See Hydra and Coralline at Cult Couture 2013

I started working on these garments ages ago…  It’s been overwhelming, destructive, creative (obviously) fun and exhausting.  I’m so pleased that Hydra and Coralline were accepted for Cult Couture 2013 part of the Southside Arts Festival (http://www.southside.org.nz/), and is a premier fashion event happening very, very soon.

Hydra, you can read more about here, Hyrda Emerges.

Emerging from a hydrothermal vent, Hydra explores her domain…  Formed by my exploration of hyperbolic undersea organisms, Hydrais a hybrid of deadly plastic and organic motion.

Hydra is also the result of my experiments with plastic Warehouse bags, beginning in 2004. Her structure, both ridged, fragile and free flowing, reflects the varied polyps and coralline organisms that inhabit the hidden undersea world. A world of deadly predators on a microscopic scale, a world that is being infected by human waste, nano particles and degraded plastics.

Coralline, read more about the making of Coralline.

A shimmering fantasy fashioned from post-consumer waste, the fabric used to create this garment is woven out of plastic Foodtown bags, collected in 2004, woven into one continuous piece of material, which will probably outlive the fabric lining of the bodice!

Coralline embodies my love of dress making, celebrating my whakapapa… my mother, and grandmothers, and their creativity.  It is this that has inspired my own journey into dress making, fashion and an obsession with fabulous textiles.

Structurally, it is an homage to two of my favourite designers, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen artists who embodied luxury, excess and the extremely refined and sculpted female silhouette.

Love the artists

Do you know what is really interesting?  Artists and designers must pay to enter garments in this event ($45 per entry) as well as cover all the costs of creating them, that is time, materials, design, experimenting…. and the event organisers make no provision for complementary or even discounted tickets so the designers can attend.  Attend the event that is only possible because they work so hard, for free, and did I mentioned that designers already pay to enter garments?

Is this supporting the arts?  From the outside is looks like Auckland Council is supporting the arts.  But is passing on more cost to the artists supporting the artist?

I think it’s a bit like a book publisher telling their writer they must go to the local bookstore and buy themselves a copy of their own book, or a record company telling a songwriter they need to buy a copy of their album from a record store.  This also helps to perpetuate the idea that artists do not deserve financial support and also devalues them and their cultural contribution to their communities.  Providing tickets to the designers whose work is so essential for arts and cultural events, is one way of showing goodwill and saying, ‘Thank you.  We appreciate you and your work. You are valued’, and is a simple way to show support for artists and designers.

I want Cult Couture to Love the Artists!  Do you?  Let me know x

 

Here are the details Cult Couture, and where to buy tickets:

General Admission event (theatre tiered seating)
All tickets $25 per ticket
Pre-schoolers may sit on ticket buyer’s lap at no charge
Service and Box Office fees will apply.
Venue Box Office Hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm.

Start: 8pm
End: 10.30pm

For wheelchair bookings and enquiries please contact the Box office on (09) 966 1743.

Vodafone Events Centre
770 Great South Road
Manukau City
09 976 7777
ticketing@pacific.org.nz

Entrance: Gate 1 & 2
Parking: Northern Carpark. Pay and Display $4.50. Liquor Ban Zone in all external areas.