Context

For both my projects I need to consider the commercial context. I have written about this in my sketch book, but wanted to blog about it to reinforce what I am making. 


Project One


My first project is based on Eponine. I have chosen my images to go in Dazed and Confused.  


Dazed Digital writes:


Agenda-setting editorial, world-beating fashion, brilliant photography and illustration, unrivalled music and film coverage, headline-grabbing events, distribution in over 40 countries, and with admirers and imitators across the globe – Dazed & Confused has come a long way since its first steps in the early 90s. But above all, it's still proud to be independent.

With Dazed Digital now one year old, it is now bringing that same cutting-edge and ground-breaking ethos to the web. The world's first Ideas Sharing Network, Dazed Digital posts exclusive video interviews, live footage of tomorrow's music stars, behind-the-scenes fashion reportage, and exclusive features above and beyond what is in the magazine, all alongside daily blogs and submissions from its extended global network of writers, photographers, artists, and activists. Dazed has also taken its long-established tradition of nurturing and supporting new talent to the next level in the Rise section of Dazed Digital, where new talent in music, illustration, fashion and photography is profiled by Dazed's in-house creatives, with a special guest judge each month.

Innovative one-off projects already undertaken on Dazed Digital include a 24-hour non-stop live webcast of film and photography for World Aids Day on December 1, 2006, and Wanted, a digital 'outsider' exhibition that has to date received over 3,000 submissions from independent artists.

Founded by prodigious photographer Rankin and writer and cultural enthusiast Jefferson Hack, and taking its name (and freewheeling spirit) from the classic Led Zeppelin song, Dazed & Confused started life as a limited-run fold-out poster in 1992. Early cover stars profiled by Hack included Bjork, Harmony Korine and David Bowie, who all contributed to the magazine over the years. Also on the cover in the early days were PJ Harvey, Damien Hirst, Richard Ashcroft, ChloeSevigny, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Robert Carlyle, Kate Moss and Milla Jovovich. It was during this time that Dazed cemented its growing international reputation for daring to extend its editorial remit beyond fashion, music and film not just to include art and literature, but to tackle local and international social and political themes.

With its fashion, photography and art content long established as the best in the world, Dazed brought its music and film editorial up to similarly world-beating standards with a long list of UK and world firsts, including the likes of Eminem, the Libertines, Pharrell Williams, and Alicia Keys. Under its current editors Nicki Bidder and Rod Stanley, recent cover exclusives have included The White Stripes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bloc Party, Zooey DesChanel, Sofia Coppola, Justin Timberlake, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Selma Blair, and Madonna.

Today, still 100 per cent independent in ownership and in spirit, Dazed & Confused is perhaps the most influential monthly magazine in the world. Far from resting on its reputation, Dazed Digital is now pushing its taste and influence into new areas, bringing the brand to life in more ways than ever, and engaging a new generation of switched-on, intelligent, aware and influential individuals.






With this in mind, I  need to be really considerate of the images I make. They need to be up to the Dazed standard. I think it is the next step up for me, as I produce very vintage static images. The editorials and photographers I have looked at in my sketch book are so cutting edge and different, how can I make my work like this? I think the answer is that I cant, I shouldn't want to recreate somebody else's work, but rather push my work further in my own style. To make it more suited to dazed I will not be heavily editing any of it. I may clean up a few strange bits on my photos but I will not do any real skin work. This way the photos stay real and are commercially viable in a world that is rejecting Photoshop in editorials. 


I also want to make my work darker, as I am using natural light in caves I do not this this will be a problem. But not only darker in the images themselves, but with the styling and the expressions my model portrays.


With daze's audience they do expect something different. I do still want to contain elegance in my work, but use my concept to push the way I make my images. It is quite a personal project so I think I will be able to communicate with the viewer well. 




















Project 2




My second project is the knitted hair portrait series. I decided Selvedge would be my context. They write about themselves:

Selvedge is an independent, 100-page full colour magazine published six times a year. The magazine is image led and has an uncompromising design.

Directed towards an international audience, Selvedge covers fine textiles in every context with illustrated features on fine art, fashion, interiors, ethnographic textiles, important collections, travel and shopping. The latest book reviews, exhibitions and comprehensive listings feature in every issue. The magazine provides a wide-ranging, unbiased and critical overview of the textile world.

The Selvedge readership is composed of all those who claim textiles as their first love, not simply makers and academics. They include professional artists, textile students, collectors, fashion and interior designers, museum curators and gallery owners. Selvedge is also aimed at an audience beyond those with an established interest in textiles. Discerning consumers are amongst our readers. Intelligent and curious they use Selvedge to learn about the history, techniques, artists and designers that made the items that furnish their lives.

We aim to provide a publication which reflects the creative lifestyle and tastes of this group without isolating or restricting readers. The magazine serves as a link to many other areas of interest, inspiration and knowledge. 

I think this is really helpful when working towards my context goal. The work I am creating could fit in the magazine because it fits into the fashion category. Because the magazine is aimed purely at a textile audience it also works, because knitting is such a widely known and accepted craft. Because the viewers have a creative lifestyle they will know more about knitting than the readers of a commercial fashion magazine, as well as having knowledge of fashion, lifestyle and other subjects.  

I do think I can have several alternatives for my context with this project. As knitting is becoming such a wide spread hobby across the world I do think I could get it published on various knitting blogs, such as Knitty, or magazines. Although the work is not wearable to easy to re-create it shows knitters a different side of the craft.