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  • Servo2000
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2006
    • 2183

    Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



    This is going to be sort of a broad topic, since I'm not quite sure where I'm going yet, but here's a brief summary:</p>

    For my AP Art portolio, I need to assemble a series of pieces based on a common theme. At the moment, I have a swirling of aesthetic ideas, designs, concepts and literature that I'm slowly tangling into an unorganized, loosely connected ball, of which eventually I am going to organize a paper or writing piece to include a series of pieces loosely based primarily on ideas I've culled from my interests in Fashion, in Nihilism as the modern youth's "philosophy of death," and a myriad of other concepts that I'm start to tie together. I'll paraphrase what I have (more or less) so far (I can't find my notes, so this is neither an attempt to be comprehensive or well written), and is mostly an attempt to get across the ideas / the "gist" of what I'm working towards.</p>

    First, the essential death of a meta-narrative for most modern youth leads to a "nihilistic" outlook on life, less founded on actual philosophical education than on a simple lack of a belief structure. Modern communications and the moving away from tradition means of information distribution (phrase stolen from Fuuma!) has led to a massive splintering of interest and context for Youth culture, and as adult co-opting and paranoia, as well as geography and the aforementioned change in communication/information destroys most local unifiers (the music "scenes" and so on). Ultimately, among many not interested in accepting lesser, and arguably more pointless goals, (such as "make as much money as possible"), schooling and ambition becomes irrelevant and the only diversion becomes interest in drugs, alcohol and sexual encounters. Nihilism has been a topic widely written on, and widely discussed, by many famous authors, such as Turgenev and Kafka. However, these authors do not offer solutions to this problem, and Kafka himself rarely escapes from the grasp of the misery largely inherent in Nihilism. Instead, I will look to the idea(s) presented by Hemingway, whose works are, in my opinion, the most important literary works in regards to living life in a time with no meta-narrative and no belief structure.
    </p>

    (references / information are a letter from a teenager on the topic to a newspaper, discussion with / my professors thesis on Nihilism, Turgenev / Kafka / Hemingway as well, obviously. As soon as I find my notes I'll get the quotes / citations up.)</p>

    My goal is to offer a new ideal or at least a means of living that does not necessarily require either through fashion / design / unifying youth culture. Raf Simons work becomes notable here in the manner that it examines Youth's Culture and its context in the world, but it does not attempt to give it a meaning or reason, merely observes and constructs, largely. Taking ideas from Raf, I'm looking to examine recent youth "movements," most notably the American Surf Movement (at it's very beginning) as giving meaning to the youth in an existential and aesthetic context, and attempt to apply their ideals and goals to a new youth "movement" based on uniting behind post-modern ideals and modern aesthetic ideals.
    </p>

    Anyway, that's most of it. I haven't gotten some of the ideas worked out, may remove some, may add some, etc... </p>

    I thought I'd put it up here to see if anyone has any thoughts, and, most importantly, any books that may relate to the subject. So far, I'm looking at ordering: Raf Simons Redux as well as The Fourth Sex (anyone know if there would be anything useful in these? Pictures are nice, but articles are better), Gilles Lipovetsky's The Empire of Fashion: Dressing Modern Democracy, Francesco Bonami and other's Uniform: Order and Disorder.</p>

    So far, the ideas I've presented are fairly static, so I'm examing Uniforms, the context of clothing in modern society (especially amongst youth), and so on... to try and find more directions to examine or take.</p>

    </p>


    </p>
    WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)
  • Servo2000
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2006
    • 2183

    #2
    Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

    On a side note, the entire thing can also have the qualifier "or something." This is still very much in the formative phase, so this could go anywhere or nowhere, depending on input or things I stumble upon in the process. The whole thing sounds so ridiculously academic and contrived at the moment ([i]edit: as well as full of spelling mistakes and typos. Good lord. Sorry about that).
    WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

    Comment

    • laika
      moderator
      • Sep 2006
      • 3787

      #3
      Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



      Servo, you are one remarkable high school student....this sounds far more interesting than most people's dissertations. [:O]
      </p>

      I highly recommend Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style

      </p>

      It's a social/cultural/semiotic reading of punk, which is the
      first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the words "youth" and
      "nihilism." It's a small book and a pretty fun read too--an excellent tool for "reading" style and fashion as a system of signs. If you are going to look at more recent youth movements, I think this is a must, for background at the very least.
      </p>

      I would really like to see your notes and hear more, because it's a bit confusing how all these bits connect--Hemingway, Raf, uniforms, American Surf Movement (?), etc. I can't tell which of these are your sources and which of them are objects you will be using/examing. Basically, can you articulate more clearly the connection between your first paragraph (where you talk about literature) and your "goal" paragraph? Ideally in a single sentence? This always helps me when I am trying to work out a big knot of references and ideas.</p>

      BTW, on uniforms (absolutely fascinating topic): I recently saw a book by Paul Fussell called Uniforms: Why we are what we wear....might be interesting to check it out.
      </p>
      ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

      Comment

      • Seventh
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2006
        • 270

        #4
        Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



        Hey Servo,
        Interesting topic. Are you looking specifically at nihilism in current youth culture (ie. new technology, internet, etc being a central issue)? Or are you looking at nihilism among youths over history (trying to discern consistent themes, etc.)?

        Uniforms and disenfranchised youth make me think of the skinheads--not sure if this is where your going, but there are a fair number of interesting psychological studies on skins and violence from in the '80s. There is always norwegian black metal!

        I'd like to help, but the currently the topic is broad.

        How is Hemingway a nihilist? I am curious because that isn't how I would necessarily have thought of him.</p>

        </p>

        EDIT: I second Laika's recommendation of Hebdige, excelent starter.
        </p>

        Comment

        • Servo2000
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2006
          • 2183

          #5
          Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

          [quote user="laika"]

          Servo, you are one remarkable high school student....this sounds far more interesting than most people's dissertations. [:O]
          </P>

          I highly recommend Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style

          </P>

          It's a social/cultural/semiotic reading of punk, which is the
          first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the words "youth" and
          "nihilism." It's a small book and a pretty fun read too--an excellent tool for "reading" style and fashion as a system of signs. If you are going to look at more recent youth movements, I think this is a must, for background at the very least.
          </P>

          I would really like to see your notes and hear more, because it's a bit confusing how all these bits connect--Hemingway, Raf, uniforms, American Surf Movement (?), etc. I can't tell which of these are your sources and which of them are objects you will be using/examing. Basically, can you articulate more clearly the connection between your first paragraph (where you talk about literature) and your "goal" paragraph? Ideally in a single sentence? This always helps me when I am trying to work out a big knot of references and ideas.</P>

          BTW, on uniforms (absolutely fascinating topic): I recently saw a book by Paul Fussell called Uniforms: Why we are what we wear....might be interesting to check it out.
          </P>[/quote]<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Thank you for the suggestions Laika. I'm sorry it's all so unorganized, maybe I can try to clear it up a little bit. Many of the people I'm citing so far are largely "ideas" that I'm pulling from, either aesthetically or conceptually. For instance, from Raf, it's a little bit of both.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>As an example, from a summary written for The Fourth Sex: Adolescent Extremes:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>
          <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">If we consider the male, female and homosexual as the first, second and third sex, the fourth sex might be that of adolescents. But adolescence is above all a sexually undefined state. Teenagers are not little boys or little girls, and they are not yet men or women. They are part of a parallel, fluid universe in a state of becoming. They belong decisively to the present, but in symbolic terms they are the seeds of the future. Adolescence is also a state of mind, an existential condition with a powerful impact on lifestyles and trends ... They often give form to their world and their culture in an aggressive manner, but at the same time they are forced to come to grips with the labels, judgments and formulae of adults. Their behaviour patterns are constantly monitored because they represent a decisive segment of the strategy of consumption. Fashion pays particularly close attention to the teenage universe both as a source of inspiration and as a crucial consumer segment, while contemporary art probes, exploits and analyses the myth of the eternal adolescent.
          </SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">The most important distinction to me here is that adolescents are, and should be, detached from adults and their environments. This "state of mind" that they refer to, that of a desire to "give form to their world and their culture in an aggressive manner," results from in my opinion the state of nihilism: tirelessly searching for meaning and human connection where their is no overall meaning. They resort to "modern" (and by modern I mean within perhaps the last century), and very "existential" means of giving meaning to their world: virtual "extremes" consume their lives. This results in stereotypes and groups: skinheads, the original group of californian surfers, the first youth "uniforms." I believe it is the state of nihilism that began to appear in modern conciousness as a result of the scientific world view and the beginning of nihilisms appearance in modern literature (Kafka, Turgenev, Hemingway et all) in the late 1800s, early 1900s that resulted in this. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons represents the manner in which this plays out the best to me: the youth are the quickest always to reject old ideals and accept new ones, and in modern times to reject the past dominance of unfettered ritual as well as religion, they turn to nihilism. Often times, without even knowing what nihilism is, the youth arrive at this conclusion. </SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">(I should mention here that my professor showed me an absolutely fascinating letter from a largely "uneducated," at least in philosophy, teenager who wrote in response to an article on teen suicide in modern times: he asserted that it was his belief that it was due to a lack of things to "believe" in, resulting in, as I mentioned before, a turn to nothing but base consumption and a rejection of everything around them. This to me is the damage of nihilism, but they did not know it's name, but they found similiar conclusions none-the-less. I'll have to try and find it!). </SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">In Fathers and Sons, Bazarov's "redemption" against Nihilism comes through "love:" the issue as the letter asserts, and as I would argue, is that most adolescents have never known true love, nor are they interested in other modern methods of living their lives, as I mentioned before, the quintessentially modern and capitalist goal: get as much money as possible. The result is, that like Bazarov, they live their lives at extremes, although constantly appearing to be largely passive, and indulge in base enjoyments: women, alcohol, etc... and in the end: they are alone.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">This is the problem. The solution, to me, appears in those momentary respites that I mentioned earlier: music scenes, the "surf" scene, and so on. The "Surf Scene" is in particular interest to me as a Californian and in the manner that it completely and utterly rejected almost all forms of culture in its beginnings: the quintessential "beach bums," as well as the first to travel to Hawaii, would often sleep and live on the beach, surf all day, associate only with one another and was often fiercely territorial against outsiders: the ultimate unifying group. Existentially, "surfing" is in itself one of the greatest liberations in the manner that it is entirely about the here, the now, and the appreciation of that notion. Aesthetically, as most "groups" are, they were unified in the aesthetics of the anti-fashion and the unity of their dress being opposed to everyone elses.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">Now, in an extremely modern sense, perhaps in the last decade or so, I would argue that there have been few to no important "groups" into which the youth could find these "extremes" to hold Nihilism at bay. There are 10,000 small ones that largely only tentatively connect, but ultimately there is next to no "community," giving no larger context to actions and dress. There are the "punks" that still remain, but they have no "punks" to be with: their statement falls on deaf ears, their aesthetics are ignored. This is the problem.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">My goal is to try and find some sort of post-modern or even post-post modern (hahaha!) ideal or context for this generation, and create it in such a way that it can chance and be applicable to the next generation, and the next. I hope to define basic aesthetic ideas and lifestyle suggestions, for fashion, design, and the way that people interact in the world, inspired by the scientific world view and existential ideas put forth by the "poets" of nihilism (most importantly, Hemingway, and The Sun Also Rises) which shows the effects of this Nihilism and the manner in which Jake "deals" with his injuries and disbelief as a result of World War I as a member of the "expatriate" or the "lost" generation. What I am working on now, and looking for more literature on, is specifics on how I might design this post-modern youth manifesto: how have uniforms more specifically affected those in the past, how have fashions effected culture and the cultures that created the fashions themselves, how have movements born and died and inspired aesthetics: a broad range of topics, in others words, and not solely limited to those just listed. My aesthetic ideals are largely my own: as well, I look to other designers such as Raf to discover how I may push these designs into something which may play the role that "fashion" has in youth-uniforms of the past: to create a unified struggle against a static outfit, but within the boundaries of the youth subculture (something along the lines of the way that "Punk" uniforms went many ways, and yet are still all very much "punk"). I'm looking for ideas on creating unity across divisions: can we bring together the splintered youth for a common philosophical cause, not inspired by music or other more tangible ideals? As well, to have the entire thing shift and change as time goes on, I'm interested in the way that modern social networking works as a means to create a "youth" network which will allow input on the platitudes of the movement, so that they will not remain static either. </SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">Right now, the goal is terribly broad, and I hope that with more reading and further exploration of these subjects I can expand or contract the thing where necessary.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">Well, that wasn't too long, now was it? Haha.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">Hope that answered some questions.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>
          WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

          Comment

          • laika
            moderator
            • Sep 2006
            • 3787

            #6
            Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



            Ok, that helps a lot. I need to read it over a few times before I respond more thoroughly, but I definitely have some thoughts...will try to write them up this evening. Absolutely agree that it needs to be contracted--you have lots of possibilities here, just need to pick one and follow it through.
            </p>

            Have you read Deleuze on surfing? It might make for an interesting metaphorical dimension. </p>

            more later!</p>
            ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

            Comment

            • Faust
              kitsch killer
              • Sep 2006
              • 37852

              #7
              Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



              Servo, I also agree that unless you are going to write a book, you need to narrow it down.</p>

              Couple of questions to spur you into thinking.</p>

              1. Does rejecting metanarratives necessarily amount to nihilism? If you look at writers like Camus - it does not. I would be careful with the existentialists (and I think The Sun Also Rises is an existentialist book) - they did not deny systems of moral responsibility, they just shifted it from society onto the individual. I did not read Fathers and Sons (I know, shame on me, being Russian and all), but I am thoroughly familiar with Kafka, and I would say you'd also need to be careful there. He thoroughly described his horror of "the system," but he for the most part accepted his lot. His resistance was passive - all of his heroes become victims of the system - even when they try to go along with it, they don't rebel. However, along the lines of nihilism and suicide - take a look at The Hunger Artist - it is an absolutely brilliant short story.
              </p>

              2. Does not accepting "the system" come from it being so terrible, or does it result from a teenager's narcissism? You might want to look at Christopher Lasch's book The Culture of Narcissism - it is a very different perspective. Basically, he says that we have become just a bunch of adult babies who cannot suck it up and keep plowing. Therefore, things such as organized political resistance, healthy love relationships, and parent/child relationships are disintegrating.
              </p>

              3. The splintering into many subgroups may be a reaction against capitalistm co-opting youth culture for its gains, not a sign of nihilism. Maybe it's a good thing - this way the corporations have to work much harder in order to define how to target consumers. Naomi Klein's No Logo might help you there.</p>

              4. (related to 3). What has become of all these subcultures? They have been co-opted by the capitalists - willingly! Tony Hawk, CBGB, Che Guevara - these are brands, living and dead. Even Rage Against the Machine has re-united to play at Coachella (COME ON!). You might want to think about whether there is still left genuineness of purpose in the subculture, or whether they get created in the hope of turning an easy profit (cough, indie rock, cough). I think that today the meaningful life can only be conducted on an individual level, because subcultures have lost their authenticity. I have to take a look at Julia Chresteva's writing for that (she gave a lecture on that subject at my school, but I didn't go, so I don't know which of her books she referenced).</p>

              5. What happens to all these adolescents when they grow up and they have to pay rent? Do they "lay down their nihilistic arms" and get corporate jobs? Do they kill themselves? We live in a different times, when being a Bohemian is next to impossible. There is no more Soho in London, Greenwich Village in NYC, San Francisco - those days are gone. Does thinking about this enter into your thesis, or do you want to concentrate on the adolescent period in itself?</p>

              These are some possible critical questions someone might ask you. I hope that helps. As you narrow it down I may ask/suggest more things. Excellent start though - totally agree with Laika, you are much smarter than an average (and above average) HS student.
              </p>
              Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

              StyleZeitgeist Magazine

              Comment

              • Servo2000
                Senior Member
                • Oct 2006
                • 2183

                #8
                Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

                I'll consider those, Faust, thanks for the critical responses. <DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I already ordered The Culture of Narcissism, it seemed that it would rather apply to my discussion.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Only succint response I'd like to give at the moment, without more thought, is to #5: essentially, I want to concentrate on the adolescent period itself. I think there's been enough writing on the significance of the period to development and so on, but since the end goal of this is to inform artwork and designs, I find the aesthetics of adolescene the most interesting at the moment. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>On a side note, I feel I should mention the context of this for me is more along the lines of learning how to pull together sources like this, think ideas out in a new manner, and how to assemble them into a final product. Even if it never ends up in this stage, the goal is more or less still accomplished for me: more reading, more practice, more ideas. The designs and artwork will come regardless, from this direction or otherwise, but what's most interesting to me at the moment is the process of conceptualizing ideas as well as giving background to my pieces.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Anyway, I'll work on the responses, as well as get on finding some new material. It might be quite some time before this thread is revived again after Laika responds, if no one else does. I have quite a bit of reading to do!</DIV>
                WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                Comment

                • Servo2000
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2006
                  • 2183

                  #9
                  Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

                  This is an interesting quote, from The Open Boat, that may perhaps shed some light on both the attitude that intrigues me, and perhaps even the narcissim that seems to result:<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>"<SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;">When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples. Any visible expression of nature would surely be pelleted with his jeers.</SPAN></DIV>

                  <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;"> Then, if there be no tangible thing to hoot he feels, perhaps, the desire to confront a personification and indulge in pleas, bowed to one knee, and with hands supplicant, saying: "Yes, but I love myself."</SPAN></P>

                  <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;"> A high cold star on a winter's night is the word he feels that she says to him. Thereafter he knows the pathos of his situation."</SPAN></P>

                  It reminds me somewhat of this image from the gallery for "The Fourth Sex:"</P>

                  </P>

                  <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></P>
                  WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                  Comment

                  • laika
                    moderator
                    • Sep 2006
                    • 3787

                    #10
                    Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



                    Still working on my thoughts...I am a slow thinker....
                    </p>

                    But I wanted to say, that I think you posting this kind of stuff ^, (the quotes alongside the images), is really productive, both for thinking and conversation. I would keep it up, if I were you; just make this thread a place to keep your notes, in dialectic fashion. Regardless of response, it's a good way to keep track of your ideas, and I know many of us will enjoy reading them.</p>

                    Also, what is the nature of the art work that will accompany this theoretical-conceptual stuff? I don't even know what medium(s) you work in...
                    </p>
                    ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

                    Comment

                    • Servo2000
                      Senior Member
                      • Oct 2006
                      • 2183

                      #11
                      Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

                      [quote user="laika"]

                      Still working on my thoughts...I am a slow thinker....
                      </P>

                      But I wanted to say, that I think you posting this kind of stuff ^, (the quotes alongside the images), is really productive, both for thinking and conversation. I would keep it up, if I were you; just make this thread a place to keep your notes, in dialectic fashion. Regardless of response, it's a good way to keep track of your ideas, and I know many of us will enjoy reading them.</P>

                      Also, what is the nature of the art work that will accompany this theoretical-conceptual stuff? I don't even know what medium(s) you work in...
                      </P>[/quote]<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">As far as mediums go, it's more or less whatever takes my interest. I'm a fairly dedicated figure-artist, probably spending upwards of five hours a week on average drawing the human body under fairly rigourously "classic" conditions. I'm doing studies from Hogarth's Dynamic Anatonomy at the moment (hardly classical, but still useful. I hate his drawing style, but some of his shorthand is quite useful for quick sketch and my first lay ins, and the man's knowledge of anatomy was admirable. A friend of my fathers, as well). Other than that, I paint, design, whatever. Most recently I've been doing design studies of Russian Constructivism and the forms of De Stijil, which may apply in that manner that they place "<SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">...</SPAN><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">emphasis on simple colors and forms to create a universal style and culture." </SPAN>I just have that quote sitting here, I'm not sure where it's from. I feel like it's from a review of an exhibit, of all things! That quote applies to many movements, I'm sure, but it's just the one I have here in front of me.<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>At the moment I'm working on a few pieces, but overall I'm still working on a base "aesthetic" that I can work my first presentation around: perhaps finding an artistic movement to associate my thoughts with and then twisting them for my purposes. At the moment, it's looking like there's going to be quite a bit of basic geometry (de stijil coming through, perhaps) in the design work, perhaps juxtaposed with pictures or images that represent portions of the ultimate "manifesto." I've been considering cannibalizing famous images and then breaking them down to the simply extremes by which they should be understood: "yes" or "no." I've been discussing this with one of my professors that I was for a time considering using triangles as a repeating motif: "filled" triangles to cover unimportant images, triangles with an absent center to allow the "meaning" of the images to show through. I'm thinking that the triangle may function somewhat in the manner that Dali's The Eye in the manner in which it views, except that by "closing" the eye on certain images the extremes are, and should be, filtered.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Hopefully, once I've ascertained the boundaries of the "manifesto" I can apply the designs and art to the objects that fall within it's boundaries: be it fashion designs or architecture, I am not yet certain. I'm always looking for more things to try, so it will certainly be a great multitude of mediums, but the unifying aspects: which aesthetic elements of youth to include or remove, movements to imitate or destroy, I am not yet certain. The most difficult element so far has been trying to think of a manner to give the images a means to be expanded upon freely by others, to create a basis for an aesthetic "striving" which will hopefully inform all of the works! The "striving" element, to me, is nearly the most important: the goal of the "manifesto" is to create a doctrine upon which others build but never complete. Too many ideas, I am sorry...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I believe that the design elements will be greatly influenced by the work on uniforms, to get one thing down.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Do not worry about thinking slowly, Laika. None of us are in any great hurry!</DIV></SPAN></DIV>
                      WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                      Comment

                      • laika
                        moderator
                        • Sep 2006
                        • 3787

                        #12
                        Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

                        How's it going, Servo? Give us an update. [:P]
                        ...I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.

                        Comment

                        • Fuuma
                          Senior Member
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 4050

                          #13
                          Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



                          Damn I missed that, Servo if yu're still looking for comments I'll try to contribute something.</P>
                          <P mce_keep="true"></P>


                          You should look at some of the romantic writers of yore think, young Werther, they had some elements of pre-nihilism in there.</P>
                          Selling CCP, Harnden, Raf, Rick etc.
                          http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...me-other-stuff

                          Comment

                          • Faust
                            kitsch killer
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 37852

                            #14
                            Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion

                            [quote user="Fuuma"]

                            Damn I missed that, Servo if yu're still looking for comments I'll try to contribute something.</p>
                            <p mce_keep="true"></p>


                            You should look at some of the romantic writers of yore think, young Werther, they had some elements of pre-nihilism in there.</p>

                            [/quote]</p>

                            Brilliant suggestion.</p>
                            Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                            Comment

                            • Servo2000
                              Senior Member
                              • Oct 2006
                              • 2183

                              #15
                              Re: Nihilism, Youth, and Fashion



                              Haven't had much to any time to work on it since last I posted: I've gotten a little reading done, but junior year at this point in highschool is nothing but finals, APs, SATs / ACTs and I'm completely swamped. I'll add that to what is becoming a rather extensive reading list, Fuuma, thank-you for the suggestion.</p>

                              Reviving this thread has rather reminded me that I need to get back to work on this, perhaps I'll devote some portions of the time I would usually spend on my figure drawing to get back into it, schools over soon... but I'll be gone for nearly all of the summer as well.
                              </p>
                              WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

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