Stories without Stories

Bednall, AL and Hall, Tom (2015) Stories without Stories. Polimoda Institute.

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Abstract

We take it for granted that Fashion is real, a tangible and tactile object, to be created and engineered by new and old technologies. Bought and sold, worn and discarded. Commentators on the evolution of Fashion have long argued that it is not merely the garment itself, nor the creation of an elite group of designers, manufacturers or marketers which embodies Fashion but that it is a more contextualized expression of individual identity located within social interaction and social comparison. Stories without stories is a collaborative project between Artist Tom Hall and Fashion Artist/Curator Tony Bednall which proposes to explore this notion further by considering the relationship that individuals have with their garments or their artefacts, taking into account the embedded narrative within individual pieces and the context, whether real or imagined of this relationship. The proposed pieces inhabit their own space, question the nature of fashion as purely adornment and consider the importance of location, situation, experiential activity and memory. Stories without stories proposes to create stand alone objects with missing biographies. A discarded coat, a single shoe, a lipstick, a piece of jewellery, all interconnected yet possibly estranged from an individual owner or disconnected from an entangled social relationship. The large scale objects, constructed from cardboard have the ability to reconstruct, retell and represent an implied narrative. Although implied, the narrative is informed by a site specific location which allows for the act of narrative to occur. The objects collaboratively designed and constructed belong in their own time. They represent a glimpse into the past the present and a connected history. Memory and appearance more importantly than utility is embedded within the pieces which references research in product attachment and how this supports sustainability. Seemingly insignificant and worthless garments or artefacts gain further life through the emotional bonds constructed through location, choice and experience. The audience will encounter the pieces, imagine the missing biography and develop their own narratives.