JOURNEY TO EARTH 2030

REFLECTION

IN THE EARLY STAGES OF CREATING MY VISION FOR EARTH 2030, I BEGAN MY RESEARCH INTO CONTEMPORARY FASHION COMMUNICATION BY LOOKING AT SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHERS, DESIGNERS, STYLISTS, AND MAGAZINES OF PARTICULAR INTEREST. I FOUND USING INSTAGRAM AS A RESEARCH TOOL TO COLLECT AND CAPTURE THIS INFORMATION TO BE SO BENEFICIAL, AS IT CREATED A TIMELINE OF MY JOURNEY THAT I COULD REFLECT ON THROUGHOUT MY PROJECT.

CHAPTER TWO: JOURNEY TO EARTH UNMASKED 2030 “FREEDOM”

THROUGHOUT THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, I HAVE FURTHERED MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY AND HOW SOME OF THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING PHOTOGRAPHERS, DESIGNERS, AND STYLISTS ARE COMMUNICATING FASHION TODAY. UNDERSTANDING WHAT’S CURRENTLY HAPPENING WILL HELP ME TELL MY STORY OF EARTH 2030.

TIM WALKER WONDERFUL THINGS EXHIBITION

3. THE EXHIBITION ITSELF WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER, WITH FEELINGS OF UNEASINESS, INTRUSION, AND PURE ENCHANTMENT. WHAT INSPIRES ME THE MOST ABOUT TIM WALKER’S WORK IS HIS CREATION OF OTHERWORLDLY PHOTOGRAPHS THAT APPEAR COLOURFUL AND EXCITING YET OFTEN HAVE A SENSE OF STRANGENESS ABOUT THEM - THIS GIVES THEM THAT FUTURISTIC EDGE. TIM WALKER HIMSELF CALLS IT HIS “PALACE OF DREAMS” THE PERFECT MIXTURE OF FEELING AND FREEDOM.

4. HIS PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REFRESHING AND REPRESENT HIS STRONG EMPHASIS ON CREATIVITY, EXPERIMENTATION, AND ECCENTRICITY. HE DOESN’T CONFORM TO THE HARMFUL, UNREALISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN’S BODIES WHICH HAS CAUSED SO MUCH ANXIETY AMONGST ORDINARY PEOPLE. “THE MORE POTENT THE INDIVIDUAL, THE BETTER,” HE SAYS. THIS THINKING EXCLUDES NO ONE. “EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING,” HE IS INTERESTED IN THE INDIVIDUAL, AND THE STORY THEY HAVE TO TELL (HANRA, 2020). THE IMAGES HE CREATES HAVE AN ETERNAL SENSE OF STYLE THAT GIVES THE VIEWER COMPLETE FREEDOM TO DISPLAY THEIR REAL SELF, FEELING OTHERWORLDLY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, VERY REAL.

TIM WALKER IS A BRITISH FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER DESCRIBED BY THE V&A AS “ONE OF THE MOST CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD” TODAY. WHAT INITIALLY CAUGHT MY EYE ABOUT HIS WORK IS HIS EXTRAVAGANT STAGING THAT ALMOST LOOKS PHOTOSHOPPED. THE THEMES SEEN THROUGH HIS WORK ARE OFTEN ROMANTIC AND CHARACTERISE HIS UNMISTAKABLE STYLE. IN 2018 I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO VISIT HIS IMMERSIVE “WONDERFUL THINGS” EXHIBITION AT THE V&A MUSEUM, WHICH SHOWCASED HIS CREATIVE PROCESSES.

HIS WORK OFTEN FEELS PSYCHEDELIC, CHAOTIC, AND VIBRANT AND COULD BE SEEN AS A PROJECTION OF HIS VISIONARY MIND. INSIDE HIS EXHIBITION, WALKER PAIRED THE V&A’S ORIGINAL PIECES WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPHY, SHOWING HIS INSPIRATION AND ADDING TO THAT SENSE OF ANOTHER WORLDLY DIMENSION BY USING HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS FROM DIFFERENT CIVILISATIONS AND PERIODS (RAMSDEN-GUPTA, 2020). THIS ASPECT OF PAIRING AN IMAGE WITH HISTORY TO CREATE ANOTHER DIMENSION IS SOMETHING I WISH TO EXPLORE FURTHER IN MY FINAL INSTALLATION OUTCOME.