Manifesto
Manifesto
-noun, plural –toes.
A public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization.
My manifesto follows from the ideals and concepts proposed for our society, in response to the dire state of the environment, by Vivienne Westwood’s, “Active Resistance to Propaganda”. I pose a subsequent statement, which works along side Westwood’s piece, offering ways of putting theory into practice.
It is my intention that by blurring the boundaries between the arts, as we understand them, culture will be able to exist within society as an active entity. Knowledge will become the universal currency, and its exchange and development will become the prime concern of each individual. This manifesto will force the reader to recognize the decision they must make; learn, develop, and grow as a society, or proceed as a follower of the evolution that other people have planned for them, eventually falling victim to their own ignorance.
I will begin with my observations of culture, steaming from the overwhelming presence of propaganda embedded in the fabric of society.
We have been conditioned to become a society of consumers. This in itself is not necessarily a negative concept; it implies we are provided with a range of products from which we make our choice of what to ‘consume’, thus supporting that designer/brand and the ideology they represent. However this process in contrived by us as the consumer having learned to obediently follow trends and style patterns, dictated to us by marketing companies, instead of employing our personal choice with relation to exerting our buying power.
Everything from product placement in movies, prime time (and otherwise) commercials, and magazine advertisements bombard society with images and material steering us to what we “want to wear/read/eat/drink”.
Essentially, we are instructed how to spend our money.
We are instilled with directives, forced to recognize boundaries dictating the manifestation of our public image from our earliest impressionable age. An understanding of socially acceptable ways to appear, to behave and to generally conduct ourselves becomes innate. Image also becomes a status symbol, a visible way of identifying your standing in society. Conforming to a certain image aesthetic denotes that the individual identifies as that class/culture etc.
Self expression is even contained to a manageable realm.
It is necessary to recognize the prevalence of this social conditioning for us as individuals to be able to make the choice; break out of the mold or conform.
In a culture where so much weight is placed on an individual’s image, or rather the wider interpretation of their image, choosing to disregard, or even experiment with the boundaries curtailing these parameters returns varying results. Equally, the objective of the individual is as subjective. It is no coincidence that all of the terms/labels used to refer to nonconformists are also used in conjunction with less savory members of society; exhibitionists, attention seekers, show off, indiscreet, gaudy, vulgar.
It is clear; conformity is the preferred behavior in society.
Image is an instrumental tool, it acts as an individuals interface with the rest of society. In this way, it has three key functions; drawing attention, directing the viewers attention, and camouflage (blending into the crowd).
When given five seconds in the presence of a person who could have a hugely positive influence of your life, there is very little you could say that would make sufficiently lasting, and favorable, impact. The most powerful tool you could employ is your image. Creating and in turn promoting your individual brand is crucial, this makes you a complete package, not only theoretically unique, but having the ability to convey an air of something different before you even introduce yourself.
The power of individual interface can be used to communicate a message or direct the viewer to a particular cause or issue. This is something often used in situations such as demonstrations or marches, where a large group of people unite physically in one location and visibly in the way the present themselves. Recognizable slogans, symbols or uniforms all add impact to the sight of the group of people, while also giving the individuals a feeling of unity and camaraderie.
By conforming to all the social directives, an individual can successfully blend into the crowd, becoming just another non-descript member of public. This could be used for two obvious and opposing purposes. One, allowing an individual the feeling of “fitting into the norm”, and not drawing attention from others. Two, providing a camouflage for an individual trying to carry out some sort of action unnoticed.
Autonomy has become a rarity in relation to most aspects of image, and this has bred complacency. People no longer consider the impact of what they wear, the readings that it encourages, and/or the message that it conveys. It has become easier to take no responsibility for your image, by wearing the ‘appropriate’ and ‘recommended’ uniform; in other words complying.
However, given the position of extreme economic, environmental and political crisis, our society is now experiencing, we can no longer afford to follow direction blindly.
We must embrace knowledge and experience, because knowledge is the ultimate power.
Difference is the ultimate statement for change and liberation.
A change we must embrace and pursue as individuals.
I promote ownership of image as being the first step in becoming a society who celebrates the presence of culture in all aspects of life. By ownership I mean consciously making choices that directly affect your image. Within this is the understanding that this will evoke different responses from the people that you encounter. It is an acceptance that these responses, whether they are positive or negative, will be an active and encouraged dialogue; enabling an exchange of knowledge, in turn becoming a recognized currency.
The first step is exposing consumers to choice; the opportunity to freely make decisions around their image. This choice should not merely be fashion based, but cultural, enabling the liberation of art from art galleries, films from cinemas etc.
Image becomes a forum for experimentation and exploration.
I am going to enable collaboration between designers and artists by promoting a technology that allows screens to be incorporated into garments tactile enough to maintain the integrity of the garment, but with a high enough resolution to clearly translate an artists work. The key element of this process will be preventing either component detracting from the integrity of the other; they should compliment each other, communicating an intelligent, considered image. The idea being that an artist will exhibit their work in a season/line of clothing instead of inside a gallery. The designer and artist will work together to create the optimum way of showcasing both of their works. For this reason the wearer will be committing to a particular garment and art work, there will not be an option to alter the image within the garment.
I am actively discouraging the disposable attitude prevalent in fashion.
The screen must be an extremely tactile form. The fall of the fabric, and the way in which the garment moves must not be inhibited by the structure of the screen, allowing the designer to create a truly organic form. The use of organic, renewable fibers will be promoted in the construction of the garment. We are battling the destruction of our environment.
Finally, to enable further exchange of information and knowledge, garments will emit an RSS feed downloadable with an iPhone or Blackberry, by people they encounter who want to learn about the designer or artist. This will be in the form of a digital brochure for both the artwork and the fashion line, complete with information about the collaboration and links to their earlier work.
The most important thing about the manifesto is awareness; both of the wearer and in turn of those with whom they interact with in public. Through learning, and making choices based on knowledge of yourself and those around you, your life and experience of society will change.
Eventually our society will change.
Eventually the world, as we have learned to accept it, will change.
