Anna Lee
Bachelor of Design
Hard Candy
In my interpretation of the project Subversive Botanics, I aim to reinterpret the intriguing aesthetics and audacious personality of the Russian kustar-esque export textiles, with colour and textural elements of boiled lollies and accentuating the animalistic forms of my chosen botanic species. Altogether, they will be used to present the deliciously seductive appearance of the botanics, yet one is not too sure if they are good to eat, as they may bite back. This piece is primarily inspired by the bold, brightly decorated Russian textiles that were developed for the central Asian bazaars, which combined traditionally Western floral motifs and rendering style, with the strangely vibrant colours and enormously scaled patterns to suit the central Asian fashions. The textiles created from this period were characteristically unique in its combination of seemingly incongruous elements that appeared to be competing with each other on the plane, fashioning the designs to have high visual impact and dynamism. The concept of boiled lollies stems from my initial inspiration from the highly saturated frames of the flashback scenes of Jeux d’enfants, old pastel beetle cars, theme song from the movie Up, and the song La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf, all of which reflected the sense of nostalgia and pleasure found in not just beauty and innocence, but also in the unabashed sensual freedom. Thus, my piece will be like a sensual assault: investigating the juxtaposition of very captivating elements that both appeal to the senses to stir your appetite, but repel your favour not only because such elements sit inharmoniously together, but also the flowers themselves look like they have an equal taste for you.