End of FMP reflection

So now it has come to the end of my FMP, and I am pleased with what I have achieved. My work is very different to how I had planned it at the beginning, but I'm glad, as I can see now that my original idea was a lot weaker than the final one. I do still like the original idea and the depth of it, and without it I could not have got to where I am today, but I do not think it would have turned out as well as my final idea has.

The basis of my idea has been pretty much the same throughout this project, I wanted to make a corset at the start and I have ended up making a corset, however the themes behind it have evolved. My original work was to have a theme of love and loss, of opening yourself up to pain, and my final work has themes of body image and achieving "body perfection". I also have changed the title from "Intrinsic Outsider" to "Bound by Beauty", as I felt the original title did not well represent the final outcome, yet I still wanted an interesting title with some depth and relevance. I re-named my project "Bound by Beauty" as this makes reference to binding a corset, and suggests you are forced to look a certain way to be beautiful.

I think the themes behind my work are very current and relevant to now, and I would hope that people who view my work will leave with a new perspective on how they view theirs and others bodies. I hope that the theme of my work is fairly obvious from looking at my exhibition, but not so much that it's in your face, I want people to have to think.

In my exhibition I have included photographs of Emma modelling my corset in various positions / situations, so you can really see how the corset and accessories would restrict movement. In the photos, Emma looks quite doll-like, which works well with the theme of false perfection. While taking the photos I asked Emma to stand in certain positions or do certain things, which was difficult as her movement was greatly restricted by the lacing around her arms. This made the photos look like she was forced or in pain, as she was trying to do things as she would normally but couldn't. I obviously made sure she wasn't un pain, however she did comment that it was uncomfortable in the garment, yet also comfy too as she could relax and the corset would hold her body up straight and the neck corset would do the same. Emma has quite a haunting look on her face in certain photos where she is looking straight at the camera, which I think is very powerful as it's like she is looking right at the person who is viewing the exhibition.