Daniela Hermann: 60 Days to Graduation 2017

Daniela Hermann: "My project “Embodied” is inspired by the intimate act of undressing.  I would like to raise attention to the overseen act of getting undressed, as one barely thinks about the actual process of changing clothing, however rather about the being dressed status or what to dress. By exploring how the body is revealed when clothes are discarded, the project occupies an ambiguous space between body and garment asking the question whether garments can become body. Because clothes do not simply conceal the body; they also alter it through manipulation.

I have experimented with fabric manipulation to imitate skin but also to give the visual impression of deformations, bruises and stretch marks. One of my materials is latex which works well because of its tactile and visual resemblance to skin and also for its malleability. The material is ideal for playing with perceptions of what is clothing and what is skin. Rather than buying latex from a shop, I am producing it myself by using different casts in order to better control and manipulate the tactility and overall outcome of the material. 

Knit is also important for the project and I am experimenting with copper wire that my father uses in his work as an electrical engineer. Some pieces will be made of loosely knitted copper wire to break up the impression of the ‘air-tight’ latex.

I just started my patterns yesterday, so it is a crucial time. I am trying to keep the lineup and silhouettes a little open to allow for spontaneity further in the process. 

I am driven by UN Goal 5 with regard to Poverty bringing out clothing as a basic need. The daily process of changing clothing is as understood as eating and drinking for people living in industrialized countries. This is also as they are living in a surplus supply of clothing. However, there are still inconceivably many people living in extreme poverty that do not have access to clean and suitable clothes. They would usually wear their clothes until they fall apart. By using knitwear made of leftover copper wire from my father, I shall set an example that through reusing disused materials one can easily find ways to create clothes to help people in need."