wet-plate-photo-effect/

The wet plate effect

Here are some of my earlier images with the wet plate effect on them



photography - wet plate

 Ian Ruhter

When   researching about light on the figure in Vimeo I  came across a video called ‘Silver Light’ by photographer Ian Rulhter who creates these huge beautiful quality images through wet plate photographer. Using a modern version of the orginal technique which was used in the Victorian era. He goes across America in a old van which doubles as a camera at the back and take images of strangers and different sceneray along his jounrey

Here is my favourite image of his, I really like the effect the collodian solution has had in the background making it unclear what is in the back ground. The bike and the man are the main focus of the image and what is so interesting about this image is that the man has sleeve tattoos and they are not shown in this photograph

some more examples of his work

Textures

I did this by cutting out different textures in a magazine which I felt would complement my photograph

Created drawing from tracing over the texture collage I made.  These drawing I then overlayed over each other, however they were quite busy and If I overlayed this onto the figure you would not see mouch of the figure at all so I decidec to create some close ups of little sections of my drawing.

Close ups

here are some examples below, I like how they are all from the same drawing however they have very different qualities to them so are more line based others have more circle and the contract between the dark and light areas



Experimenting with photoshop

After the photoshop workshops I have been doing I have decided to create some of my own


experimenting with masks

experimenting with adding different layers over the top and changing the opacity to make them seem like one whole image

Photographers

Photographs that caught my eye from the way they use light in their images.....






Tyler Shields

Started in the industry by directing music video and then moved in to photography. He has a very clear understand of how to use light in images can manipulate the viewers perception of what they are viewing in these image below he has used the light behind the figure so their is a sense of mystery as to who these figure are. In the bottom image the light emphasises the isolation of the single dancer in a vast space with an light behind her. He also takes photographs of quite controversial subjects often based around celebrities and material possession, he book coming out soon is based on this it is called 'The dirty side of glamour'

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott


'Mert and Marcus are Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, fashion photographers. Their work and style is heavily influenced and shaped by the photography of Guy Bourdin and also the use of digital manipulation of which they have pioneered the use. They have defined the look of the past decade and as a duo are one of the most respected and acclaimed photographers working today."The difference between us and other photographers is that we care a lot about appearance," says Alas. "We spend most of the time in the make-up and hairstyling rooms".'

They use light in their images in such a flattering way, I realised as I was looking though their portfolio online of their images, all of the magazine photographers I really like are done by them. Here are some examples below

using colour filers with the figure and a simple prop to create a beautiful image

using texture literally on the face creating an intriguing photograph

A black and white image lookes quite old grain effect on the image and soft light heavy influenced by the matches flame and possibly more where the camera cant see. I really like the whole set up of this photo, it looks like a still from a film

An example of Guy Bourdin work, quite voyeristic however the model is look directly into the camera lense almost try to entice the viewer.