I slept with Peter

With Peter Alexander, that is. The Pyjama King.

Well, I slept with Peter metaphorically speaking, by wearing his incredibly fun PJs. Actually, I did a research project about Peter Alexander for "Intro to Design Research" class. The task was to research a contemporary artist and create A3 poster, reflecting that artist's inspirations in 700 words or more.



The idea for the poster is based on Peter's early inspiration by cream & black spotted pyjamas he picked up in Hong Kong. The poster was folded like a pyjama at a store and wrapped in PA wrapping paper.

Essay
Art has many faces. Critics often disagree on the exact definition of art, but one thing is for certain. If a person creates something new, something that reflects his internal world, and if this something evokes an emotional response in you, then this person is an artist. Peter Alexander is one of those contemporary creators, whose medium of choice is...pyjamas! Born in 1965 in Australia, Peter has given sleepwear a new definition. In 1987 he started a mail-order pyjama business, which in the last 20 years has grown into an international brand with retail stores and celebrity recognition. How does he do it? Where does he find the inspiration to produce successful designs time and time again? The following text explores the magic behind Peter Alexander brand, and delves into what fuels his imagination.

The catalyst to creating pyjama fashion label was a chance trip to Hong Kong that Peter took with his father, when he was a teen. While at Hong Kong, Peter picked up a pair of cream and black spotted pyjamas at a Japanese department store, and he was “struck by how incredibly cute they were”. Years later Peter was looking for a product to market, and he remembered his Hong Kong inspiration. Starting with a small internet mail-order business, Peter has grown into an international brand with standalone stores and a huge fan base. Yet even now, travel remains one of the main sources of inspiration for Peter. Seeing different cultures, patterns and colour combinations feeds his ideas and creativity.

Peter also recognises the supportive power of family and friends. He speaks affectionately of his mother as being his first employee. He loves to recall starting out on his mother’s dining-room table. Now that Peter Alexander is a huge business, Peter’s mum is still a source of creative guidance and inspiration to him. She often comes by the office to look through the latest designs and offer her opinion. For example, Peter started making the popular larger sizes after his mum’s remark that none of the current sizes fit her. Another encouraging hand in Peter’s journey was a friend Aviva, who helped him break into the fashion industry. When Peter started out, he didn’t know how to sew and where to even begin with fabric selection. It was his family and friends who gave him necessary support at that critical time.

Another source of inspiration and ideas for Peter comes in a form of fuzzy fur and wagging tales. In 1997 Peter met Penelope, his “beloved sausage dog”. She soon became the brand mascot, and sausage-dog images frequently make their appearance in pyjama patterns, shopping bags and wrapping paper. Peter often brings his dogs to the office, and he allows his employes to bring their dogs as well. However, Peter has great respect for the animals and he does not see them as fashion accessories. He is hesitant make doggie t-shirts, even though they would certainly be an instant hit. Additionally, his website contains an entire section called “Animal Friends” where he provides information about his dogs and ways of caring for the animals. This year (2009) Peter Alexander joined forces with Katherine Heigl to raise money for dog shelters. In his own words, I “love nothing more then waking up to a big lick on the cheek and believe ‘dogs’ truly are ‘gods’ spelt backwards!”

To Peter, the essence of inspiration is in the world around him. He loves walking down the street and observing how people combine their clothes. He is intrigued by the stories behind the clothing, as he strives to tell a story with each design he makes. A lot of his creativity comes to Peter when he is cozied up in bed. He often sleeps with a notepad next to his pillow to remember those ideas that come between dreaming and waking. Additionally, Peter follows trends in fashion magazines and applies them to his work, but he prefers to infuse them with a sense of humour. When asked about his choice of industry, Peter replied, “I think I just really liked the frivolity of fashion and in a way the stupidness of fashion, the fact that it’s about emotion and fun.” When working on a design, Peter always aims to incorporate an element of play and interaction with a product. One example is a tee dubbed “Air Guitar.” It has a print of a guitar on a front with a velcro detachable guitar handle on a side, so the person can tear it off and play pretend guitar. It is Peter’s belief that work should be play, play should life, and life should be enjoyment. This bright and rich outlook on life is reflected in every piece that Peter creates.

Peter Alexander is a beautiful and unconventional artist. His pyjama designs are full of fun and entertainment, as is his life. He draws inspiration from his family and friends, as well as from his animal companions. He enjoys stimulating adventures of travel, and he is open to exploring new cultures and trends. Peter sees opportunities for inspiration in every moment of the day, be it during his trip to the office or just before he falls asleep. “Peter is a rare breed of creativity and business savvy" and he proudly wears his title of Pyjama King.

References
Alexander, P. 2007. Celebrating 20 Years of Sleeping Around, Melbourne Books, Melbourne, Australia

NineMSN 60 Minutes. 2009. Chat: Peter Alexander (Online)
Available: http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=758956 (accessed August 30, 2009)

Peter Alexander Pyjamas & Clothing (Online)
Available: http://www.fashionreview.com.au/peter-alexander-fashion-designer/ (accessed August 27, 2009)

Peter’s World. 2009 (Online)
Available: http://www.peteralexander.com.au/tem/PA_petersworld.tem (accessed September 3, 2009)

Sydney Morning Herald. 2008. Peter Alexander - The Pyjama Game (Online)
Available: http://media.smh.com.au/executive-style/top-line-living/peter-alexander--the-pyjama-game-318689.html (accessed September 1, 2009)

Semester 3: Introduction to Design Research with Suzanne Keating

Essay: Storytelling in films analysis

Why do people love cinema? Some go to the movies to experience the adventure of distant lands and galaxies otherwise inaccessible to us. Others might seek an emotional journey of living a different life, laughing and crying with the characters of the film. Yet few would say, "I go to the movies because I enjoy the beautiful dolly shots..." It is the talent and achievement of film directors to seamlessly weave together various cinematic techniques to deliver an engaging and memorable story. The viewers are often unaware of "what hit them," and that is the great art of filmmaking.

To further investigate the magic behind the camera I have chosen to analyse three films, which employ a number of filmmaking techniques to deliver their story. During cold winter afternoons my friends and I huddled around a projector screen and watched "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" directed by by Pedro Almodóvar (1990), "Spellbound" by Alfred Hitchcock (1945) and "Ridicule" by Patrice Leconte (1990). The aim of this exercise was to look past the acting and the drama to really understand what makes these films so potent and what could have been done better.

The film that was most successful in my opinion in telling its story was "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" Alfred Hitchcock is well known for being "the master of suspense" and his "Spellbound" is no exception, yet I found Almodóvar's film to be a well-rounded package of romance, humour, adventure and visual stimulation. One of the most dominant filmmaking techniques used in the film was the colour palette selected by the director and the colour grading. Most of the shots are utilising a palette of primary colours red, green and blue. Additionally, the colours are highly saturated and very vibrant. Right at the beginning of the film Almodóvar sets the tone by opening with an extreme close-up of a painting of Christ and Holy Mary predominantly in reds and blues. As the camera zooms out we see fragments of the wall on which the paining is hanging, red to the left of the painting and blue to the right. The scene soon cross-dissolves into another painting in saturated reds and greens of a building where the action will take place.

The colour that is used obscenely frequently in "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" is red. Everything from actor's clothing to furniture, cars, napkins, telephones, even toilet seat are red. Scenes devoid of red alternate with highly saturated red elements that bring energy and live to the film. The viewer is constantly surprised and stimulated by these splashes of red. The story of the film is that of intense love and romance, even if with a twist, and in Western society red is often associated with passion, sexuality and love. Hence, I find the dominant colour selection of red very fitting and supportive of the story. During the group discussion following viewing of the film, we pointed out that perhaps the director used red whenever he wanted to bring our attention to a particular object or space.

The contrast of red, green and blue was not the only contrast apparent in the film. Almodóvar used a number of symbolic contrasts as well to push the already bizarre story to new heights. As mentioned above, the film opens with a painting of Holy Mary (or "Maria" in Spanish), which is a very strong religious symbol. Then, the main character's name is Marina, only one-letter difference. She is a loving and nurturing person, and she is also a junkie and a pornographic star. This combination of being "holy" and selling your body has been used in literature by many classics, such as Dostoevsky in "Crime and Punishment" and Shakespeare in "Pericles." Throughout the film we see many religious icon paintings and images of cross. For example, when Ricky and Marina are crossing the street to go to a pharmacy, there is a glowing sign of a medical cross, but it looks very much like a shining cross on top of a church. Yet, the culmination of this contrast is presented in the scene where Marina is taking a bath and playing with a vibrating scuba diving toy. There is not a hint of shame in sexual pleasure for Marina, only play and joy. The POV of the camera is from Marina's eyes and the scene composition is such that we can see Marina's body with all its intimate parts, the toy and the cross she is wearing. This scene is a visual summary of contrasts within Marina and in life.

Alfred Hitchcock in "Spellbound" has also made use of colour as a method of story telling, even though his film was made in black and white. It was John Ballantine's fear of white, and more specifically black stripes on white, that has created great tension and suspense in the film. Every time John (counterfeit Dr. Edwardes) saw dark stripes on white his face would change, everyone around would pause, the music would become very eerie. The viewer expects something awful to happen. This feeling is heightened by extreme close-ups of threatening objects, such as a sharp blade and John's unseeing disturbed eyes.

The impending horror of seeing white is demonstrated with great intensity in the scene, when Constance and John are staying at Alex's house. John is preparing to shave and he sees white foam on the black hairs of the brush. He becomes very agitated and this is followed by a series of close-up shots of white objects around him: sink, chair, counter, cups. The viewer feels the claustrophobic fear of the character. Then there is a panning shot along the white blanket to Constances' sleeping face. John is breathing hard with the shaving blade bared in his hand. The scene is accompanied by the Hitchcock-style gripping and supernatural music, and the viewer is sitting at the edge of the seat worried for Constance's life. Walking past Constance John goes downstairs and faces Alex, who offers him a glass of white milk. While Alex walks to the kitchen, the POV of the camera is from John's hand. The close-up of the shaving blade fills half of the screen, while Alex's walking figure is in the other half. The camera pans across the room to follow Alex as he walks and then without cuts returns to the hand to show a close-up of the glass of milk and the blade in the same frame. John raises the glass and begins drinking the milk, his eyes are cold and ruthless. The scene concludes with a fantastic extreme close-up shot from inside the glass of white milk drowning Alex's figure. The music creates impending mood. This is the end of the scene, and the viewer is left to draw his or her own conclusions on whether John killed Alex or not, which is another cinematic technique employed.

Hitchcock makes notable use of lighting in "Spellbound." When Constance first meets "Dr. Edwardes" during the dinner at Green Manors, we see a close-up of her face lit from a side as if by sunshine. The light is soft and her face seems to be glowing. This technique notifies the viewer clearly of Constances' enchantment by the newcomer. This technique is repeated when Constance comes up to John's room later that night. We see a mid-shot of Constance with a shallow depth of field, which softens everything around her. The lighting is coming from the right, and there is that same effect of her figure glowing.

There was also a number script techniques utilised in "Spellboud." One of them was ringing of a bell to interrupt the scene and turn the story in a new direction. When "Dr. Edwardes" asks Constance to join him for lunch and she is debating, the phone rings and he has a strange conversation real Dr. Edwardes' secretary. This plants the first seed of doubt in Constances' mind. Then when Constance and John are at the Empire Hotel and she is quizzing him about what happened, the hotel doorbell rings to bring in latest newspapers, which make the duo leave the hotel immediately. And again in Alex's house while Constance and John wait for Alex to return in the company of two men, the phone rings and the conversation introduces Lieutenant Cooley as the lead on Dr. Edwardes' case. These unusual and seamless transitions once again expose Hitchcock's unconventional brilliance as a film director.

The third film, "Ridicule" by Patrice Leconte, was stunning in its elaborate use of sets and costumes to bring to life 18th century France and the court of Versailles. Most court scenes were shot on location at Versailles. The combination of clavichord music, intricate costumes and highly detailed interior environments instantly transport me to the time and place of the film. The colour palette of the court sets is warm and predominantly burgundy and golden-brown. It conveys the mood of luxury and leisure. The warm and soft lighting simulates candles with which the rooms are meant to be lit. The illusion of the decadent French court is completed by the make up and hair styles of the actors. Both men and women have powdered skin, coloured lips and wigs with curls in the style of 18th century.

There are two major environments presented in "Ridicule." One is of the complex and busy Versailles court, described above. The other is the setting of beautiful French countryside, which is in sharp contrast with the court. In the nature scenes the predominant colour is bright green, and the vastness of space is conveyed through long tracking shots of fields and lakes. The two environments reflect the duality in the personality of the main character Le Marquis Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy (Ponceludon). When he is at court his manner is rigid, formal and detached, as is his attire. When Ponceludon is outdoors his face is soft and loose, his clothing consists of plane working pants and a torn shirt. He is simple and open and authentic. The court scenes are generally accompanied by clavichord baroque music, while nature scenes often only employ foley sounds of birds chirping, grass shuffling in the wind and dogs barking in a distance. The court and the countryside present two opposing aspects of the era: the spoiled aristocracy and the hard-working simple people, and Ponceludon has to be a master of both to accomplish his aim.

There was one key aspect of the story in "Ridicule" that was not clear and could have been improved. The story of the film aims to expose the immaturity of the court aristocracy, who often behave like children giving in to peer pressure and bullying the weak. The film opens with a scene of a man urinating on an old Monsieur. This Monsieur called the man Stumblebum at a ball many years ago, and he never forgot the offence. At the end of the film, this same man calls Ponceludon "Marquis des Antipodes" in front of everyone, thus throwing at Ponceludon the same offence that he received years ago. However, it was very hard to deduce that the offender was the same man from the beginning of the film. It was only through group discussion and multiple rewindings that we were able to match the face and make this connection. Perhaps if the man had a memorable feature in his face, like a scar or unusual makeup, the viewer would not be puzzled regarding who this man was and how it all relates to the beginning of the film.

The art of filmmaking requires talent and effort of many professionals to deliver a convincing story. In the analysis of the three films above I investigated the tools and techniques that were used to make these films successful and effective. "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" really stood out because of its use of colour and contrast. "Spellbound" also utilised colour in combination with scene composition, music, lighting and unconventional script techniques. "Ridicule" shined through by it's use of elaborate and believable sets, costumes and makeup, even thought some of the story narrative could have been more direct. All three films were made in different counties and during different filmmaking eras, but they all succeed in bringing the magic of cinema to life.

My favorite quotes

Short and Sweet

• The secret of all effective originality is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships - Leo Burnett
  
• Attractive things work better - Stephen P. Anderson
• The most direct way to influence a decision or perception is through the emotions - Stephen P. Anderson
  
• In advertising everything rhymes so perfectly and profitably - Todd Sampson from Gruen Transfer show
  
• It's not official until it's been on Facebook - Heather Ann Snodgrass
• Failure to learn is the only true failure - Tom Poppendieck
• When it comes to self improvement, tomorrow means never - book about opening the third eye
• You are not in traffic, you ARE the traffic - unknown...
• Ring the bells that still can ring
  Forget your perfect offering
  There is a crack in everything
  That’s how the light gets in.
  Leonard Cohen
• Pare down to the essence, but don't remove the poetry - Leonard Koren
• I love to travel, but hate to arrive. - Albert Einstein
• It takes 20% of the time to complete 80% of the work, and 80% of the time to finish the 20%
  

The Teachings of Don Juan
recorded by Carlos Castaneda

• Power rests on the kind of knowledge on holds. What is the sense of knowing things that are useless?
• I had to be inflexible with myself if I wanted to learn.
• A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war, wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it will live to regret his steps.
• An ally will make you see and understand things about which no human being could possible enlighten you.
• Man lives only to learn. And if he learns it is because that is the nature of his lot, for good or bad.
• You get angry at people when you feel that their acts are important. I don’t feel that way any longer.
• Learning is never what one expects.
• “And what can he do to overcome fear?” “The answer is very simple. He must not run away… He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats.”
• The twilight is the crack between the worlds.
• Anything is one of a million paths [un camino entre cantidades de caminos]. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question… Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long, long paths, but I am not anywhere. My benefactor’s question has meaning now. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
• “I say it is useless to waste your life on one path, especially if that path has no heart.”
“But how do you know when a path has not hear, don Juan?”
“Before you embark on it you ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path.”
“But how will I know whether a path has a heart or not?”
“Anybody would know that. The troubled is nobody asks the question; when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path.”
“How should I proceed to ask the question properly, don Juan?”
“Just ask it.”
“I mean, is there a proper method, so I would not lie to myself and believe the answer is yes when it really is no?”
“Why would you lie?”
“Perhaps because at the moment the path is pleasant and enjoyable.”
“That is nonsense. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”
• He said there were lots of things that could drive a man mad, especially if he did not have the resolution, the purpose, required for learning; but when a man had a clear, unbending intent, feelings were in no way a hindrance, for he was capable of controlling them.
• When a man begins an act there is no way to stop.