exploring others... summarizing

For our Fashion Art III class last semester we had to do a market/designer research|summary report that covered 3 couture/high-end designers...

some of my new knowledge... shared! >.<

Le nonne... A body. A sculpture.

"it all comes to an end... but its not just the end... its the road you went through to get there"

The project of the Italian Grandmothers really took over most of our 3rd semester running through the beginning of the 4th... but not only was our time/curriculum transformed, it was our perception of the female body that completely changed|IT WAS rediscovered| understood!

from below

from above

Each 2-3 people group had a lady... ours-not as old(as the other ones) neither of AGE or of SPIRIT-which is what counts the most- Sassy and Energetic, she always made me and Jessica laugh. She would tell us stories of the 50's and how she had a dress "JUST like that one" (the one that was assigned to a different group). And how clothes used to be so finely made before, and how she used to have custom made clothes.... As she spoke and we tried to understand|translate|speak back|be understood... we also tried to do our work... Adjust our drapes, pinch here, take away from there, OMG! how did we come up w that shape??? Did she loose some weight?

detail.bust

In order to be "freer" in this game... we were told to "create" a grandma' body... we stuffed the basic bodice and stuffed the basic skirt we had adjusted... to FORM a new "form". We started off with a "perfect" size 8 WOLF® form, and little by little started padding, criss crossing pieces of batting, then make a whole, add a circle, add more stuffing! Okay, we realized two people=4 hands=one area... is a bit caotic. Jessica would do the back, I would do the front, then we critique... I sculpted the bust(It was so fun)and The belly(make a wish) , Jessica the back, her unbalanced shoulders and her small almost "hump"... her deformations we came up with!

boobs.belly

A new mannequin... and our grandmother could be with us in the draping room. Of course, this one was missing the spark and charm our little italian lady had... but we could at least stay in the lab until 8' AND DRAPE AWAY... you half, I half, you the collar, me the skirt.. etc... 

back view

Once the project was over, and the show had happened, we came back to the draping laboratory to find a room of "naked, red, black, white, stitched-up grandmothers" silently awaiting, reminding us of the journey we had just come back from... We were asked to let them go... and so we did, our grandmas were gone, and the young ''perfect size'' missies came back... But in our heads, in our hands... the body was no longer a flat, asymmetrical, 34, 24, 32, balanced thing... It was three-dimensional, attitudinal, it had a lifestyle, and it had to move and be comfortable...

insides.all opened up. cut in half

Scratches... all over the place... lets re-organize!

insides.batting.threadinsides.batting.thread

insides.batting.thread

Support call: metadata advice

Institution: Bangor University
Date: 28th April 2009
Subject: Metadata

Bangor University are using their master publications database to feed information about research outputs into their repository. They recently called the WRN team to seek advice about transferring various fields of metadata from their database into the repository, and specifically which of the Dublin Core (DC) fields were most appropriate for various bits of publication information. These are the fields in question:

Conference name
We advised to map this to the publisher field in DC. Even if the conference is not strictly 'published' this is probably still the best place for the conference name information to be stored as the DC qualifier nameConference can be used in this field.

Commissioning bodies
We advised to map this information to a DC description field. It could be mapped to a contributor field but the catch all of description is probably the better option.

Patent number
We advised to map this item to a DC identifier field. At present there is no qualifier within the identifier field for patent numbers but one could be used in the metadata scheme as a local modification so on the full item record the field would be tagged as identifier:patent number.

Media of output
During discussion we discovered that the media of output field is used at Bangor to house a mixture of information, sometimes containing information about the type of deposit such a conference poster and sometimes about the format it comes in such as on CDROM etc. As such we advised to again map this item to a DC description field as it is a catch all place for information to go, much like an additional information field. The varying contents of this field raised an interesting question about item types in the repository. The type information about publications in the Bangor publications database is stored as a letter code in a specific field and this should transfer over to the repository and into the DC type field quite happily. However, when we were asked about agreed terminology for the types within the repository we uncovered an interesting conundrum. There is a recommendation within DC standard to use a vocabulary within the type field, but this is quite restrictive and does not align with what are typically considered to be publication types in the repository. The vocabulary categorises most repository item types as 'text' which is not sufficiently detailed to indicate whether the item is a journal article, a book chapter, a report etc. We consequently advised Bangor that two DC type fields can be used within the metadata schema, one to store the required DC vocabulary terminology, and a second one to contain the more descriptive item types we would expect to see. At Aberystwyth University we have made this addition to our metadata scheme and added a local qualifier to the second type field - type:publicationtype - and defined our own set of values for this field to reflect the various types of information we store.

If anyone would like further clarification of this information, or would like help with their own metadata choices then please do not hesitate to contact the WRN team via wrnstaff@aber.ac.uk

Firenze has showed me today!

I don't want my blog to turn into something personal, a novel where I post all my feelings and thoughts about life and love... but today I got inspired to share something with you... that -in a way- DOES have to do with my work and my career...

I have finished the academic year abroad about 10 days ago and have until the end of the month to move out of my apartment... asides from the fact that IAM an art student... i have realized how much of a "pack rat" I am ... maybe it is because I am an ART STUDENT... hmm

I've been waking up at 7 am everyday,and of course by 4 pm I am hallucinating- coffee or nap??-

... but I really enjoy those morning hours-you feel so productive- Not to mention I spend the first 3-4 hours hypnotized by the World Wide Web and between emailing FIT NY, creating the ETSY website, updating my blog and figuring out my Summer/Work PLANS and my post-summer study/living plans... there comes a moment where I panic... I remember the temperature outside is lovely, and I am in Florence and "on vacation". I need to get out! Oh... I need to empty the shelves/throw out magazines, clean the bathroom and the kitchen.. move out... Okay! two more hours of work... so I start classifying, organizing, cleaning...andhah! time to go out...

Its amazing.. the sun, the people... I've had quite the BICYCLE experience... we have a relationship.. two accidents, had one stolen and now I ride one with half empty tires and a NEW bell! but I love it! riding it really stresses me.. and makes me think... hah! the breeze!

Ive just realized... as long as I feel productive-not fooling myself, I meant as long as I AM productive- I think... these days have made me discovered that NYC lifestyle is NOT the only way! I could be hapy working from home... creating... as long as I get to "uscire"/escape/salir/ser libre... for about 2 or 3 hours of my day and feel the LIGHT AND THE HEAT mother earth provides us... I am merry!

who would have known... 10 months ago I felt so lazy... I though ALL people who live here were... just because food time is sacred, home time is sacred... and you are allowed to eat gelato more than once in a lifetime... because you burn the "fat/i would say SUGAR"walking and bicycling...

I return home.. at the border of a proudly owned -heat- headache... to an evermore empty room.. I am moving once more- CITYSCAPE here I come... I hope you don't reject me... but if you do... it doesn't matter... I am ready... I am becoming more "hybrid"/mobile" 

Etsy.com

living abroad for a year has been incredibly amazing. breathtaking and a previously unimaginable experience...  but definitely somewhat unreal!

When I moved to NYC on summer of 2006, I started working like there was no tomorrow. I worked for a stocktraiding/softwaredeveloping firm where I was -basically-the only female. I went to school-FIT- on the evenings and on saturdays and life was just a bit insane. On the summers and winters following, I took courses at FIT and had about 3 jobs at a time.... you become a jack of all trades(I worked as a "sales associates" at BEBE stores, as 

a waitress-in two restaurants at the same time-, a bartender, and my favorite.... a freelance sketch artist!... )During the following school semester I realized I was not enjoying my work as much as before and i reduced my hours at one of my jobs and started working also in school as a student ambassador and became the coordinator of the program....to sum it all up... 

NYC life = work life... 

I ♥ it... don't get me wrong! That is why I went there... 

But coming to Italy for a year and knowing that I was not going to have working permissions etc.. I saved and relaxed... But money is running short and I have decided to stay here-well, in Milano- for another year, so in founding money problems solutions... I've decided to join ETSY.COM and have created my own little shop:

www.zagb.etsy.com

It is not up yet... more towards the end of June... but keep

 your fingers crossed and send my your great vibes... the are always kindly recieved... actually-more than kindly... LONG  for them!!!

>.<

-la zaidina!

Technical Priorities Survey

Work package 4 of the new project is looking to build and implement a variety of technical tools and services to develop and enhance repository infrastructure and usage. A large number of possible tools were suggested within the original project bid:

Workflow

Copyright checking by journal title integrated into the workflow process

Automated metadata completion e.g. gathering journal metadata from external databases

Automatic cover sheet generation for repository deposits

Embargo management

Enhanced metadata collection (author affiliation etc. etc.?)

Import/Export of metadata

Generation of online CVs bibliography web pages from repository content

Export/import of publication information from repository to chosen citation software

Export/import of publication information into other university systems e.g. library catalogue

Export/import of publication information into other repositories

Repository management

Improvement of repository statistics and reporting

Integration of repository in REF requirements for reporting and statistical analysis

Integrating preservation services into the repository

Handling storage capacity for large items such as data and multimedia

User experience

Shopping basket facility allowing users to collect items together and download as a single package

Embedded players and streaming for display of multimedia deposits

We are currently surveying the WRN community as to which of these developments they see as priority for the project team to work on. Project partners should submit their choices by email by Friday 22nd May 2009.

Milano ... Politecnico di Milano... Knitwear

One more chapter... a very new and unexpected one...

After a long debate with myself, friends and colleagues (believe me, more intense than I thought) I have decided that I will be attending the POLITECNICO DI MILANO next year for my 1st semester of Bachelor's degree and  will specialize in Knitwear... Yes, I know. a 360˚ turn, but the decision is made and I am so up for it. 

You see, I've been in FLORENCE this year and loved being abroad so much that I really didn't want to go back to NY yet...I know its an amazing place to be, but I want to explore the unexplored a bit more before deciding to stay in the BIG apple for a couple of years..(we were all afraid that this would happen)-my mom said that I would never come back- >.<

...so I applied for the Central Saint Martins (a very good art school in LONDON) program through FIT; but considering they ONLY recommend 2 people (including the applicants from NY) I was selected as a "stand by"-- which means I am the ONLY person on a "one person waiting-list" because every year prior-one of the two people selected has bailed out last minute... 

THIS IS what I REALLY wanted to do- but I had to plan as if ''I wasn't going'' to be more realistic.. and if the spot opened up... LONDON HERE I COME-its just for a semester- but a great one!

However   > > >  

As A SECOND and last minute option, I had also applied to the MILAN program - in case I didn't get in to LONDON- This one lasts for a whole year and its specialization specific(and takes place at The Politecnico di Milano). Initially, I have to admit, I was disappointed and very much uninterested in the MILAN program. But little by little it became more attractive AND I considered:

On the YES side:

-I WOULD LOVE to stay in Italy for one more year -since I am already here,

-I could perfect my italian,

- I already understand how things work, know my way around, could travel MORE, etc....

- Milan is not only one of the main fashion capitals of the world but also the economic capital of Italy! 

- Knitwear can be a broadening of my "surface-able" horizons, meaning its a completely NEW material/dimension/texture, that contributes to my visual and tactical repertoire... also, to become an expert in ONE more field... is not BAD at all! as the director of the program here in Florence said:

 "Anything is possible in knitwear that is possible in sportswear, and even if you intend to go into sportswear, in depth knitwear knowledge is an enormous advantage for the sportswear market, as all sportswear collections include knitwear"

take a look: 

http://www.sandrabacklund.com/

(It is the work of British Designer Sandra Backlund, one of the most directional knitwear designers currently)

On the NO:

-I am a bit scared about not taking full advantage of my time in MILAN because the program maybe isn't as great (challenging/well organized/resources...etc) because its fairly new!~5 years?

-The other thing is that there was only space left for the KNITWEAR SPECIALIZATION... which is something I had never considered doing but definitely maybe worth exploring...I would have to do knitwear for 2 years and was not so sure of wanting to commit to something I don't know if I will love- In NY, we to choose our specialization on 6th SEMESTER and I would probably choose "sportswear" because Its more vesatile and broad... however there is the risk on not getting it (because of number of spots)

-Also...The milan program makes me spend more (because in NY I pay in-state-TUITION. And considering I pay for school myself- Unless I found some job/even if its selling stuff on ETSY (online); Milan would be a bit harder...

BUT coming back at another time (TO Italy) might not be that easy and investing a bit now might be well worth for the future!!!♥

Eveningwear-ING... la natura morta

I said NATURA MORTA....

taking ricci's -and Olivier Theysken's-haute couture|eveningwear airs... my collection takes up on exceptional materials, structural details, bold spirit, and wonderful darkness. 

  think...

-poetic imagery

-evocative

-botanical

-impressionistic nature

-limpid

-rippling

-finely veined

-harmonious| color tints

-idyllic

very inspiring... quick| experimentation... a fastly concepted collection and one of my best illustrations yet. I decided to draw on brown canson® paper. I drew on tracing paper, then passed it to the dark paper with indigoblue carbon paper(the one i use for draping)-and colored with guache|watercolor|colored pencils. Unfortunately, I did the head, torso and skirt on different format|sizes|pieces of paper... thinking I could make a photomontage... but instead when you put it on the computer.. you loose the crisp, texture of paint|paper....

ENJOY!

Gregynog Repositories Strand 2009

Booking for this year’s Gregynog Colloquium is now open and the WRN project is able to fund the attendance of two delegates from each WRN HEI to the organised Repository Stream. The stream will take place from Tuesday lunchtime through to Wednesday afternoon and will comprise of practical workshops, presentations and a face- to- face WRN business meeting to be held on the Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday 9th June

2.00 - 3.15
Copyright Workshop: Jackie Knowles and Hannah Payne, WRN (AU)

3.15 – 3.45
Tea

3.45 - 5.00
Multimedia Deposits Presentation & Workshop: HannahPayne, WRN (AU)


Wednesday 10th June

9.30 - 10.00
'EThOS and the Aberystwyth Experience’ Dr. Nicky Cashman, Aberystwyth University

10.00 -10.30
‘Repository@Bangor and the REF pilot’ Lyndsey Savage, Bangor University

10.30 -11.00
‘Integrating ORCA’ Tracey Andrews/ Anne Bell, Cardiff University

11.00 - 11.30
Tea

11.30 - 12.00
‘The Welsh Repository Network: Where do we go from here?’ Jackie Knowles, WRN (AU)

12.00 -1.00
‘Repository Management: the University of Liverpool experience’ Shirley Yearwood- Jackman, University of Liverpool

1.00 – 2.00
Lunch

2.00 – 3.30
WRN Business Meeting

Full Colloquium programme details and the booking forms are available from http://www.gregynog.ac.uk/HEWIT/index.asp?Page=2.

To take advantage of a funded place please register and provide contact details for invoicing as instructed in previous emails from your project team, alternatively contact us via wrnstaff@aber.ac.uk for further details.