The Art of Dazzle and War

Dazzle's potential as a decorative style was almost immediately recognised alongside its practical wartime application. Dazzle painting was a family of ship camouflage used in WWI and to a lesser extent in WWII and afterwards. It consisted of complex patterns of geometric shapes in contrasting colours, interrupting each other. Unlike other forms of camouflage, the intention of dazzle is not to conceal but to make it difficult to estimate a targets range, speed and heading. My design inspired by Balenciaga's 1951 day suit was selected to be recreated in dazzle camouflage as Exhibited at Arts University Bournemouth's Exhibition 'The Art of Dazzle and War'.