Four

     

FOLLOWING THE CHOICE of an inspiration, a critical part of the design process is the analysis and translation of inspirational images into a concrete design vocabulary so that the next step in the collection development may be taken. Elements such as the colour palette, surface textures, prints and decorative motifs - these are all evidence and interestingly, the result of a critical thought process without which, design becomes mere surface ornamentation.

     

BY COINCIDENCE, as these things tend to happen, I chanced upon the "Sensitivity to Seasons" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of New York City where objects used on a daily basis within a Japanese context were on display. The exhibition had a focus on the Japanese aesthetic's particular sensitivity to changes in seasons and how these eternal rituals reflect the confluence between flux and timelessness.

    THE EXHIBITION spoke to me and upon scrutiny, provided the required visual stimulus for developing decorative motifs that would fit both my inspiration and the colour palette I had established through the use of my inspirational images. I particularly enjoyed the considerable abstract use of reeds, flowers and water to reflect the seasons. There is an interesting similarity between these established visual tools and the sartorial conventions of print, stripe and plaid.

      

WITH THIS IN MIND, the time has come to begin development of surface textures and decorative elements.

Fin.