LUMBAR CARTOGRAPHY / MA

/ / / / View full resolution / / / /

The Japanese word MA can be translated as "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts.The spatial concept is experienced progressively through intervals of spatial designation.

MA is more than simply void: it is a rich space that possesses incalculable energy.

- Years of Japanese Fashion.

The research project was divided into two sections. The first section concentrated on the phenomenon of people’s waists, hips and their bellies – from the viewpoints of fashion, photography, religion, code, experience, behaviour and health. The project involved interviews with three people to explore how much value they attached to their physical experience, their clothes and its fabric. (See Page 7-9: Interview with Woman, Police Officer, Male Medical Student and Denim Sales Woman).

The second part of this project challenged us to recall our earliest memory of our mothers’ fashion behaviour. The most distinct aspect I focused on was the way my mother puffed out her shirts and dresses. It was a way to emphasise her waistline, but at the same time, she pulled the fabric away from her body to distract the attention from her silhouette. This research project resulted as a cartographic photograph of to show various lumbar behaviours.

In collaboration with Joke Robaard.

Concept, photography, product design.