Final Piece

 For my narrative and sequence module, we are looking at artists books, and how they can be presented. I've decided for my final piece to make an artist book in the shape of a fan, because I'm interested in historical society, particularly the Georgian and Victorian eras, and fans were an important tool for the higher class, because there was a hidden language in them.

  

 

In the 18th century, fans were a common fashion accompaniment. They could be made from very expensive ivory and silk to cheap wood and paper. Most were around 10 to 12 inches long, and had some general characteristics: 3 images/scenes, curly floral decorations; and sticks with some space in between. 

 

The language of the fan became an important part of a lady's expression and body language, commonplace at dinner parties, balls and social gatherings, as they could send messages across a room without saying a word. Here are some of the signals and what they mean:

• Touching right cheek – yes
• Touching left cheek – no
• Twirling in left hand – we are watched
• Twirling in right hand – I love another
• Fanning slowly – I am married
• Fanning quickly – I am engaged
• Open and shut – you are cruel
• Open wide – wait for me
• Presented shut – do you love me?
• With handle to lip – Kiss me
• In right hand in front of face – Follow me
• Drawing across the cheek – I love you
• Placing on left ear – I wish to get rid of you

 

 Firstly, I started off by making some simple paper fans, following an origami tutorial. It was fairly easy, but it works better with a thinner paper so you can get a more precise fold.

 

 

 

 

I then looked at different types of hand fans. The most common folding fans are the ones shown above, but there was also the brisé fan, a type of fan that doesn't have the decorative paper or silk pleated to the sticks. You can still portray an image across multiple sticks though, or carve ornate patterns into each one, especially if they're ivory.

 

      

 

 

I'm figuring out the mechanisms of the fan by trying to make my own sticks and attaching them at the base. I did this maquette with card and paper, whilst it looks better than the constantina folded fan, it was flimsy and didn't open and close very well.

 

 

Another attempt, this time using a split pin as the fan hinge, and with cloth from the scrap store instead. This one moved a bit better, but is still stiff, so I'm getting a consultation with the fabrication department to get help with making the fan sticks.

 

I had a quick look at different fashion periods from early to late 19th century. I decided to base these fans off the Regency time period the early 1800s.

 

 

 These are some storyboards for the vignettes.

 

 

 

After having a tutorial, and thinking about the feasibility of creating 3 wooden fans, i've decided to slightly change the outcome look, and make 3 fans out of card. This still keeps with the time period because regency era people would have dance cards at parties, and they were often shaped like fans. These shapes also give me more room to add drawings and patterns.

 

 

I also decided to just have one vignette per fan, as this gives me more room to draw the emotions and patterns of the dancing

For the two brackets either side of the fan I'm going to laser cut these floral designs. These flowers are also specific to this time period as they're floriography, a popular Victorian communication system through flower arrangements. 

 

 

I also managed to visit the V&A museum in London,  and had a close up look at some fans and dresses from the regency era. I love how how simple and elegant the long, Grecian style dresses look. And how pretty the fans are as an accessory

 

       

 

 

   

 

                

 

I’m now starting to put together the fan blades in Photoshop and adobe illustrator. This quick mock-up hopefully shows what it will look like assembled
 

 

 

Here's the finished drawings on Photoshop ready to be printed. The 3 animals, butterflies, hares and cardinals, represent nervousness, the chase and loss. For the first fan I included the ladies hand reaching out, the middle fan, two hands clasped together in dance, and the last one the gentleman's hand pulling away. I also included a pattern on the back of the fans of their feet walking separately and dancing together. For this I looked at dance maps of the waltz. The musical notes are also from one of mozarts' pieces.

 

 

These are the final fans for my narrative and sequence module. I laser cut, etched, and painted the wooden brackets and laser cut each fan blade. To hold it together, I realized that the 1cm diameter hole was too big for screws with the 5mm length I wanted, and after a lot of looking on websites for special made screws, I got the idea to use screw in ear stretchers. They were the perfect length for the fan and I could choose the exact gauge I needed. The ones I bought also had pretty diamonds which I think add to the fanciness of the fans.