Fashion and Language – Final Presentation
For your final assignment, you will give a presentation to the class on a meaningful object for a particular culture and its recuperation into ‘mainstream’ fashion. During the course of your research, you should locate one image of a culturally meaningful object that has been incorporated into ‘mainstream’ fashion (this can be an ad campaign/advertisement/fashion photo/editorial spread, etc.). In your presentation, you will give us the cultural history of the object and the way its original meaning has been changed through its recuperation into mainstream fashion.
Think about the following questions when conducting your research and preparing your presentation
– What is the meaning of the object within its originating culture? Has its meaning changed over time?
– How does the fashion image reconfigure the meaning of the object for its own objectives? How does this new meaning align with the ‘original’ meaning?
– Is this an appropriate change in meaning, or an inappropriate one? Back up your assertion with relevant class materials and quotes from the readings.
You should make reference to at least one reading from Weeks 9 through 13, including one direct quote at minimum. You may use more than one quote, and you may use other readings as well.
Your presentation should be between 8 and 10 minutes long. Be sure to practice and time yourself as we will be adhering to strict time limits.
You will be graded on how well you meet the following criteria:
– A brief but detailed summary of your particular object and its cultural history
– A clear explanation of the object’s revised meaning in the selected image
– Explicit reference to relevant readings and thoughts formulated in class discussion
– At least one quote from class readings, cited and explained with reference to your topic
– A clear visual presentation with your image and supporting images and quotes
– Clear presentation and evidence of original creative research
