SI #1

Artist's Statement: 

The idea for this corset came from victorian construction of corsets, where they used whalebones as ribbing to make more structure. this got me thinking about what parts of the whale would be used to make the corset, and I was reminded of the ribs of whales, and type of cage that they make when exposed. This idea inspired the title of this piece, ribbed and caged. This title also plays with the antique use of corsets as a way to change the figure. This use of corsets can often be very constraining. 

I used paper to make this corset, which I then strengthened with masking and packing tape. I used paper because I wanted to experiment with the pattern making process, something that I have never done before. Patternmaking is usually 2D, and made of multiple parts then used to cut fabric into a certain size and shape. I also used packing tape because I wanted the masking tape to show through, with the designs that I put on the corset in packing tape. I used newsprint for the frills, because I wanted them to have that airy feel, of having ruffles. 

This project thas changed a lot since the initiall sketches!  Originally I thought that I wanted to make this in denim, and have it be covered in soda can tab scales. However, I started making the pattern, and then decided to continue to work with paper. When I was making the ruffles, I had some difficulty with the pleats, I found that it was hard to pleat in the other direction. However I preserved, and managed to get the two opposing pleats, adding more to that fishbone feel. I also had wanted to cover it entirely with packing tape to make it more durable, but ended up running out of time. I had thought of adding cutouts when I was making the collar, like one in the sketches, but I thought that it would be too flimsy, and hard to manage. in the end, I am very satisfied with the final results.