3

I NT RO DUCT I O N
4

R e a s s e s s in g t h e
fa s h ion o b j e c T. . .

12 A N N E FA R R E N

Changing perspectives:
AN Interdisciplinary
Fashion Approach

E M I LY W I LLS
18

ROOM 1

SL I PPAGES BE T W EE N
V I S UAL M E R C HA N D I S I N G
AND EXHIBITION
24 D I SPLAY

ROOM 2

T HE T R A N SF O R M AT I VE
P O T E N T I AL O F
O BJE C T D ES I G N 30

ROOM 3

C LO T H A N D T HE
36 ABSE N T B O DY

SPECIAL THANKS

SP O N S O R S
4 5

INTROD U C T I O N

3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body is an
exhibition that showcases the creative outcomes
from a collaborative project involving curators,
lecturers and students from Australia and
Singapore. The project asked students from
Curtin University, Perth, and LASALLE College
of the Arts, Singapore, to consider fashion as a
form of Object Design with reference to the body,
rather than redesigning existing clothing made
exclusively to be worn as garment. The project
engaged contributors in interdisciplinary research
and practice to encourage new ways of designing
and making fashion.
Using the body as site, a space for reflection,
researching new materials and techniques for
construction, engaging in new methods of
investigation, and exploring inter-disciplinary
approaches help to move fashion away from
its existing ties with garment, production and
business to evolve new notions of what fashion is,
and can be.
3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body examines
both new forms of fashion as object and the
transformative potential of fashion exhibition.
Inspired by the presentation of Beyond
Garment as part of the 2010 Perth Fashion
Festival it extends contemporary investigations
to re-examine of the fashion object through
exhibition. This exciting showcase of emerging
practice is spread across three galleries, with
a selection of student outcomes responding
to three Australian designer case studies from
Beyond Garment: Alister Yiap, Jocelyn Tan and
Elizabeth Delfs. Each of these selected designers
examine the changing role of fashion, and how
fashion can move beyond the context of garment
to challenge not only how object can be considered
fashion, but also how the presentation of objects,
and the interaction of audiences with these objects
can facilitate new fashion concepts.

Co-curators
Anne Farren & Emily Wills

Brought to you by the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore,

Curtin University, Western Australia and LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.

Image Credit: Valencia Angelina Soenoyo

6 7

Reassessing the As fashion is being presented internationally in galleries, museums, and in public spaces as
much as on the runway, it also gains the potential to have a greater impact conceptually that
is also reflected on itself, and on people, bodies, identities, ethics, aesthetics, and notions of
fa s h i o n o b j e c t beauty the very stuff, in fact, that fashion is really made of.1
 Hazel Clark

As we move into the twenty first century, fashion
is being redefined by conceptual thinking,
a reassessment of the nature of the fashion
object and through a re-examination of the
modes of presentation of the fashion object.
The exhibition has emerged as a key component
in the presentation of the fashion object and is
providing a new perspective on both conventional
and new forms of practice. It provides an
opportunity for us to reassess the nature of works
that emerge from a broader consideration of the
relationship between garment, accessory and
the body. The exhibition is an opportunity to
contemplate these objects with greater focus
on concept, materials, form and structure to
examine the aesthetics of the object away from
the distraction of issues of the body or wearer.
While the absence of the body is argued by
some fashion theorists to be inappropriate for
fashion exhibition, 3 ROOMS presents a case
for the exhibition to provide the viewer with the
opportunity to explore a new dialogue between
viewer, object and maker.
Anne School of art AND DESIGN
Farren Curtin University 3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body reveals
a new relationship between object and maker.
Young designer/makers represented in the
exhibition reveal through their work , a respect
for the fine art of crafting a form. They reflect
a re-engagement with the traditions founded in
the Art and Crafts Movement studio practices
established by William Morris in the late 1800s
in response to the industrial revolution and the
loss of respect for aesthetics and appreciation
of the hand made object. Designer fashion and
the concept of couture emerged during the same
period, however, has evolved into an international
industry driven by profit and a market hungry for
cheap fast fashion and conspicuous consumption.
I suggest that the contemporary rush towards
mass market commodification has resulted
in a reactionary re-engagement with the craft
of making and the emergence of a new haute
couture being formulated by a generation of
designers who want to redefine the relationship
between design and making.
The broad use of the term fashion and the
dynamic nature of the industry has resulted in
much debate and confusion regarding the validity
of the fashion exhibition. As a consequence of
the historic and popular media profile of fashion,
8 9
there is a general perception that it is defined by
function and commercial imperatives. However
this is a limited perspective of contemporary
fashion practice. While function might still
inform the fashion object, it is no longer seen
as a defining characteristic by a new generation
of young designers who develop fashion that
Fig 1
defies function.2 Having a commercial end is
not essential to the concept of design,3 which
presents a challenge this as this is a defining
characteristic for fashion. In the preface to
Fashion Classics from Carlyle to Barthes,
Michael Carter 4 refers to fashion as being in
a state that is constantly metamorphosing.
Fashion is in fact defined as a state of change.
Over the past twenty years it has morphed
significantly as a result of its adoption of
conceptual investigations and the emergence
of an interdisciplinary approach. These shifts
are blurring the boundaries between practices
and changing perceptions of fashion. As a
consequence we are seeing fashion presented
within art, design and commercial environments,
with the exhibition becoming a more familiar
context for us to view the fashion object.
The 3 ROOMS exhibition investigates the
capacity of exhibition installation or display to
Fig 2
re-evaluate our reading of the fashion object.
The immediate connection that we have to
the fashion object is born out of the intimacy
of the relationship we have with the worn
object. Viewing the object evokes a sensory
understanding of the materials and forms of
fashion. We have learnt what it means to wear
an object of dress and have also been trained
through the retail experience of viewing these
forms in the visual merchandising environment
to know how to read and translate these objects
into a real and very tangible experience. This
knowledge and personal engagement with the
fashion object is what heightens its appeal above
other forms in the gallery environment. Even
when not being worn we know and understand
the experience of the wearer; in the gallery
contemplating these objects we can project
and imagine our personal experiences onto the
object. The gallery installation presents a new
perspective, an opportunity to contemplate
the aesthetics of the fashion object away from
function and commercial imperatives that
surround these forms in a retail environment.
3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body
was developed as a response to the exhibition
Beyond Garment (2010) with designers Jocelyn
Tan, Alistair Yiap and artist Elizabeth Delfs who
presented work in Beyond Garment, invited
as the key exhibitors in 3 ROOMS. These
three young creatives were selected because
they represent a genre of makers who are re-
examining the nature of the fashion object
and its presentation. For example, Jocelyn Tan
explores the boundary between accessory and
garment. Her work questions the function,
configuration and wearing of the object and
challenges the definition of these forms: is it
a bag is it a neck piece is it a garment;
establishing ambiguity and illustrating the
potential for slippages in the definition of
object through orientation on the body. In the
presentation of her work, Tan actively engages
in the development of a site specific installation Fig 1 Elizabeth Delfs Fig 2 Celene Bridge
space for her work. She designs a space reflective Revolutions series Goblin
of a merchandising environment, one which on Tuile and synthetic Hand carved balsa
spunbonded fabric forms headdress
first sight, visitors could enter and interact with Photographer: Photographer:
the objects, trying them on and experimenting Greg Woodward Celene Bridge
with the determination of their function. In the
10 11

Fig 3
exhibition-gallery context this is not usually a
possibility, creating a tension for the viewer who
feels invited to touch but cannot. Tans work
explores the tensions and conflicts between
merchandising and exhibition experience
of the fashion object. Trained in jewellery
design, Alister Yiap questions the nature and
conventions of this form of fashion accessory.
His innovative use of materials extends from
the conventional application of precious metals
Fig 4
to commonly found hardware; materials are
applied to the creation of jewellery inspired
forms that sit elegantly against the skin or move
dramatically away from the body, extending the
silhouette of the wearer. It is as though these
objects act not only as a frame to display the
body but also enable that wearer to activate
these shapes in such a way that their body
decorates the form.5 Elizabeth Delfs presents
us with ambiguous anthropomorphic figures
that reflect the absence of body. Delfs intricately
manipulated textile forms provide a new
experience in beauty relating to fashion and
design with a delicate sense of equipoise.6 Her
forms are often suspended in intimate groupings
which are gently animated by the movement of
air as audiences move around and amongst the
figures, creating a tangible dialogue between
object and viewer.
Tan, Yiap and Delfs were presented as case
studies for student exhibitors in the preparation
of their proposals for this exhibition. The
resulting exhibition is an exciting dialogue of
ideas surrounding investigations into Object,
Design and the Body carried out by a new
generation of makers working with concepts
and ideas that reflect on the dynamic and
metamorphosing nature of the fashion object.

REFERENCES ENDNOTE

Brand, J & Teunissen. Welshpool: Western. 1. Clark: 74.

(2008) Fashion & Australian Museum. 2. Stringfellow: 6.
Accessories, Arnhem, 3. Hamilton: 61.
Terra. Farren, A. (2010) Beyond 4. Carter: xii.
Garment in Beyond 5. Schilo: 28.
Benson, M. (1998) The Garment. Welshpool: 6. Delfs: 61.
Curators Moment, Art Western Australian
Journal Vol.57 No. 4 Museum.
Carter, M. (2003) Fashion
Classics from Carlyle to Schilo, A. (2010) On
Barthes. Oxford: Berg. Dress and Adornment.
in Beyond Garment.
Clark, H. (2012) Welshpool: Western
Conceptual Fashion Australian Museum.
in Fashion and Art by
Adam Geczy and Vicki Stringfellow, N. (2011)
Fig 3 Jocelyn Tan Fig 4 Alister Yiap Karaminas (Eds) London: Introduction in Fast
Pre-Fab Ray (detail) Berg. Forward Fashion: Fall/
Beyond Garment installation Acrylic & crystal body form Winter 2011 curated by
Photographer: Photographer: Delfs, E. (2010) Elizabeth Nathalie Grolimund. New
Greg Woodward Cheyne Tillier-Daly Delfs in Beyond Garment. York: Farameh Media.
12 13

Changing perspectives: The process of designing, of making a meaning in the world, leaves tangible and intangible
traces a linguistic utterance, an image, a space, an object, a structure. As the design narrative
draws to a momentary close, the world has been transformed, perhaps only in a small way or
AN Interdisciplinary perhaps a larger way. The redesigned is returned to the world, and this return leaves a legacy
of transformation. The redesigned joins the repertoire of available designs and so provides
Fashion Approach openings for new design narratives.1
 Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M.

Design is the ability to synthesise our personal
experiences and interpretation of the world, to
find relationships between what came before us,
and what we imagine the future to be. When we
design, we aim to create responses that tell the
story of our personal observations, those which
similarly resonate with our collective experiences
of the world. Design is the process of modification
and adaptation, a catalyst for change whereby
successful design works between disciplines to
find new connections, new relationships between
seemingly diverse disciplines. Our intention, our
hope, is that these tangible and intangible records
of personal narrative will remain in future histories
to be interpreted and reinterpreted through the
process of continued transformation. The ability
to collaborate, to exchange knowledge and skills
across disciplines is evidenced through new ideas
and discoveries that facilitate the cross-pollination
of Art and Science, Design and New Media,
Physics and Music.
Fashion innovation responds to design issues,
finding new methods of integrating technology
EMILY FACULTY OF DESIGN
and communicating meanings that expand the
WILLS Lasalle College of the arts
language of art, design, engineering and science,
and that open up new vistas of creativity and
invention. 2 The 3 ROOMS: Object Design + the
Body project and exhibition draws upon existing
knowledge and methods of research to integrate
specialist craftsmanship that push the disciplinary
boundaries of fashion, textile and product design,
challenging contributors to change their
perspective of fashion as a form of object design.
Contributing artists Alister Yiap, Jocelyn Tan and
Elizabeth Delfs are interdisciplinary creatives
whose conceptual thinking and creative outcomes
cannot be defined by one area of study. Yiaps work
sits between jewelry, fashion and object design.
Off the body, his sculptural forms blur the boundary
between design and sculpture, object and
accessory. Tan has an interdisciplinary education
background in fashion, textiles, product and
furniture design, evidenced through her
multifaceted outcomes. Delfs refers to herself as
an interdisciplinary artist ensuring her work is
perceived without pre-connotations of textiles
or fashion.
Interdisciplinary study and approach are
critical because they explore the creation of what
Shanken refers to as boundary objects 3 capable
of transcending the limits of any one discipline.
Much of contemporary fashion appears to be
14 15

Fig 1

stuck in a cyclical nature of referencing historical

costume, and digging out retrospective styles as
a source for inspiration. For fashion to push
boundaries, to be new and challenging, the existing Fig 3

approach to fashion must surely be renegotiated.

Zoe Ryan suggests that conceptual visionaries
such as Sandra Backlund, Bless and Boudicca
explore collaboration and interdisciplinarity to
extend their practice beyond garment. These
designers construct narratives that frame their
clothing and accessories which provides insight Fig 2

into their creative process and emphasizes their

ideas and inventive spirit, offering more complex
readings of their work.4 Designers who successfully
cross the boundaries of their discipline are able
to develop expertise in various areas because they
seek change, find multiple outcomes and embrace
interdisciplinarity.
3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body asked
participants to reconsider the process of fashion
design by adapting traditional methods of garment
construction and engaging in methods of Fig 4

investigation to move fashion away from its existing

ties with garment production. Engaging in
interdisciplinary research and practice encouraged
students to find new ways of designing and making
fashion that explored object design with references
to the body, rather than redesigning existing
clothing made exclusively to be worn as garment.
Using object design as a basis for investigation,
students sourced and experimented with
alternative materials and construction techniques
as seen in Edison Wongs (Fig. 1) creative process
journal. Contributing students who systematically
embraced interdisciplinarity challenged not only
how object can be considered fashion, but how
the presentation of their objects within an
exhibition format, and the interaction of the
audience with these objects, facilitated new fashion
concepts. Edison Wongs installation Presence of
the Void (Fig. 2) examines how the mold or casting
of an object can be considered as valuable as the
final outcome. His molded boundary objects speak
of the body through silhouette and form, and exist
as two mirrored structures that sit between
sculpture and garment, presence and absence,
interior and exterior spaces.
3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body
showcases fashion innovation that relies on
contributors to draw upon their existing knowledge
to integrate ideas, synthesise similarities and
produce new outcomes that blur the perspective
of what fashion is, and should be. Valencia Angelina
Soenoyos project Digicrafted Armoury (Fig. 3)
uses traditional knitting techniques combined with
non-fashion materials - telephone cable wire and
silicone tubing - to create a sculptural piece of
contemporary armour. When considering the
exhibition format, Soenoyo looked to the
museumification of fashion and textiles to create
an interactive security system which pokes fun at
how the value of fashion is determined and
presented. Similarly, Melissa Suryas Imperfectly
Formed bodice (Fig. 5) uses unconventional
materials, cable ties and string to utilise knowledge
of wrapping and binding around the body. Her Fig 1 / Fig 2 Edison Wong Fig 3 / Fig 4 Valencia Angelina Soenoyo
textiles (Fig. 6) combine traditional basket weaving Presence Of The Void Digicrafted Armoury
16 17

Fig 5

techniques with unorthodox, non fashion related

materials. Suryas work suggests an upper body
accessory that blurs the boundaries between
gender, shape, and body type, and asks the viewer
to question whose body may go beneath this?
The 3 ROOMS: Object Design + the Body
project aims to showcase innovation that moves
beyond the casual creation of structural forms and
aesthetically pleasing fashion related objects. The
works exhibited in this exhibition profiles the
Fig 6
collective creativity of participants and their ability
to see patterns and make connections between
seemingly unrelated concepts and ideas.5 The
interdisciplinary practice of the three contributing
artists, and participating students similarly explore
the fringes of various disciplines of study from
sculpture and textiles, to interior, product, and
fashion design; the exhibited works investigating
the relationships between art and technology,
fashion and the body.

Fig 5 / Fig 6 Melissa Surya

Imperfectly Formed

REFERENCES ENDNOTE

1
Cope, B. & Kalantzis, 3
Ryan, Z. (2012) Cope & Kalantzis: 203-234.
M. (2011) Design in Fashioning the Object: Shanken: 417.
Principle and Practice: Bless, Boudicca, Sandra Ryan: 12-14.
A reconsideration of Backlund. The Art Shanken: 418.
the terms of design Institute of Chicago, Yale Pink:142.
engagement. The Design University Press: New
Journal, Volume 14, Issue Haven, USA.
1. Berg: UK.
4
Shanken, A. (2005)
2
Shanken, A. (2005) Artists in Industry
Artists in Industry and the Academy:
and the Academy: Collaborative Research,
Collaborative Research, Interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinary Scholarship and
Scholarship and the Creation and
the Creation and Interpretation of Hybrid
Interpretation of Hybrid Forms. Leonardo, Volume
Forms. Leonardo, Volume 38, Number 5. MIT Press:
38, Number 5. MIT Press: USA.
USA.
Pink, D. (2005) A Whole
5

New Mind. Riverhead

Books, Penguin Group:
New York.
18 19
RO OM 1
Fig 1
Photography: Meiji Nguyen
Perth based designer and contributing artist in 3
ROOMS, Jocelyn Tans installation investigate
the space between garment and accessory and
the slippages between retail and exhibition display.
Tans designs encourage the wearer to interact
with her work, allowing the production of an
exchange market between society and consumable
products. In this way, accessory becomes a
process that carries the self beyond adornment.
She asserts that the only permanent theme of
the fashion world is its constant subjection to
JOCELYN TAN flux and the temporary nature of design. Her
Fig 2
bricolage of product, furniture and fashion is sleek,
and contemporary and explores the concept of
interactive design through suggesting altered ways
of making / wearing / using and present the idea
that the wearers role is to define the functions of
the products they are experiencing.
Students responding to Tans designs looked
at the inter-disciplinary approach to fashion design
and investigated parallel concepts in retail visual
merchandising as a means of presenting their
work within new exhibition formats.
20 21

Jocelyn Tan  Fig 1 Ariana Davis  Fig 4

Pre-Fab Atanga Fig 1

Fashion behaves like a language an exchange market
between the world, its products and individuals where
temporary and alteration are permanent themes.
In this design system, the idea of accessory is presented
as more than just adornment; it is an exercise to be
completed for and beyond the body. Most importantly:
these products involve your design input.
Photographer: Greg Woodward
Lauren Sims  Fig 2
Micro
I want to investigate the space between garment and
accessory focusing on the slippages between the two. I
believe that fashion is more than just clothes, and that
garments can be created to comment on and express
particular ideas and values. I have portrayed this through
the exploration and modernisation of ancestral traditions
within my garments. Atanga translates to adorn, embellish
or enhance; in Maori culture cloaks blur the line between
garment and traditional adornments. This is explored
from a modern perspective through embellishment with
distinct, symbolic feathers and knotting from my own
cultural history of life on the land and sea.

An exploration into the unseen parallel world that
surrounds us The work of science photographer Steve
Gschmeissner allows us to get a close up view through
the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM imager y).
Only through these technologies are we able to view the
contents of our surrounding micro-world close up, an
environment we know so little about.
This invisible realm filled with other worldly creatures
and organisms has greatly influenced the peculiar
textures and sculptural silhouettes seen throughout this
collection. My intention is to create a series of garments
that directly reference such unrecognizable living
microorganisms, reflecting on my fascination with them.
Photographer: Cameron Etchells
Acelyn Chuabaazuan
Painting Hair
My work explores the displacement of hair, which is used to
represent our individuality. Since our hair can be altered
in many various ways due to its ability to regenerate its
length, it offers individuals endless opportunities to express
their personalities through it. My work is presented in two
unique ways; image and painting.

Photographer: Cameron Etchells

Fig 3
Fig 2
Katherine Young  Fig 3
Nebulous

My work is in response to Jocelyn Tans visualisation of Fig 4

garment as a language- integrating and blurring the

lines between psychology, garment and installation. The
Rorschach test is a well recognised mechanism used to
delve into the human psyche. It is a test of perception,
of the way in which we see and interpret the world as
individuals. Much like the way in which we view fashion,
art and design. We are constantly testing ourselves to
determine an understanding of what we are viewing.
In the method of the Rorschach test, this installation
invites the viewer to define what they see, questioning
the boundaries bet ween wearable garment and
art installation.

Photographer: Cameron Etchells

22 23

Valencia Angelina Soenoyo  Fig 5 Imogene Spencer  Fig 8

Digicrafted Armoury Subconscious Skins
Fig 5

This collection redefines clothing as having a primary The textiles are transformed to wearable pieces, and the
function to provide protection. Digicraf ted Armour y initial concepts are further portrayed as a type of body
showcases hand -craf ted knitting inspired by the adornment. The installation showcases five garments Fig 6

construction of historical OYoroi Japanese armour. The and their journey from a conceptual ar t space to a
installation of my work poses questions about museum fashion retail space. In response to Jocelyn Tans work,
security systems and uses interactive technology to protect Subconscious Skins investigates the fine lines between
the valuable hand crafted design. retail and exhibition display.

Timothy Watson  Fig 6 Photographer: Greg Woodward

Woven Backpack
This piece looks at carrying vessels through time. It
takes its form from the old and new, with construction
referencing the woven baskets that have been a means
of conveying goods for millennia, and drawing form from
the more recent invention of the back pack. The aim
was to blend the old and new harmoniously, in order to
create a functional object that can be worn on the body
or displayed as a sculptural item.
The work was created using old technology, that
was channelled into a contemporary style. The woven
component was constructed by hand out of silk organza
and is shaped using traditional practices of basketry. It is
attached to a panel that is subtly shaped so that it forms
a casing to the body if desired, or has a natural drape
if suspended.
Nalin Cherdjareewatananun  Fig 9
Idealistic Perfection
Throughout histor y, hair for women essentially
symbolises the power of attraction, health and status.
Hair elements from traditional Asian beauty of Chinese
Empress, Japanese Geisha, and Korean Meori, played
major roles as accessories for notions of a perfect woman
at that time. In a contemporary world, although myths,
taboos and traditional believes still remain, the evolution
of hair throughout the centuries have been modified and
innovated with the development of technology.
Idealistic Per fection por trays a contemporar y
ideal of per fec tion and power using ar tificial
fibres to showcase traditional Chinese braiding.

Celene Bridge  Fig 7

Princess and the Goblin Fig 7

The accessories featured in the installation are inspired

by The Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald,
a fairytale about love, life and evil. The accessories are
handmade, carved from a block of wood into the general
Fig 9
shape, then finely worked into and whittled down with
scalpel, sandpaper and engraving tools. My love lies
in the fine details and the act of creating a piece from
start to finish. Although the pieces are created with the
Fig 8
body in mind, in terms of fit, position and logic, they are
sculptures when taken out of the context of body. The
body is another surface for these sculptures to adorn.
Each piece tells a different story, the context of which can
also change with its surroundings.
The Lion Bag is inspired by Goblins - blind, vicious,
and cunning. As an object it is ambigous and mysterious,
a threatening jaw that lashes through orange faux fur.
The Wounded Bird is a piece that represents human
error and guilt. In the story, Curdie shoots a bird, and
regret, sadness and guilt overcome him as he tries to
heal it. The piece represents the vulnerability of small
creatures to humans, and the power we have to destroy
and heal.
The Flaming Roses Hand, which when worn on the
inner hand, touches to the finger tips, as if in prayer.
It is inspired by a scene in the book where Curdie
thrusts his hands into a pit of burning roses. Remaining
unscathed, he gains powers to see good and evil
in people.

Photographer: Greg Woodward

24 25
RO OM 2
Fig 1
Photography: Cheyne Tillier-Daly
Perth based designer Alister Yiap is the mastermind
behind jewelry label, Malachi. To identify the
different practices within the discipline of jewelry
Yiap created a Runway Couture line which explored
the meeting point between between jewelry and
garment. Yiaps work has the capacity to represent
the transformative potential of object design and
installation. His work in contemporary wearables
aims to harness new potentials for acrylic, a
ALI STER Y I AP material that has saturated the jewelry industry.
He attempts to redefine the potential of this
material in the hope of exploring new graphics
and possibilities for his products. Yiaps talent for
design manifests itself in harsh lines and geometric
patterns that create three-dimensional pieces with
the ability to carry form.
Selected works that respond to Yiaps jewelry
examine alternative materials and construction
methods outside of familiar processes of pattern
drafting and production methods. These materials
transform the object from fashion to new potential
design narratives.
26 27

Alister Yiap  Fig 1 Valentina Chua Fig 4

Diamond Sky Paper Extraordinaire
Fig 1

Fascinated by facets and fashion, my work focuses on My work features paper structures that suggest shapes
identity and individuality, and how one finds oneself and silhouettes of garments. Using the theor y of
through art practice. the historical Elizabethan dress that used the space Fig 2

between body and the environment, combined with the

Photographer: Aaron McPolin
Shan Low Fig 2
Connected
The concept of fashion is one of change, and the process
of change generally produces waste. As consumers of
fashion goods, many people have moved toward Fast
Fashion, which is low-cost clothing based on high-cost
luxury fashion trends. This is a fast-response system that
encourages disposability. My work aims to bridge this
disparity by providing a multi-functional, modular system
that can be reconfigured into multi designs. In this way,
the concept of change in the fashion context can still be
achieved while cutting down on wastage.
mathematical influence of origami, I have explored the
creation of new structures.
Melissa Surya Fig 5
Imperfectly Formed
Referencing the Kayan tribes neck adornment created
by the stack of brass rings, my design is inspired by my
narrative of the women uncoiling the neck rings to portray
the feeling of freedom. This uncoiling is translated by the
use of unconventional materials such as insulated cables
to form an asymmetrical and fluid shape that depicts a
resistance against standards of beauty; juxtaposing the
organic form with industrial materials.

Stephanie Fulham Fig 3

Cellular Forms
Fig 5
The beginning of life commences with the production
of cells. With modern technology today, we are able to
investigate these microorganisms through the use of
science. These technologies enable us to explore and
investigate form, structure and pattern created within
these organisms. To fully examine them through a
microscope we not only flatten but compress their bodies
until they are a two-dimensional form. It is this process
I have begun to experiment with; taking the flattened
form and reconstructing it into a sculptural piece using
two dimensional mediums. From this method I have
created new structures that are specifically pulled from Fig 3
certain cells within the body. Rebuilding these cellular
forms in a new format, to enable a new perspective
and new convention of a medium that is so essential
to the function of life. Concentrating on a specific cell
pulled from the body, I have multiplied, layered and
Fig 4
built structures that have the ability to be reintroduced
to the body through their ability to be worn. The pieces
push the boundary of wearability and the capacity to be
integrated into a space as an installation. Independent
from the body the structures are complex in construction
and allow the viewer to challenge their perspective by its
repeating layers. On the body the same structure holds a
completely different visual interpretation highlighting the
bodys inner workings bringing them to surface exposing
them and creating an aesthetic allure that draws the
viewers interest.
28 29

Edison Wong  Fig 6

The Presence of the Void
The Presence of the Void illustrates the expansion of
the body beyond its confines. It reveals the extension to
which fashion, and architecture can be interdisciplinary by
interpreting space as strictly internal and external. The void
evokes the perforation between the internal and external
of the body. Revealing the paradox of seen and unseen, the
Presence of the Void offers an environment that eradicates
the perimeter of the body and built environment.
Ivanna Ainora Kuswara Fig 7
The Mask of Reality
Pathmapriya D/O Algassam Fig 10
Mystical Desire
Gods and Goddesses are the most prominent aspect
of Hinduism. There are diverse deities and their
manifestations in the history of the Hindu religion.
Inspired by Ardhanariswara a manifestation where deity Fig 7
Shiva and his wife Parvati appear as an androgynous
form of half male and half female, my piece of artwork
evolves around the transformative potential of object
Fig 8
design. It is a jewelry inspired object for both men and
women, and a decorative piece of art work when absent
from the body.

Through dress we can reveal or conceal our identity.

Using the Balinese mask as a source of inspiration to Fig 6
hide the identity of the wearer, I found unconventional
materials to create a modern mask that holds the power
of freedom. Each Balinese mask has different character,
purpose and story. The role of the mask is not just to hide
the identity of the wearer but empower them with the
ability to converse with or the Gods or their ancestors.

Photographer: Fhenny

Herlianti Iskandar Setiawan Fig 8

Plume Paradise

Feathers conjure up a sense of fantasy and carr y

fabulous stories of people and environment. Admiring
the flaws and imperfections of the natural and hand-
made, my work is not simply about mimicking biological
forms but trying to understand the processes by which
those forms came about. The object Plume Paradise
represents the transformative potential of object
installation. It is a futuristic yet organic sculpture that
casts a beautiful bird of paradise shadow as well as
proposing a unique headdress.

Hu Min Fig 9
Gaea

With social development and progress, human kinds Fig 10 Fig 9

productive labour has gradually transformed from
physical to mental labour. As a result a large par t of
outdoor labour has been transferred to indoor space.
My design is a futuristic suggestion of how clothing and
materials will change as society moves indoors from
the outdoors.
30 31
RO OM 3 Fig 1
Photography:Eva Fernandez
Interdisciplinary artist Elizabeth Delfs investigates
the dialogue between cloth and the absent body.
Delfs work explores the interaction between the
organic and the inorganic and the bodies place
within built environment. The work that she is
exhibiting for 3 ROOMS encapsulates the more
sensual elements of her vision with ethereal fabrics
that are able to vacillate between two-dimensional
ELI ZABETH D ELFS shapes and three dimensional sculptures. The
Fig 2
sculpture distorts the angles of the body and the
perforations in the material collapse the boundary
between interior and exterior, exploding the scope
of the viewers perspective.
The exhibited works that respond to Delfs
sculptural forms similarly blur the line between
the conceptual polarities of object /surface,
permanent /ephemeral, gender /genderless,
sculpture /garment.
32 33

Elizabeth Delfs Fig 1 The body is obviously a natural object. However it is

Revolutions
My practice sits between garment construction and the
built environment and explores the rendering of space
through objects that vacillate between habitations and
figurative sculpture articulated by the transference of
qualities from the body and the built environment. These
works come from the series Revolutions and are created
with the ability to expand and collapse, allowing them to
be configured to a specific location, on the floor, wall or
body. Combining elements of the mobius band to create
non-orientable objects, the geometric stencil work
combined with material to evoke movement, changing
mass and shifting surface.
interesting to see how unrealistic and unnatural the
ideal body type is to most and how some women even
resor t to unnatural procedures and unhealthy habits Fig 1
to obtain this ideal. Through this installation the ideal
body is investigated through natural fibres and fabrics
in contrast to the unnatural body shape that has been
moulded. The installed pieces are garments. These
Fig 2
garments give the impression that they are to be worn.
However due to the lack of openings on these garments,
they are unwearable, suggesting how the ideal body is
unattainable and gives one an unnatural impression.
Emily Muco Fig 5
Entropic

Samuel McCloy Fig 2 Entropy is the tendency of all things to move from a state
I was never here of equilibrium or order to a state of chaos. I see this kind
of shift reflected in the phenomenon that was the Ballet
The project, I was never here, is an examination of the Russes, which in the early part of the 20th century turned
metaphorical walls that a reser ved person will build the world of dance, music, art and fashion on its head. The
around themselves as an emotional barrier. By blurring Ballets Russes introduced a bright and bold explosion
the lines between the body and the space around it, colour, vitality and dynamism replacing the dull, ordered
this installation shows how a person hides aspects of and lifeless forms of the traditional ballet. Manipulation
themselves. This project employs visual illusions to and construction of fabrics create a sense of turbulence
display a human form that is not completely present, and vitality. Forms that have a sense of erratic and
presenting a for tified personality surrounded by random movement. Vivid colours and exuberant shapes
walls that contains their most vulnerable aspects. blending harmoniously, creating garments which are
expressive but also functional. Intense and energetic,
Hannah Steens Fig 3 an expression of vigorous movement. The contours
Concerning the Collective created through seams, pattern and tucking techniques
form diverse shapes which give rise to bizarre textures
Through engagement with the potential of installation, and silhouettes.
this body of work investigates the relationships between
fashion, architecture and art. The installation of object is
a subtle reflection of materiality in fashion, the presence
of space in architecture and installation in ar t. The
organic cloth-like structure combines an unconventional
Fig 3
material, rubber band, with the traditional process of
knitting. The combination of process and material Fig 5
provides links to fashion, architecture and art. The object
Fig 4
resembles a piece of draped cloth forming space between
the folds. The traditional process of knitting is used
to create cloth from the rubber bands. The individual
rubber bands are laced together into a long thread and
then knitted together. Knitted from three different sizes
of rubber band, the object is formed from the singular to
form the collective. Through the repetition and linkage
of the individual elements, this visual organism explores
the ideas of the power of a collective body. The collection
and series of connections between the single rubber
bands form a strong, collective structure. The organic
structure of the rubber cloth investigates the potential for
its application as a material and as an object.

Stephanie Kinsman Fig 4

Unattainable

Garments are directly related to the body. The body is

an impor tant par t of how an individual is viewed and
how you view other people. There are many stereotypes
and ideologies associated with the body, particularly the
female body. The ideal female body is fairly unrealistic,
with women longing for the height and slenderness
of a model as well as the curves of a sixties pinup girl.
34
Mei Yen Loke Fig 6
Reveiling
Reveiling presents the veil not just as an article of clothing,
but also as a concept of complex metaphors that invite
viewers to see through the veils current controversies.
The veil is stripped of its political contentions, and ideas
of concealment and revelation are explored visually as
visitors are invited to cloak themselves in a suspended
veil that reveal and expose all at once. A webcam invites
visitors to stare at their own gaze; to be the obser ver
and the observed simultaneously. The profundity of this
process lies in the enablement of viewers to confront their
perceptions of veiling and the veiled subject. Therein lies
the revelation that comes within the concealment.
Hailey Lim SW Fig 7
Women of our Time
Everything we see hides another thing, we always want
to see what is hidden by what we see. Magritte
My installation work reflects the contradiction of the
idealization of women in our time. Women are hindered
by perceptions of how they should behave. I reference
traditional 16th century dress, whereby women were
heavily dressed, covered up from top to bottom. Yet, at
the same time it was popular to fantasize about women
being naked, especially in fine arts. This shows that even
though women can be seen as fully covered they are
still objectified.
Fig 9
35
Fig 6
Shinead Gecas Fig 8
Arcana
The work is grounded on ideas of esoteric spiritual
transformation coupled with a study on Carl Jungs
psychological adaptations of Alchemy. It includes
hand dyed textile lengths, photographic works and
small glass/acetate works that seek to visually suggest
the convoluted changing nature of human spirituality Fig 7
and its relevance to the 21st century. The work aims
to intrigue, confuse and draw light on an area that is
continuously discredited in modern day society and hopes
to encourage a viewer to consider on the various ideas
surrounding spirituality.
Photographer: Greg Woodward
Maleka Rajul Shah Fig 9
Integrated illumination
The Bandhani is a type of Indian textile that is usually
worn on the body. This installation combines textiles and
interiors to explore the atypical link between the different
design pathways. It shows how design knows no confines,
restriction or bonds. Integrated Illumination explores
the vibrancy of Indian culture by using a contemporary
approach towards the textiles and its interactions with
other materials.
Illumination, in terms of the actual lighting that
shines through the fabric. The key textile techniques
and technologies; that are fragmented, borrowed and
combined together, from the different time periods that
they are developed in. By changing the parameters of
what is considered to be textiles, this installation shows
how fashion, as a whole, is ironic: always up-to-date, yet
always out-dated.
Fig 8
36

SPEC I AL THAN KS

N U R H I D AYAH BA K A R

DR CHARLES MEREWETHER

L I O N EL R O U D AU T

Circe Henestrosa

MARIA WALF

VINCENTE DELGADO

AGNES CHONG

RAMESH NARAYANAN

JESSICA AnNE RAHARDJO

JOLEEN LOH

MOHAMMED REDZUAN BIN ZEMMY

SUFIAN SAMSIYAR

Reference to the Perth Fashion Festival exhibition Beyond Garment in the development
of 3 ROOMS: Object, Design + the Body is acknowledged and has been approved by
the Perth Fashion Festival.
38

3 R O O M S : O b j e ct, D ES I G N + T HE B O DY

E X H I B I T I O N C U R AT O R S
A N N E FA R R E N
E M I LY W I LLS

I n s titut e o f C ont e m p or a ry Art s S I N GAP O R E

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form of by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publisher.

The publisher does not warrant or assume any legal

responsibility for the publications contents. All opinions
expressed in the book are of the authors and do not
neccessarily reflect those of LASALLE College of the Arts.

2012 Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore

2012 Individual contributions: the contributors

ISBN: 978-981-07-4653-7

Design by SUSEJ
Edited by Jessica Anne Rahardjo
Printed in Singapore
(1000 copies)