Crime scene #2

My second attempt at going all Sherlock Holmes and reading a dressing table like a crime scene courtesy of dressing table owner Alison Jane Craddock:

Loves experimenting with looks. Has to try out the latest beauty product/gimmick. Gets easily bored. Enjoys theatrics. Is quite a girly girl when it comes to relationships though you wouldn't think it to meet her. Has a Roman Catholic background and has strong bond with her grandparents. Used to wear glasses but now wears contacts. Always looking for the next big thing, a dreamer. Has set ideals for life but reality sometimes gets in the way.

Here's how I did:

'Hi Gemma , very very close :) I do have church back ground (Cof E), but currently work at a Catholic school and have really got into the Catholic art and imagery. Especially how Mary is portrayed in art.
Family is very important to me as I come from a very large family on my Dad's side . I'm one of 16 Grandchildren and my Grandparents have now been married for 66 years . At family parties my Nannie always sings 'The way we were ' to my Grandad , who without fail when she sing the lines
'If we had the chance to do it all again tell me would we? Could we?'
Starts crys and shouts we would Nelly we would :)
I'm very much a girly girl in relationships which I think comes as a shock to men once they get to know me .
Always experiment with my looks, much to the excitment of the teenagers I teach .
So yes very close xxx'

Not quite as good as my first outing into detective mode, but I feel quite impressed all the same. and how cool does Nelly sound!?

No sh*t Sherlock!

I really enjoyed the updated series of Sherlock Holmes recently shown on the BBC. While reading an article about it in the Gay Times of all places I was intigued by this description of the set for Holmes' flat

'The kitchen has been deployed as a lab, with the table covered in jars and stuff the production team has found on eBay, authentic things. This probably explains the authentically old smell. There’s a silver box with test tubes and a syringe. We’re on set for the crime-fighting duo’s first encounter so it’s explained that ‘there aren’t bullet holes in the wall yet’. Blimey. If you’re wondering whether that familiar tobacco pipe will be putting in an appearance, we spotted a box of NicoBud patches scattered with the piles of gun magazines and unanswered correspondence with a knife in it. '

This is exactly the kind of thing I am now looking at for my 'set' which I am planning to be displayed at Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery for our collborative project. Well, when I say exactly, syringes and test tubes aren't really my thing, but, I am really interested in how items are put together to create a character or back story. I like the fact Sherlock's inquisitive nature is illustrated through his weird collection of belongings and his short temper is explained through nicotine patches and a stabbed message!

Upon my last visit to the museum I was able to view and photograph some of the many interesting historical items from the decorative arts store (see Treasures of the past ) which I am going to use to construct a dressing table/room. Not only do I want to display these beautiful objects but I want to show them in a way that will illustrate a story. I am using 'artifice' as my main theme, as I want to explore not just the moment of transformation a woman undergoes in her boudoir but also the true character behind the public facade.

In my last post about Stoke I mentioned how a room can be read like a crime scene. So with that in mind I decided to look a little further into crime scene investigation and I found an interesting paper with the snappy title, 'Crime scene and physical evidence awarness for non-forensic personnel'.

'Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as silent evidence against him... This evidence does not forget, it is not confused with excitiment of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong. Only it's interpretation can err. Only human failure to find it study it and understand it can diminish its value'

Kirk Paul
Crime Investigation
John Wiley and Sons, Cananda Limited 1953

So how do you interpret physical evidence?

'Typically the recognition of physical evidence starts by observing the scene. Based on initial observations and taking into consideration the context of the case, possilbe scenarios, the nature of the incident, as well of characteristics of surface that may bear potential evidence'

I think it would be interesting to apply this information to one of my favourite photos from the Dressing Table Gallery focusing on the evidence and possible scenarios that could make up the individual's personality and circumstances.

How would Sherlock begin?. The most important thing Holmes does is to focus acutely on every detail and turn something commonplace and anonymous into something singular and significant. He then combines this with social and moral assumptions to produce his deduction. There is a great article called Sherlock Holmes ~ Modernist though, modernist cities & the solving intellect where you can read him doing just this.

So here goes:

I'd say this was a female aged between 23-30, who lives in a shared house. She is creative and inqusitive, and leads a busy lifestyle. She always has more than one project on the go and likes to keep busy. Family is very important to her as are friends. She is gregarious and slightly sentimental, but also can be scatty brained and forgetful.

Here's how I came to that conclusion:

The perfume featuring the cute character is aimed at young women in a 20-30 age bracket .
The amount of objects crammed into one area suggests space is an issue, which leads me to think given social assumptions, that she must live in a house with other people, so she only has one room.
I think she must be a busy person due to the haphazard way her belongings are placed down, suggesting she is always on the go. Someone who spent more time at home would have more time to display and maintain their belongings. Also someone who is active most of the time and has such a range of items stuffed together may be forgetful and easily loose things.
The ornamental figurines don't particularly fit with the other objects, so make me think they must be a gift or inherited from an older person, so family is important to her.
I think she likes to try out different looks and styles and enjoys sewing because she has a good supply of perfume and beauty products and there is a tape measure on the bed post.
Some items such as the fabric bee and frog ornament lead me to believe she may be setimental and these represent different moments in her life.

This has been a good challenge for me and this line of thought will definately feed into my work with Stoke Museum. I'd love to know how accurate I've been so I'm going to to try and find out from the person who took this photo....If anyone has a different analysis please let me know!

Treasures of the past

This Monday saw me getting on a train and travelling to the birth place Robbie Williams, Xtreme tea drinking and the first jar of Marmite... any ideas yet?
Yes, I was in Staffordshire! (obvious wasn't it!)

Well, Stoke on Trent to be precise and my first visit to The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery for the beginning of a collaborative project based around my research on dressing tables, femininty and narrative through belongings (see my last post for a full update).

I was really impressed by the broad variety of exhibits at the museum including the famous Staffordshire Hoard, an impressive collection of local slipware and even a full size spitfire! There were many weird and wonderful objects, and I particularly enjoyed the frog mugs and Ozzy the famous pottery owl.

But my visit was focused on the decorative arts collection, as, with the help of Laura the museum's Documentation Assisitant, I began to uncover the treasures of the past!

The purpose of our collaboration is to give my research a platform resulting in new art work whilst also displaying the museum's artifacts in a new and interesting way. I'm hoping to build up a collection of selected pieces that will tell a story, and can be displayed like a dressing room similar to a theatre set.

We spent a long time sifting through drawers and unwrapping tissue paper; I gasped with delight at a bundle of Berry Pins and shuddered with discomfort at real hair twinned into keepsakes and love tokens.

The store held pieces from all eras and covered a range of genres including cosmetics, anyone recognise these?:

It was eye opening to me to find out that certain items made from the earliest plastics are very few due to their combustable nature. When they were first being made producers didn't know how the materials would age hence things like tortoise shell style combs and mirrors discintegrating and becoming very fragile. Luckily there were many other examples of historic accessories in the store including Victorian fans and antique sewing kits :

I found it very affecting as I viewed each item to think they had once belonged to someone and had some kind of emotional value or place within that person's daily routine.

Yet it was the items which seemed somewhat out of place in the decorative arts store which gave my ideas full direction; the unassuming handwritten note inside a gift box, a hotel reciept and a dance card half filled with promising suitors!

These items were clues to lives that have been lived. They offered windows into moments in time which actually took place, unlike the decorative items which are very objective when viewed seperately these documents had an immediate link to various individuals.

It seems the best way for me to progress with my project is to mix both decorative objects and documents together and create layers of information that when viewed as a whole can be read almost like a crime scene, giving clues to a characater and her story.

I can't help wondering how an item's meaning could alter depending on what it was displayed next to. For instance what would my character keep in her giftbox when it had such a sweet message written inside? would it be innocent or a secret she wouldn't want anyone to find out? This is where it gets exciting!

I have some strong ideas about where to take this but my intuition is telling me to let the items within the decorative arts collection take the lead and guide me. So my next job is to delve deeper into the possiblities of what I've recorded and source likely items within the store which I might not have seen yet. We only managed to look through about half of it this week so I am going back to view the shoes, clothes and costumes next time.

Get ready for corsets and frilly 50's knickers!

The art of dressing up...part 2

For those of you with a good memory, you may recall a while back I announced an upcoming collaboration with the Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery based on my ideas around dressing tables, female artifice and narrative through feminine belongings:

I did a run of posts called the Dressing Table Gallery where, you, the lovely readers of this blog sent in photos of your dressing tables to be showcased every week and used as research into my ideas;

Harriet Cooper's dressing table

I also looked into the theatrical side of dressing up by visiting the amazing Wigs Up North shop in Manchester, where I discovered the importance of appearance means more than just looking good, it covers gender, identity and comfort...

...and I also studied vintage dressing tables and Hollywood glamour of the past and present...

Dita Von Teese makes some last minute adjustments

...as well as looking into how other artists have tackled the idea of feminine belongings and their meanings;

'Chanel' Audrey Flack 1974

My research took on a poignant note as I looked into the narritive of feminine belongings. I was inspired by the collection of supposed belongings Marilyn Monroe left after her death, which really gave a deeper empathy with the person behind the public veneer.

Image by Mark Anderson www.markanderson.com

And when my lovely Nan passed away earlier this year I was compelled to celebrate her life through talking about the objects she left behind.

This coming Monday I am visiting Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery for the first viewing of their costume and decorative art collection! We are to collaborate on a project that should give the collection a new lease of life and a fresh appeal for the public.

I'm also going to be able to have access to the collection for my work and I hope to encompass all my research and ideas into some fabulous new art work!

I'll be posting about my visit next week, so see you then...

Belongings

I've taken some time off writing my blog of late as I recently lost my Nan, a lady who featured on a post about dressing tables some weeks back.

As you may know I have been researching and studying narrative through belongings for an upcoming project I am collaborating on with the Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery. My main interest has been looking at stories through female apparel, especially dressing tables and dressing up.

Recently I featured an article from Vanity fair called The Things She Left Behind, about the cache of personal items which had belonged Marilyn Monroe and I found this piece very provocative. In the last few weeks I have come to realise just how poignant belongings can be.

Walking into my Nan's flat to begin the big job of clearing it out soon after she died was like walking into a time capsule saturated with memories. Her jacket was still hanging directly in front of the door with her hats, and walking into the living room I saw her box of chocolates still open and ready for eating by her chair, which incidentally was covered in chocolate crumbs.

Seeing the everyday objects I associated with her felt very odd. Suddenly they took on huge significance. And the effect of having just left them as if she was coming back was upsetting. However being surrounded by things which held her essence was also comforting. It's a strange mixture.

My Nan was a lovely person with a lively interest in the what was going on in the world around her, so I don't think she would mind my mentioning her here. She was always keen to know how my art work was going and was a steady support in my develpoment from student to artist. I will miss her so much.

I now own some of her belongings. I am infusing them with another layer of meaning and history. As they have passed onto me, they will begin a new story ...

Dressing table gallery

Back again, this week's dressing table is from Alison Jayne Caddick from Manchester and I think it's a beauty!

This is one of those dressing tables a girl can't help but stare at because of all the lovely stuff piled onto it. A product junkie is how I'd describe Alison, with an extravert flair judging by the feathers and flamingoes. I think it creates a lovely personal portrait. Alison says of her dressing table;

'I only bought it in January when I moved into my first place. Wanted something really girly and big enough to make a mess on. Love the whole ritual of getting ready and felt this was adding to the fun'

Wigs up North

As part of my research into narrative, belongings, femininity and transformation, I visited Manchester's own Wigs up North the other week.

The main purpose of my visit was to see some professional dressing tables in use to add to the dressing table gallery, but I found it soon became more a spotlight on the importance of artifice.

With the syncline 'All the Wigs and Make-Up expertise you'll ever need - in one place', Wigs up North caters to theatrical productions, drag acts, hair loss and film and T.V productions. Recently Peter Kay visited the shop for a hush hush fitting of a wig for his new tour!

I felt as if I had reached something close to heaven walking through the door to find shelves and shelves of make-up and beauty products. Mineral, stage and everyday cosmetics; I studied each shelf with enthusiasm. But it was the back of the shop where the action was really going on.

Dressing tables sat laden with tools waiting for the next transformation to happen. Wigs stood on stands at every level and drawers were filled with wig accessories.
Two students were taking part in a workshop and industrially working away at wig making, and I was allowed to have a good look around and find out more about this particular side of femininity and appearance.

The power of artifice was made ever more apparent to me the more I talked to the owners. The ability to change your appearance takes on a variety of meanings when clients include, members of the transgender and crossgender community, and women suffering from alopecia and undergoing chemotherapy. For many of these people the importance of feeling comfortable and accepted with the way they look is one of the most important aspects of their lives.

Playing around with identity has much to do with how you percieve yourself as well as how others percieve you. So strong is this power that the owners talked of actors whole personalties and physical character changing before their eyes as make up and wigs were applied before a theatre performance.

I was really interested to find out why the girls from Wigs up North got into the industry, as the world of cosmetics and glamour is so close to my heart; to quote a line from Glee, 'makeovers are like crack to me!'

Many answered that their interest stemmed from an arts background, which I can totally understand, for it's easy to see the connection between application of make-up with paints and the ability to create something new each time. But other answers included a love of theatrics starting from childhood. I loved the fact that this successful business is based on imaginations that were captured by the likes of Adam and the Ants and Visage!

The visit was really interesting as it made me think about how looks affect every aspect of life. Cosmetics, hair and style are deeply entwined with personality and behaviour. So next time you put on some lipstick or straighten your hair, just think, it's not just going to change the way you look but you whole day too.

Dressing table gallery

It's a family affair this week, with photos from my Nan, sister and myself. Me and my sister took our own photos and I took my Nan's, you can see part of her reflection in the left hand mirror of her dressing table. As an experiment I'd like you to view each picture as a portrait, and see if you get a flavour of our individual personalities. If you do, please let me know what you think :)

Thea

Gemma

Winifred

Halfway review

I've been having a think and I've decided to review the dressing table gallery. I have been so pleased with the response I've had from readers of this blog and friends on the web, so thank you so much if you have participated!

The reasoning behind this online interactive project is as follows:

-I've been thinking about creating a new series of work for a while based on illustrating a story through a character's belongings, and I especially want to focus on female and feminine apparel.

-I am also extremely interested in female transformation and artifice, and my work usually takes on a theatrical showman like element, but in this instance I wanted to narrow it down and examine the moment of transformation many women undergo on an everyday basis by focusing on the dressing table.

I've found that combining these two strands of thought into an interactive online gallery has been really helpful in opening up new ideas to me and it has worked on many levels:

-We get a voyeristic snapshot into someone's private world, and lets face it who doesn't enjoy having a good old nosey at other womens belongings! I find it fascinating.

-I intended each photo to act as portrait of each woman's femininty. This would would have happened if some of the dressing tables were used just for make up etc as in the old school vintage photos I posted last week.

-Instead of being strictly feminine, I've found the photo's give a fuller description of each woman's life including the messy and illogical bits! I've found that a bit distracting, but I'm making it work to my advantage by reading further into the images and disecting the story behind them. It's made me think differently about the way modern women face the world in the morning and how complicated our lives are.

Vicki Morris' dressing table; 'My picture is of the nearest thing I have to a dressing table. I actually apply a bit of make-up while I'm sitting on the Tube from a small make-up bag. But this chest of drawers is where I put the things I use to spruce myself up before I leave the house!'

In all so far, the gallery has been really interesting by throwing up unexpected insights, and I've loved getting to know everyone through my favourite girly ritual! Make -up forever!

Dressing Table Gallery

Two sneaky peeks into the private world of some lovely ladies today, and in this case both snaps have been taken by UK burlesque performers!

Firstly we have Heather Sweet, a unique and curvacious performer with a wonderful sense of humour. You can see her myspace page HERE

I like this busy photo, the girly colours and styles that contrast with the monster picture on the wall behind, I also like the hint of the room reflected in the mirror. Her dressing table is very sweet, just like her name, with glass accessories and a white tiered basket. for nick nacks. You can also see a sewing machine in the corner, the tell tale sign that the burlesque life isn't always full of glamour, a girl needs to adjust and sew her own costumes sometimes too!

The second photo was taken by Jubilee Swoon. When she's not appearing as a rampaging viking or a glamorous butterfly, this burlesque performer, obviously likes to spend a good amount of time by her dressing table

It seems like a normal photo to begin with, but on closer inspection we can glean a lot about Jubilee; aside from the usual make up and hair products we see, organised chaos! neat piles of objects, ordered in boxes and files. Every space is used for storage, I doubt she ever sits on that stool!

I'm sure she applies the same effort of organistion in her contrastingly flamboyant acts!
You can see see more of Jubilee on her myspace page, HERE
Or read her burlesque blog HERE

Dressing up, Hollywood style

Rita Hayworth 1918 - 1987

Inspired by my find of a photo of Dita Von Teese's dressing table the other day (see Saturday's post) I went on a mission to find other famous people's make up stations.

I found this glorious collection of vintage Hollywood stars and burlesque performers at their dressing tables. I love the way that each woman's femininity is enhanced by being pictured next to, or using their dressing tables. These photos are a real celebration of star power, glamour and female allure...

Ann Sheridan 1915 – 1967

Ava Gardner 1922 – 1990

Greta Garbo 1905 – 1990


Katharine Hepburn 1907 – 2003
This is a still from Bringing up Baby, and although not striclty a picture of her own dressing table I couldn't resist that big pussycat!

Gloria Swanson 1899 – 1983

Marilyn Monroe 1926 -1962


Jean Harlow 1911 – 1937

Lillian Gish 1893 – 1993
Doing her make up by candlelight!

Bridget Bardot born 1934

Lili St Cryr 1918 – 1999
A famous burlesque star who performed in Hollywood as the Anatomic bomb!


Gloria Graham 1923 – 1981
Posing with every girls essential accessory, a gun


Vivien Leigh 1913 – 1967
Again, this is a still from Gone With The Wind, and as I love Scarlett and Viv, it got added. Look at all those hat boxes!

Merle Oberon 1911 – 1979

Natalie Wood 1938 – 1981