In this brief we are going to work in a small group to consider our own position(s) within the contexts of graphic design, such as cultural, social, environmental, historical, political, disciplinary, and professional contexts (among others). In these contexts, we will develop a studio-based experiment that explores, deepens, or extends them critically.
In the first week we made a serious visit to rooms 74, 74A, and 76 at the V&A as a small group, noting in particular objects included in Rapid Response Collecting. Here are our responses to the questions in the brief during the research process.
We then chose the Primark trousers from the many objects in the brief as we were all very interested in them. (These trousers are identical to a type made in the Rana Plaza factory by New Wave Bottoms, for Primark. Rana Plaza collapsed in April 2013, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh was the worst ever industrial incident to hit the garment industry. This pair were also manufactured in Bangladesh but at a different factory.)
Based on the research of Pimark trousers, we also started reading from the reading list and we gradually thought about the position of each person.
To further critically interrogate the object we chose in order to explore, deepen and expand our independent position on it, we used the tools of graphic and communication design to investigate the object’s formal properties, like its material, construction, style. Oxford Street is a major and busy shopping street in London, home to a variety of fast fashion brands. We went to Primark, Zara and H&M to do some practical research focusing on black trousers and we found the labels on the trousers interesting, with a lot of direct and indirect information, so we recorded and collected a lot of photographs.