Final Statement

My final outcome for my final major project is a demonic themed church hat made out of synthetic hair. The making process was inspired by the making process of a braided straw hat. As I wanted to work with hair for my final piece and through experimentation I found that hair could be quite difficult to work with but when I braided the hair it was easier to manage and create shape. When making straw hats the straw is braided and woven together to form a circular shape therefore I applied the same methods to the hair. This differs from my original project proposal as I did not use the materials I had thought of using, originally I thought I would be using recyclable materials but I wanted to expand onto materials that were more exciting and unpredictable.

I have used my sketchbook to help with the development of my ideas. I found my sketchbook useful as I could look back on research I had collected and try to produce a piece in response to a combination of different research. Also I found my blog useful for personal reflection as I could look at reflections from previous weeks to see if I have developed, and taken my criticisms of my work into account. The more I have learned and developed the better I can explain the methods and the reasoning behind the work.

One of my targets met is the research into demons/Satan. I was more interested in the common interpretations of the appearance of Satan, which I took from the Christian bible. Secondly an important target I added was to incorporate hair into my final piece, this was the target I found most difficult as it is a hard material to work with. Lastly one of my biggest targets was to create a biblical inspired piece of headwear, to which my hat was largely based around.

One large development during my final major project was the decision to use hair as my main material because the material I use affects the outcome of my piece. Because the hat was braided hair it had the potential to be quite floppy and a lot like a sun hat than a church hat but because I made the decision to use glue instead of sewing the braids together like I had previously it managed to hold some shape and maintain sculptural characteristics. Also by not focusing too much on demons and Satan I was able to expand my research into religion as a whole which was a huge development during my research as it helped me in deciding the material to use for the final piece and in the development in the designs.

Advice I received during my final major project I found useful as it provided another viewpoint on my project a piece of advice I received for example was to decide on my material and then experiment before I come up with my design because the material can shape the design and the kind of hat I make. Also to experiment with hair is it may be difficult to make a whole hat from hair and if the hair does not work to make sure I have knowledge of alternative materials to use for example buckram. Another piece of advice I received was to go hat shopping to look at the materials hats were made of and find out why people wear hats to church, this was useful advice because find this out opened a path for a new understanding of church hats and church on a whole.
If I could change my approach, I would try out a variety of materials and not decide too early on the material as It would have been beneficial for my own development to expand my range in terms of media, however I think I did develop as I used a material I did not think I would use effectively. I think I have improved on my time management as I did not get too occupied with doing research, I had time to experiment and make my final piece.  I think the development in my ability to time manage is something that I will carry on developing when I move onto my future studies.

FMP:Church Hat Photography

In preparation for the photography I researched churches In Islington as this area has much historical significance, I discovered a church called st. marks church in Myddleton square, this church was built in 1825 after George IV prompted for more churches due to a growth in London's population. St. Marks church still has most of its original Gothic features despite being bombed during world war two. I had found a model to wear my hat and on the day of the shoot we were able to take photos outside the church, but the people in authority of the church we're skeptical about us doing a photo shoot inside the church and i did not have the time to find another, therefore we could only take a few inside the church. If i was to do this again i would try and find a church two weeks before and make sure to find one that were okay with photography inside the church and make sure i have multiple churches to pick from.

Braided Hat: Making Process.

I begun making my hat from braids. Firstly i made the top of the hat and the brim from card and covered it it cellophane. Next I brushed out the black hair i had bought from a shop called Paks located in finsbury park and then braided it, as the braids were not very large in terms of girth the braids were very long and reached lengths of about 20 meters. I made two braids that were later glued in a circular wave onto the card covered in cellophane which acted as a template and allowed the glue to dry, which set the braids into the mold of the template. When the hair was lifted from the mold it slopped a little but kept the overall shape of the hat and felt lighter than anticipated. However when the hat was held to the light you could see light shinning through some cracks. I thought the light shining through was effective but undermined the church hat theme, so I added some fabric used for lining hats to the bottom of it which prevented most of the light from showing through. Keeping in mind the previous experiment where i sewed large braids together I was cautious to make sure the braids were not too big and heavy however It could have been that i had many the braids too small and i should have made them a medium size.

Hat Making Experiments

While looking at hat making processes i came across straw hats. To make straw hats the straw must be braided and then is woven or glued together. I used the same technique with hair, i bought large amounts of hair and braided it then i sewed it together using a bowl as a 3d template. I think it worked quite well as it ,managed to keep the shape and i think the pattern in the middle looked very technical. However although i liked the design the process was far too time consuming to make within the time i had set aside to make it. Also the base of the had was quite heavy considering it was not the full size of the actual hat it was smaller. Perhaps this was due to the size of the braids.



Authors own photo (2014) Braided hat.