Jordan Greenbaum Proposal

I have always been interested in the world of fashion and design, and how it relates to the world of fine arts. Through personal investigations and various courses I have become increasingly intrigued by the idea of creating art though fashion. While this idea isn’t immediately easy for me to explain – I can give a short description of what I plan to do.

I want to create interesting garments through both textiles (with use of paints, screen-printing, and various sewing techniques) and non-traditional materials (for example, recycled materials or latex.) I also want the pieces to be no only be interesting on their own, but part of the mannequin as well. I have always loved the idea of not just using the mannequin for display, but making it part of the garment itself – essentially the garments I intend to make are never meant to leave the mannequin. For the mannequins themselves I want to make plaster casts of a miniature dress form (hopefully create and successfully design 3-4) and then create two full size mannequins using plaster casts of women in more dynamic poses (hopefully creating 2)

In the final gallery showing I hope to display these clothed mannequins with the original illustrations (and any additional illustrations relating) as well as drawings and prints done from observation of the completed garment and mannequin.

My main original inspiration for this was the theatrical runway shows put on by Alexander McQueen. In particular, in his 1999 runway show in which two robots sprayed paint onto a white gown on the runway. I want to create pieces of clothing that function outside of the fashion world – each being independent works of art.