Reading Rei Kawakubo's Works Focusing on the Concept of the "Body Without Organs" from the Perspective of Gilles Deleuze

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PH. D Student in Art Research, Faculty of Art, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of philosophy of art, Hamedan branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran, Corresponding Author.

Abstract

Throughout human history, clothing has always been influenced by social and cultural aspects in addition to individual aspects and has had different functions. In such a way that we should "forget the usefulness of goods for eating and drinking and think about those clothes are suitable for thinking and consider them as non-verbal media for human creativity." In the last decades of the twentieth century, profound changes in the concept of art and the aesthetic structure emerge, which are accompanied by the formation of artistic movements. 
After the 1960s, the form and content of the work of art and its relationship to man and nature were challenged. In fact, the most important feature of the art of this century was its experimental aspect, which originated from a strong and growing desire for innovation and a great fascination with new phenomena. Contrary to the expectations and habits of the audience, the artist seeks to create works that surprise and immerse the viewer, and this is where the creation of the work is completed with the participation of the viewer's mind. In the meantime, there are artists who have seen the ability of the human body and its postures more than any other tool to communicate with the audience of appropriate works of art. Non-functional clothing design is emerging as one of the effective ways of artistic expression in this period. The artist manifests his desired concepts by combining clothes with the characteristics of visual arts, human states and traits, body movements and sometimes acting abilities. The main purpose of these clothes is not to cover the body, but to show traits, feelings and thoughts.
Among the few costume designers working in this field of meaning, special attention can be paid to Rei Kawakubo's creations. A postmodern artist who blurs all the boundaries. As much as she used architecture and conceptual art to create her works, she has also benefited from the effects of the "Body Without Organs". Alexander McQueen once said of her work:" When you look at her collections, at first it seems strange and unusual, not only for the public but also for the professionals. But, when you see someone challenging themselves like this and presenting new things every season, then you realize that it is the presence of such people that keeps the fashion world alive and does not allow it to lose its freshness and newness ". Leading European designers Victor and Rolf have also spoken about her:" We were 12 and 13 years old when we first met Cam Garsons in the 1980s, and this brand had a profound effect on us. The creativity that Kawakubo presents in her work was something that attracted us to fashion and we owe her a lot".
Jill Deleuze, who invites man to creativity in all fields and forbids any representation in return, believes: “The realization of art is not presented and received by the state of the perceiving subject, rather, art must present a set of emotions or the pure existence of emotions”. From Deleuze's point of view, the body is trapped under the body. Unstable organs are trapped under the organization of fixed organs. Postmodern works of art in the contemporary world have true characteristics and meanings. Moreover, theoretical studies and the use of the perspective of modern philosophers can answer many ambiguities and hypotheses related to these works and why they were created. Among them, paying attention to the views of the French post-structuralist philosopher Gilles Deleuze as one of the prominent postmodern philosophers can lead to a correct interpretation and judgment of the works of these artists.
The present study emphasizes Deleuze's views to examine some of the creations of Rei Kawakubo, the well-known postmodern costume designer concentrating on the concept of the "Body without Organs" and using a descriptive method to describe the characteristics of clothing. (It must be mentioned that the method of data collection is done using documentary and library studies and clothing images are optionally selected). Regarding the background of this research, it should be noted that although some studies have been conducted in the field of studying Kawakobo’s designs based on Deleuze's idea, they are not completely independent and focused on this concept. In general, the findings of these studies include these topics. The first part tries to rely on Deleuze's views, in particular, the concept of the "Body Without Organs", which is the intersection of libido forces on the one hand and external and social forces on the other and the interaction of these forces that create the shape of the body and its specific qualities and its use in a different context such as clothing design. It has realized the existential philosophy of art, which is the transmission of the feeling of the object as it is felt, not as it is known, and has increased the ability to understand the complexities and difficulties that enhance our perception.
Among the pioneering designers, Rei Kawakubo has been selected since in her collections one can clearly see the obvious desire of deviation from meaning, harsh and contradictory details, deconstruction, and the creation of a new language of expression. Furthermore, a few of her designs in accordance with Deleuze's philosophical reading from the author's point of view are examined. She tries to present a concept of a human being or a human body that is asexual, a body without organs and gender, without an inner, internal structure, there is no fundamental underlying coherence or concept that is not in conflict with the organs but in the organization of the organs, and it is the ratio of forces that creates the body that is not dead. In all her works, the clothes somehow meet our state between potential and reality and evoke a state of vitality and dynamism in the mind of the spectator. In her designs, we can understand the concept of a body with an indeterminate organ that is constantly in the process of being influenced by forces, the pressure of the surrounding space and their constant experience.
 

Keywords

References

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