• I wrote out my initial ideas for the proposal as a draft
• I did some research
• I created some pages and collages in my sketchbook to present my idea tomorrow - a visual aid to go with my proposal draft
• I named my project 'Arrivals' as I felt it was fitting with the idea of immigration.

I looked over my initial attempt at my Unit 4 brief proporsal which I named 'arrival' as I am exploring the immigrate experience as well as the idea of space travel. What would it be like to arrive in outer space and to live there. 

We had a session with helmet and Karla which helped us to Identify weak areas in the briefs we are creating for ourselves. 

 I created a Venn diagram and  spider diagram about my brief which divided up the different points we should take into account when re-writing out draft.

I found that my weaker area of research will be finding existing work on the topic I am choosing to explore, there is a lot of photography work about Caribbean immigrants in the 50s/60s but  I could not really fin jewellery or fashion accessories on on the immigrant experience of these people. The strong part of my project would be that there are a lot of living people that came over in 1950s/60s so I can conduct interviews and speak to people first hand. There are many articles on immigration  in current affairs. There was a lot of coverage on the wind rush scandal and even this week there was a lot of coverage about 50 people being deported back to Jamaica.  I found examples of Caribbean Afro-Futurism to help me resolve how to I will combine it with my interest in Caribbean immigration.

The tutors also encouraged us to come up with an interesting name for our projects so I changed the name of my project  To 'Go Back To Your Planet' as I felt it was more provoking as it is play on words of phrase that is said to a lot of immigrants 'Go back to your country' when people are being discriminative. The planet reference is to this idea of space and my interest in Afro-futurism as that is the direction I want to push my this project into.

Our tutors also supported coming with ideas with what to write for our project review and our project evaluation section of the brief. I also filled in an auction plan to help me with planning out what I will do during my research week, it will most likely change as the days go one.

I did some more research to find people that have created wearable things based on Caribbean  immigration. I found two practitioners who work within fashion that created collections inspired by Windrush and their Caribbean heritage. Tihara smith was the first one I found then I also found a CSM student  named Ezoe Robinson. Both of their work was very bright, colourful and reminded me off the Caribbean. I will write about them more  thoroughly and show examples of their work tomorrow.

It shows both points of views and how they were all tied together

I like how it shows that their stories were interwoven .

Quotes that I like from the book:

I re-worte my proposal draft using the diagrams that I had created on Thursday  and the lists Helmert wrote out. Writing out the proposal helped me  to consolidate where my interests lie and which is essential as it will enable me to gather relevant and valuable research.  I know feel like I know which direction my work is going and In feel confident to start my project officially. I feel inspired to got to visit galleries or exhibitions that I think will help inform my project - This was written in my initial action plan.

List of exhibitions I will try to go to:

1. Moving to mars
2. science museum
3. ........

• I updated my biblography references and cited them 
• I conducted more research- Looked at my own family photos to see if I had more like the ones I had already used in my sketchbook.

My Aunt in Dalston shoe repair shop

Tutorial with Nicola:

To Do:

• Research Zoot Suits.
• Look at silhouettes that make the human body look alien.
• Look at more examples of living rooms within the West Indian households.
• Go to materials library.

Independent Research:

I did some research on the Zoot suits and compared these silhouettes to the suits Caribbean people wore during the wind rush era. I felt like the Zoot suits were very interesting but they felt toon American but it did lead me to look at La Sape in Congo and the work of Dapper Dan. I really like how we mix cultures and how they all influence fashion and designs. I found a lot of Uk designers that are inspired by diaspora.

Tutorial with Tamzin: 

• Watch the film ' How To Talk To Girls At Parties' (2017) - Look at Costume Design
• Research Sandy Powell
• Research Nick Cave's soundsuits
• Research Iris Van Herpen's designs

I dropped off my work at Kings Cross  for the Chelsea Physics Garden show, I spent the rest of the day at  the Library. I did some more research and added what I found  to my workflow Research Page.

I spoke to my friends about my project and asked them if they would go to outer space. Majority of them said No, I think that I should make an actual questionnaire so that they can elaborate  their points more and give more insight into their reasoning. 

Tutorial with Helmert:

Research References to look at:

• Art Smith Jewellery

Helmert told me to look at silhouettes and to lean more towards the Afro-Futurism as it otherworldly and new- The tailoring and suits that Caribbeans wore were very English and that I should try find a way to balance it with the AfroFuturism. 

To explore the colour palettes a bit more- I am currently working with earthy tones.

Progress Tutorial with Helmert:

•  Start working on the body.
• Design using collage and drawing.
• Looking at helmets and different types of headgear in the Caribbean and Africa.
• Experimenting with shape and form.
• To research more into home decor and the influence culture has on the home.
• Create models to test on the body.
• Do a bit more broader research to influence silhouettes.

I photocopied my samples and cut them up to create some collages. I also drew more design ideas for spaces suits/a body outcome using my research images in my sketchbook and on workflow.

I explored the ideas of helmets and head gear through collage and drawings.

My samples play more into the afro-futurism aspect with the metallic colts so I need to develop a better colour scheme.

'AFRONAUTS'

by Nuotama Bodomo

I really liked the set design and the landscape it makes me want to look at nature a little more as these things are all interlinked such as immigrant experience, home decor and dress.

The crew 'The Afronauts'  never made it to moon but the concept of it is very interesting to me,there was lots of faith and hope in very limited resources.  I was really inspired by costumes and how resourceful everything is. There is an recurring motif of makeshift/Diy aesthetic in Afro-Fututrism and I think this short film portrayed it well,It has inspired me to use found objects/things around eye in my everyday life. I have already played around with found object in my in my samples, which has inspired me to acquire more and to look at sustainability. I am also looking at home decor and objects around the home that could be used in design ideas.

Tutorial with Nicola:

I need to research materials and colour schemes more so that I am able to have choose a final selection of materials, samples and colours to use in my final piece. 

I need to look more into home decoration to influence my samples and work on a way to cohesively combine elements of Afro-Futurism and the Caribbean/British home decor in The 1960s/Immigrant experience.   I am going to do some more research into the home decor aspect maybe through some more set design, photographs/archives and documentaries. I will do some more  material research

I did some drawings as a response to my research to Benin Heads and Donté K. Hayes' take on Benin Heads. I tried the to design headwear/helmets inspired by Afro-futurism,I was trying to stay away from the stereotypical spherical astronaut's helmet. 

I really need to bring in the Caribbean heritage and livingroom to tie it all together, I think the best way to this is through materials. Looking at typical Caribbean homes and my families' homes wood, raffia and crochet are all recurring. There are many African sculptures and art which shows the clear link between the cultures.

 I like this quote 'Arriving here was like going to the Moon' from this documentary as I feel it ties my project together. I am making the comparison of moving to another country to space travel. 

I want to look at this extended metaphor through Afro-Futurism.

What would you wear?

What would you bring?

What would the new fashion be?

I have started making the mane macrame  for my final outcome with 6inch hoop and Raffia. I like the natural nd earthy tones of the raffia, there was a lot of it used in home decor in the Caribbean such as  Grandparent's drink coaster and some embroidered things like pillows. 

I did some draping  on the body which helped inform my use of my samples  and how I can work on the body. I have decide that I want some areas to be oversized and some to be form fitting.  I am being drawn to corset oddly and I think it is because I have have taken an interest in what women wore and how they do not actually look like clothing. I think that making as spacesuit is too obvious, I want to create something that people would wear once isn space and inspired by their life on earth:their journey. I watched the film 'Barbarella' (1968) by Roger Vadim and the costumes by Paco Rabanne  and Jacques Fonteray were less about the survival aspect and more about the aesthetics. 

Cowrie Shells are very common around the world and are associated with the idea of being excotic and are used a lot within tourist merchandise in the Caribbean so they are found in the home on a lot of souvenirs. Cowrie shells have been used extensively in home decor and jewellery worldwide.

 Cowries are also linked to Ancient Africa where they were used  as Currency in the 16th century) with really enriches them and makes me want to to use them to link these two heritages (They were also used as currency in China,India and many other countries).

Text Submission for Online Catalogue:

This project looks at the comparison between Immigration and Space travel as I felt there were similarities in the uncertainty of travelling to a new place. I looked at my own heritage to forge a new narrative out of Space.