Constructions of Femininity

My art show/installation Constructions of Femininity at loop Gallery opens on Saturday, May 26, 2012. Work on this project has been underway for more than a year, and has happened in fits and spurts as I've juggled a myriad of research papers, speaking engagements and other things. It has been one of the busiest years of my life and at times I've wondered why I took on so much. I didn't know how I would juggle it all and I've been tempted to walk away this opportunity more than once, but my biggest fan and supporter, my husband, believed that I could do it and would not let me quit.

Constructions of Femininity is an exploration of the artifice of feminine dress and identity. This work juxtaposes the extreme silhouettes of 18th century dress with the armour of the modern day hockey warrior and was inspired by young women hockey players who have redefined femininity to include feats of courage, strength, and power. Hockey equipment has been transformed with feminine signifiers of ribbon, sequins and beading paired with silhouettes such as a romantic tutu or panier made out of armour-like mesh.

Women of Armour

Women of Armour 3 (Work in Progress) by Ingrid Mida 2011

Sometimes inspiration comes when I least expect it. While doing research into Victorian equestrienne dress this past winter, I came across images of women playing hockey, mountaineering and playing tennis all while attired in cumbersome long skirts, sometimes even with crinolines. I admired the spirit of these courageous women who forged ahead with sport, finding pleasure in movement and play.  I began to contemplate the modern incarnation of such pioneers - young women who play hockey.

With full hockey equipment on, sometimes it is hard to tell that there is a girl or woman underneath and a  glimpse of a ponytail might be the only clue. After chatting with two young women who just happen to be talented hockey goalies, I was astonished by how much these girls love the game. Girls and women don't play hockey with dreams of a professional career. They play hockey for the sense of accomplishment they get from being on a team and for the adrenaline rush of the game. Their femininity is not in question here. They can be girls and hockey players!

I wanted to celebrate the spirit of the young women and girls who play hockey and am working on an art installation for my next show at Loop Gallery (May 2012). In the photo above, you can see an early work in progress from this series Women of Armour. (If you look closely, you can just barely see where the light catches the rows of sequins that I've begun to sew onto the pads, making it into an object of exquisite beauty and femininity.) The hockey padding has become the dress bodice and a mesh crinoline serves as the skirt, demonstrating how far we have come along the road to embracing our power as women.

In the exhibition, I also hope to include a series of photographs of young women hockey players, capturing the beauty of these powerful and gifted athletes. But first I need to find some! If you know any Toronto-based women hockey players who would allow me to photograph them or any women hockey players (from anywhere in the world) who would tell me more about their passion for the game, please forward this post to them along with my email fashionismymuse@gmail.com.

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All text and images on this blog are the copyright of Ingrid Mida, unless otherwise noted. The copying of posts, images and/or text without proper attribution is violation of copyright and legal action will be pursued.

Rodarte: States of Matter at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

Suspended like butterflies caught in mid-flight, the breath-taking creations of the Kate and Laura Mulleavy of the Rodarte label are presented as sculptures in an exhibition that opened on Friday at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.  Rodarte: States of Matter includes selections from the designers White Collection (Fall 2010), Black Collection from Spring 2010,  Red Collection (2008) as well as the Odile/Black Swan tutus worn in the movie The Black Swan directed by Darren Araanofsky.

The Mulleavy sisters are known for their unconventional choice of materials like gauze or cotton cheesecloth as well as their process oriented design involving burning, stretching, weaving, and dying before garment assembly. Their creations under the Rodarte label present a mix of hard/soft and ugly/beautiful elements.

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

This exhibition at the MOCA Pacific Design Centre in West Hollywood was designed by runway producer Alexandre de Betak, who is also a long-time collaborator with the Mulleavys. Each garment sits on a poured resign mannequin form which is largely invisible to the viewer but creates the illusion of a body. Suspended by wires from the ceiling, the dresses and tutus have a haunting presence. Several of the tutus also spin gently giving the illusion of a ghost ballerina doing pirouettes.

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

On the second level gallery, a light installation adds another level of interest as the gowns are suspended over layers of fluorescent tubes that change in colour and intensity in a looped light show that goes from soft and pretty to hard and flashy. This is particularly effective for the grouping of gowns from the Red Collection that includes the bloodied tutu from the final scene in the Black Swan when the entire display takes on a blood-red countenance. But the light show is distracting for visitors that simply want to appreciate the sculptural qualities of the garments because the sequencing is so rapid and the cycle so short that it feels like there are only seconds to get a proper look under normal lighting conditions. And I sort of wished that there was music (perhaps the music from Swan Lake) to hide the loud fan and the clicking noises of the light show.

Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011

Being able to see these gowns up close made the trek out to this gallery worth the effort. It almost seemed as if the Rodarte gowns were made by fairy sprites as there are no visible seams or points of attachment. Ethereal in their beauty, they are truly works of art.

Rodarte: States of Matter
March 4, 2011 to June 5, 2011
Museum of Contemporary Art, Pacific Design Centre
West Hollywood, California

Photos of Rodarte installation by Autumn de Wilde from the MOCA website

My LA Debut

When Toronto design guru Christopher Wood told me that he wanted to showcase my work in his chic King West furniture store, it was like winning the lottery. Christopher has impeccable taste and I feel like this month's IT-GIRL with an installation in one of Toronto's uber-chic furniture stores, LA Design!

In the window of LA Design is my sculpture What Lies Beneath, a recreation of an 18th century chemise, corset and panier created out of window mesh. This sculpture allows the viewer to see the layers and supporting substructure to an 18th century gown. (A big thank you goes to Dale Peers at Seneca College Fashion Resource Centre for loaning me the appropriate shaped mannequin for this project!).

The layers of undergarments worn in the 18th century created a protective barrier between one's body and the world. The panier in this sculpture spans nearly four feet at the base making it awkward to move as I found out when I tried on the outfit. As well, I gained an appreciation for why 18th century women needed help to dress! (I photographed myself wearing my creations and showed these self-portraits to Christopher who thought them worthy of being blown up life-size a la Cindy Sherman. That's my next project! In the meantime, here is a documentation photo of the dress.) 

What Lies Beneath

18th Century Chemise, Corset and Panier in Mesh

Copyright of Ingrid Mida 2010

Also in the store is my Balenciaga-inspired dress which I created for the Fly Gallery installation in January 2010. If you missed that, this is your chance to see this sculpture in person which won me the Underdog Achievement Award for 2010 from Toronto Art Critic and New Media Artist Otino Corsano.

And finally, Christopher gave his stamp of approval to my Revolutionary Fashion series on toile and my paper corset series which are also on display.

I invite you to visit LA Design to see my work and check out the stylish furniture, lighting and home accessories on display. I'll keep you posted as to future events at the store related to my work.

LA Design
788 King Street West
(2 blocks west of Bathurst on the north side underneath Art Metropole)
Toronto, Ontario
416-363-4470
www.livingartsdesign.com