'The Beautiful Ugly' is the second full RTW (ready-to-wear) A/W 2011 collection designed and created by Paulinah N. Eboh-Sampson in which she teamed up with Birmingham based airbrush artist- the amazing 'Dark art airbrushing' to help embody the nature of the collection's admirable creations defaced in a distortion of beauty, with the use of graffiti.
'Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. In modern times paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used grafitti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the propertier's consent is considered defacement, which is a punishable crime.
Sometimes graffiti expresses social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint grafitti styles. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism. Graffiti has evolved into a pop culture existence often related to underground hip hop music, b-boying, and a lifestyle that remains hidden from the general public.
Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials/law enforcement and graffitists who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations- it is a rapidly developing artform whose value is highly contested.'
Taken from Wikipedia.org
For my second collection, I definitely wanted to look at the brand from a different angle and change the dynamics slightly, while holding onto the Dancing Dolls asethtic- which makes the brand what it is: sexy, firlty, vibrant clothes made from luxurious lycra/jersey fabrics.
It is so easy for a line such as Dancing Dolls to only be percieved as a brand of 'pretty' clothes, as the first collection and other Dancing Dolls pieces have been branded.
I wanted to express alot of the other side of my personality in this collection, which can be alittle dark and controvesial.
Whilst, researching I looked at any aspect within the Dolls medium that would allow me to express a darker attitude.
The obvious and possibly the only 'dark' association to dolls is Voodoo and the 'Voodoo doll'."
Voodoo also Vodou is a syncretic religion that originates in the Caribbean country of Haiti. It is based upon a merging of the beliefs and practices of West Africans peoples, with Arawakian religious beliefs, and Roman Catholic Christainity. Voodoo was created by African slaves who were brought to Haiti in the 16th century and still followed their traditional African beliefs, but were forced to convert to the religion of their slavers.
In Haitian Voodoo, there are strong elements from the Congo of Central Africaca and the Igbo and Yoruba of Nigeria,
Voodoo has come to be associated in popular culture with the lore of Satanism, zombies, and "voodoo dolls". While there is evidence of zombie creation, it is a minor phenomenon within rural Haitian culture and NOT a part of the Voodoo religion proper.
 |
| Image taken at The National Slavery museum. Liverpool |
 |
| Art work by Danny @ Dark Art Airbrushing |
 |
| National Slavery museum. Liverpool |
Further adding to the dark reputation of Voodoo were films such as 'The serpent and the Rianbow' 1988 and James Bond 'Live & let die' 1973. Both of which where viewed by myself, for research purposes.
" I took inspiration from the two films, mentioned as well as exploring other dark art forms such as bondage and S&M, which in turn lead me back to the history of Voodoo followers/Haitian people.
This is captured through the use of spikes which not only protray the notion of pins commonly used and associated with voodoo dolls but also, coupled with the chains present subliminal messages of the Slave trade.
The graffiti element, coupled with the distressed raw edged fabrics, studs and spiked adnornents help complete the idea of visually alluring, sabotaged garments.
The dolls are going dark........"
 |
| Its me! Wearing one of the looks from the new collection♥ |
5% from the sale of each garment in this collection will be donated to the 'Help Haiti now' foundation, to aid the earthquake relief fund and other humanitarian work in Haiti http://www.helphaitinow.org/
