Inevitably, the above designer influences also will help to gain insight into my subject matter on how to aesthetically portray a nostalgic vision. More specifically, as aforementioned, looking into Freud's stages of psychosexual development as a cultural and historical reference can help gain insight into the subject matter. I could specifically look into the 5 stages of development; oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital as inspiration for a fashion story, with case study evidence such as Freud's research into 'Little Han's phobia'. I could also look at the historical debates that have arisen due to Freud's theories with conflicting arguments like Erikson's 'Eight ages of Man', and so, suggesting 'the nostalgic battleground'. Indeed, many claim that what Freud claims is possibly wrong because by nature psychoanalysis cannot be proven.
Furthermore, other cultural reference include research into childhood experience itself, such as by 'The Centre of Disease Control'. The studies conducted in 1998 and 2008 evidence the negative effects of childhood and adulthood, inferring the effects of a contrary childhood. This study gives useful insight into possible stories to portray as part of the promotion of 'The nostalgic Battleground'.
Other cultural references that could help to gain insight into the subject matter could be references from 'The Museum of Childhood'. The current exhibitions could perform as useful insight into my subject matter; the 'Small Stories' exhibition looking into doll's houses visualising childhood nostalgia, and comparatively, the 'Hidden Identities Unfinished' exhibition looks into effects of troubled childhood experience in Bosnia and Romania and how this experience has perhaps resulted in a future 'nostalgic battleground' for the child.
Artists that can be looked into to gain night could include Sarah Denis, acting as aesthetic illustration inspiration to present the whimsical fantasies of childhood. More significantly, Tim Walker's work transports the viewer right back to childhood through his photoshoot 'dreamtime' (Teddy Jamieson) fantasies. Walker having had a positive pastoral childhood in Dorset, reflects childhood positively in his work, indeed Walker said "I think there are aspects of being a child that are too good to lose as you grow up. And I think that being a photographer allows me to still look at things with wonder. It's a total high I get."
In contrast other artists, such as Tim Burton portray a more disturbed version of childhood juxtaposing gothic and childhood imagery. Burton's childhood experience of the character Vincent Price stuck to him through adulthood, inspiring his dark characters. Furthermore, Burton as a child was also inspired by Disney films such as 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', which unite both the dark fantasy of witch and princess together - giving useful insight into the influence of what one reads and watches that determines their character. Such juxtaposition can be evidenced in films like 'The Corpse Bride' and 'Alice and Wonderland', where a romanticised story is twisted into something visually dark.
Looking specifically into Fashion Editorial work by Adriano B. for 'Fucking Young' magazine, it also displayed possible dark and twisted realities of childhood. Placing childhood imagery onto adult body, reflects the fixation of childhood experience on adulthood, and displays it not necessarily as positive due to the dark colours and lighting used. Thus, Adriano B. gives useful insight into how to portray the different childhood experiences.
A common theme occurring across the artistic, design, historical and cultural references is escapism. Such escapism can be given insight through children's books such as Roal Dahl's novels, Winnie the Witch series to books like the Rainbow Fish. These could be used as aesthetic inspiration, and research into how the childhood more care free brain works. Indeed, Roal Dahl's work was largely inspired by his childhood experience at boarding school, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which was inspired by his involvement in testing in the Cadburys Factory. However, Dahl's work is slightly macabre in nature, reflecting the long lasting effects of his childhood in adulthood. Indeed, his childhood was dark, His father and sister died when he was just 3 years old and was sent to boarding school, a period he wrote about later in his book Boy a 'grotesque glimpse into (his) early life' (www.roalddahl.com). Other writers also offer insight into the effects of childhood on adulthood, such as Dicken's 'Great Expectations', a bildungsroman, showing the effects of being brought up 'by hand' on adulthood - a dark reflection of peasant life, reflecting that of Dicken's own.
Therefore, all the above artistic, design, historical and cultural references offer insight into the 'the nostalgic battleground' offering both contextual and aesthetic insight.
