Final Major Project, Chelsea college of art
Blackpool Disco
(shit vegas)
finding the glitter through the drizzle
For my final major project at chelsea college of art, I created a fashion collection exploring dance festivals and northern seaside towns. An amalgamation of glam and grim. The collection comprises of devore, flitter printed, digital printed, later cut and hand dyed textiles I have created, with a large focus being on colour and material quality. I also designed, styled and photographed my collection on Location in Morecambe and Blackpool.
I grew up a few miles from the small seaside town of Morecambe, of the North west coast of England. Long past its holiday heyday, the flashing arcade lights of; pleisureland’, ‘snappyland’ and oasis, pepper the grim backdrop of dilapidated 10p tea stalls and a derelict fairground, and rows and rows of empty hotels, probably untouched since 1962. The sky is almost constantly grey and there is always a lingering smell of chip fat in donuts in the air. But something in me loves it. I love how you have to look a bit closer to find the glamour, the hidden arcade disco balls, dance festivals on upper floors of grimy pubs, the shops selling hair extentions bigger than my head, ostentatious plastic chandelliers and pekignese statues that peek from caravan windows, and jewel drenched gypsy Sarah sat waiting in her stall, its walls lined with pictures of her ‘celebrity clients’. A part of my interest in seaside towns lies in their history of 'showbiz', that still lingers in part today. So many of the bargain stores and empty buildings were once glittering theatres like the winter gardens, dance halls or cabaret clubs.
A large proportion of my life has been spent watching my mum and sisters pack the car with bags full of 26 neon, lycra, sparkly, crystal, tassle, feather and sequin encrusted dance costume in the boot alongside a zebra print makeup box and and mixtapes full of showtunes, ready to set off an dance adventures across the North west of England. They are heavily involved in ‘dance festivals’, local amateur competitions for under 19s in every form of dance from tap to flamenco.
Their glitter descends on some ramshackle theatre or musty village hall painted in utility peach and nicotine yellow, as hoards of perma tanned children bustle past heavily made up old ladies outside on their fag break from the tea and cake stall ready to win handfuls of shiny medals and fill dreary dressing rooms with spangles, spray tans, and glitter hairspray.
It is the epitome of the glamour and grimness I wanted to bring to my collection, where interest lies in an 'accessible' glamour, the slightly tacky, often cheap but just as sassy.
As a designer I am constantly inspired by the over the top, trashy, sparkly, ridiculous, sequins, rhinestones, cabaret festhers, tacky words like showbiz and lame! I wanted to bring this glamour into my work alongside using colour and fabric quality to bring luxury to tat, but also a sense of the slightly off, an out of season seaside feeling to glitter with my fabric and colour choices. I like to create textiles with a sense of fun and glamour , bridging the gap between evening and everyday wear. I love contrasts, and my constant aim in life and in my work is to find the sparkle in the ordinary, the glamour amidst the grim.