WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.600 [Music] 00:00:04.800 --> 00:00:06.300 Q: Can you please describe 00:00:06.300 --> 00:00:07.666 embroidered bodies to me and kind of 00:00:07.666 --> 00:00:09.432 give me an idea of what that's about? 00:00:09.433 --> 00:00:11.499 A: Well embroidered bodies discusses 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:12.866 preconceived notions of body 00:00:12.866 --> 00:00:14.466 modification. So it's 00:00:14.466 --> 00:00:16.399 really about taking how people see 00:00:16.400 --> 00:00:18.933 people with tattoos or piercings or 00:00:18.933 --> 00:00:21.733 what not and just making sure people 00:00:21.733 --> 00:00:22.699 understand 00:00:22.700 --> 00:00:24.800 where it comes from, why people do it, 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:26.400 instead of there's a lot of judgment. 00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:28.400 That even today is still happening, 00:00:28.400 --> 00:00:30.866 so the goal with embroider bodies is 00:00:30.866 --> 00:00:32.466 creating art pieces. 00:00:32.466 --> 00:00:34.399 Which kind of make you question how you 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:37.100 see body modification. 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:39.666 Q: All right, so how is it built? Can you 00:00:39.666 --> 00:00:41.432 describe kind of the contents that 00:00:41.433 --> 00:00:42.233 are that are 00:00:42.233 --> 00:00:43.833 that make it up kind of thing - like the 00:00:43.833 --> 00:00:45.599 physical, 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:47.033 because it is embroidering right? So can 00:00:47.033 --> 00:00:48.933 you kind of describe what it's constructed out of? 00:00:48.933 --> 00:00:50.799 A: Well so the bulk of the piece, it's a 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:53.033 four foot embroidered illustration. 00:00:53.033 --> 00:00:56.533 So the way I like to do it is. I take 00:00:56.533 --> 00:00:59.266 vintage fabrics, and I have to develop 00:00:59.266 --> 00:01:00.932 the illustration first and that's plenty 00:01:00.933 --> 00:01:02.699 of steps on its own. 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:04.066 Once you actually get to transfer it 00:01:04.066 --> 00:01:06.532 onto the fabric, it's just a matter of 00:01:06.533 --> 00:01:06.866 like 00:01:06.866 --> 00:01:10.599 hours and hours of stitching. 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:12.400 There's really just a lot of kind of, 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.066 it's more preparatory work that goes 00:01:14.066 --> 00:01:15.899 into it. There's a full semester of just 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:18.466 coming up the design, the color schemes, 00:01:18.466 --> 00:01:20.066 figuring out what composition would be 00:01:20.066 --> 00:01:21.499 the most effective, 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:22.933 and obviously with embroidery it's 00:01:22.933 --> 00:01:25.099 really miniature stitches. It's really 00:01:25.100 --> 00:01:27.333 tiny work and on such a large scale 00:01:27.333 --> 00:01:28.699 there's a bit of a different challenge 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:30.933 with it. So there's a lot of, 00:01:30.933 --> 00:01:32.933 I did the entire design and realized I 00:01:32.933 --> 00:01:34.799 didn't do enough. So I had to go and fill 00:01:34.800 --> 00:01:35.666 it in some more. 00:01:35.666 --> 00:01:39.332 Like 10 different times, until finally it 00:01:39.333 --> 00:01:41.666 actually looks like a full piece now. 00:01:41.666 --> 00:01:44.532 And like with within the project I 00:01:44.533 --> 00:01:45.199 also 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:47.200 decided to create a book as well to go 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:48.633 with it where I interviewed different 00:01:48.633 --> 00:01:50.633 people with body modification 00:01:50.633 --> 00:01:53.033 and you did a photo series that kind of 00:01:53.033 --> 00:01:53.999 brought you through their own 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:58.000 stories. So I'm a bit of an overachiever. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:59.500 I did way more work than I probably 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:02.866 should have, and it's, it's crazy but 00:02:02.866 --> 00:02:04.866 it's really fun. Q: So you mentioned the 00:02:04.866 --> 00:02:06.066 book, 00:02:06.066 --> 00:02:08.466 and so this sounds like a ton of work. 00:02:08.466 --> 00:02:09.999 Did you, started in 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:11.333 in September is that correct? A: Yes, 00:02:11.333 --> 00:02:13.199 I started in September. I actually, 00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:15.666 I technically started last year. I went 00:02:15.666 --> 00:02:17.332 on exchange in England, 00:02:17.333 --> 00:02:18.699 and that's kind of where I came up with 00:02:18.700 --> 00:02:20.700 the idea because my mom taught me how 00:02:20.700 --> 00:02:21.500 to embroider 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:24.000 two years ago, and I was doing it for fun 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:25.433 there and then I was also trying to 00:02:25.433 --> 00:02:27.099 sketch the people around me 00:02:27.100 --> 00:02:28.800 and like I was really fascinated with 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:30.800 all the people with tattoos and I 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:32.000 thought - 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:34.400 the act of piercing the fabric mirrored 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.133 the act of piercing the flesh 00:02:36.133 --> 00:02:38.133 and like wow this is really interesting. 00:02:38.133 --> 00:02:39.433 So I started sketching 00:02:39.433 --> 00:02:41.899 back then. Started in September actually 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:42.800 speaking with a 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.200 professor to come up with the idea and 00:02:45.200 --> 00:02:46.700 then 00:02:46.700 --> 00:02:48.833 it's just been kind of snowballing since 00:02:48.833 --> 00:02:50.533 then. 00:02:50.533 --> 00:02:55.099 Q: So embroidered bodies - 00:02:55.100 --> 00:02:57.266 why is this important in the context of 00:02:57.266 --> 00:02:58.866 mass exodus? 00:02:58.866 --> 00:03:01.032 A: I think it's a different perspective on 00:03:01.033 --> 00:03:04.466 fashion and i think what's important 00:03:04.466 --> 00:03:05.832 about the study of fashion 00:03:05.833 --> 00:03:07.733 is that it's not something people really 00:03:07.733 --> 00:03:09.899 look into very often. 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:13.266 So I think body modification is really 00:03:13.266 --> 00:03:15.032 the roots of where fashion comes from. It 00:03:15.033 --> 00:03:16.866 predates clothing. 00:03:16.866 --> 00:03:19.099 So if we can understand where body 00:03:19.100 --> 00:03:20.866 modification comes from, perhaps we can 00:03:20.866 --> 00:03:21.432 understand 00:03:21.433 --> 00:03:23.199 why the need to express ourselves 00:03:23.200 --> 00:03:25.033 through clothing is so ingrained in 00:03:25.033 --> 00:03:26.133 human culture. 00:03:26.133 --> 00:03:27.666 So I think it's really important to look 00:03:27.666 --> 00:03:29.266 at that from the study of fashion and I 00:03:29.266 --> 00:03:31.199 think it's really important to see 00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:34.300 how the study of fashion can really 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:36.533 affect our study of human culture and 00:03:36.533 --> 00:03:38.466 societies. 00:03:38.466 --> 00:03:39.732 Q: So a lot of people who aren't involved 00:03:39.733 --> 00:03:41.999 in Mass Exodus, kind of maybe 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:44.133 maybe think that it's about the runway 00:03:44.133 --> 00:03:45.599 and everything but you there's actually 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:46.066 a whole 00:03:46.066 --> 00:03:47.899 other exhibit portion to this that if 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:49.266 you're a fashion communication student 00:03:49.266 --> 00:03:50.699 you can actually enter into. 00:03:50.700 --> 00:03:53.833 So in saying that I guess my question 00:03:53.833 --> 00:03:54.799 is 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:58.933 what does Mass Exodus mean to you? 00:03:58.933 --> 00:04:01.499 I think it's an opportunity to one, show 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:02.133 your work 00:04:02.133 --> 00:04:04.399 to a really great broad audience to get 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:06.000 a lot of industry professionals to see 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:07.733 your work and make the contacts 00:04:07.733 --> 00:04:10.399 and I think it's also just for Ryerson 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.900 and the School of Fashion, 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:14.000 it is kind of a big advertising event 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.300 for the school and I think, 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:18.700 when I was in high school I came to the 00:04:18.700 --> 00:04:20.466 show and that was a big decision 00:04:20.466 --> 00:04:22.299 of mine to come to Ryerson and I thought 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:24.633 it was amazing that this huge production 00:04:24.633 --> 00:04:26.233 could happen and I saw the work and I 00:04:26.233 --> 00:04:27.033 remember 00:04:27.033 --> 00:04:28.399 there was a student who did these 00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:31.200 beautiful woodcuts prints 00:04:31.200 --> 00:04:33.833 and when I saw that I'm like I want to 00:04:33.833 --> 00:04:35.333 be, when I get in fourth year I'm going 00:04:35.333 --> 00:04:37.033 to make some sort of giant artwork and 00:04:37.033 --> 00:04:38.299 that's going to be showcased in the 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:39.266 exhibit. 00:04:39.266 --> 00:04:40.866 And that was the reason I came to 00:04:40.866 --> 00:04:42.466 Ryerson so, 00:04:42.466 --> 00:04:44.132 I think, I like the opportunity of being 00:04:44.133 --> 00:04:46.299 able to inspire other people 00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:48.066 and do the same. Q: What's next? 00:04:48.066 --> 00:04:49.899 for you? 00:04:49.900 --> 00:04:52.400 A: I'm going to be going for my master's. I want 00:04:52.400 --> 00:04:54.400 to continue my studies in fashion, 00:04:54.400 --> 00:04:55.900 I want to continue my studies of body 00:04:55.900 --> 00:04:57.600 modification because I really do think 00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:58.933 it's important, 00:04:58.933 --> 00:05:01.199 and I'm going to continue illustrating 00:05:01.200 --> 00:05:03.100 because that's my love. 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:10.133 Thanks for joining us.