Workshop I

pmuhlebach

West Cork Arts Centre - A Parametric Facade which is achieved through an intensive physical model making, digital manipulation and mass customisation process

Autumn/ Winter 1996. Felt/ Woolen Dress - Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto burst onto the international scene in 1981 with Rei Kawakubo. Their designs prized the over sized and monochromatic. They advocated asymmetry and eschewed conventional forms of decoration with cut outs, non functional flaps and irregular hems. Today Yamamoto's designs display a sculptural quality with an unusual material palette and juxtaposes the modern against traditional.

In the Spring/Summer 1995 collection many of his garments took inspiration from the Japanese Kimono. In particular the collection features a black jersey dress which crosses at the front and ties at the back causing the side of the dress to swell in a contemporary interpretation of the Kimono sash or Obi. The brocaded silk features patterned roundels with the stylised motifs of the Japanese chrysanthemum.

I rejoice in Yamamoto’s power to honour the cultural traditions in search of a modernist aesthetic. Through this search he encounters unpredictable design events which question the garments material construction or finishes. It demands a new way of conceiving the design and results in new formal compositions.

How do we achieve a new formal aesthetic? How can we construct the design without compromising the initial design intent? How will a new formal aesthetic affect our social behaviours?