Star Wars is Making Me Think

So I've mentioned that I've started a tumblr here and since I've been a bit lazy/don't have a ton of photos of what I'm working on, I've been on it a lot, just posting pictures of things I'm interested in. Which seems to be mostly sci-fi book covers, costumes, and detail shots of historical garments. And tonight I was going through posting Star Wars costumes--I love the original trilogy with all my heart, and as much as I'm not a fan of the recent three, they have fantastically weird costumes.
And something struck me. Because Star Wars nerds are incredibly, well, nerdy, it gave me an opportunity I haven't had with other clothing or costumes. I could see the garment in nearly every context: moving on film, frozen in screen shots, taken out of it's environment in staged character shots, then onto a mannequin in exhibitions shots, and finally, in design sketches. These are all things I've been considering as a 'final' piece to the work I'm doing, so it's interesting to see something laid out like that. I'm going to illustrate it with an Episode 1 outfit, it's not my favorite, but there's a mass of information and pictures.

1) The initial drawing, the concept with no concrete object:



2) A segment of film in which the garment is worn. The garment in motion, in character, moving within the environment it was designed for.


3)Screenshots of said film, the garment is no longer in motion, but still exists within the still photo in an enviroment, and as a character.


4) Backstage photos of garment, the character, and illusory immersion into environment is broken, but garment remains connected to the idea of film and character.


5) Reference photos of actress in garment, environment does not exist, and purpose of garment is unclear, though the viewer may still infer from details of costume/person inhabiting it. Costume becomes costume more clearly.


6) Photo of exhibition of garment. Like backstage picture, the garment is removed from the environment, but connected to the idea of film and the character by prior knowledge. Garment is no longer living on a person, removing the person in it from the idea of the character. Costume becomes display/anthropological.


7) Costume presented as fashion. Removal of the wearer as character, replaced as model. Context of fashion runway removes garment from idea of film, make the wearer more a blank slate than active participant in the presentation of garment.


8) Garment as it's details. Garment's narrative becomes more vague, person or character is not present, garments purpose is unknown.


I'm not pretended I've got it all figured out, but it's inspired new thought on the tricky subject of "Okay, I've made these garments, now what the hell do I do with them, and how do I show them to people"


Pictures of actual work next post, I promise.