Overview and Process — Danielle Rippengill

Patterns of Drag
Overview and Process

My interests within the 1980s drag queen scene in America and RuPaul has prompted this experimental project enquiry. Drag to me has always been dangerous, political, vibrant, bold, gender bending and a form of art which I have always supported. This project aims to investigate shape and pattern creation through my own interpretations using a TV series called RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show has 11 seasons and presents up to 14 drag queens battling against one another to win the title and crown, but for the purpose of this project I will be concentrating on just one season and the top 4 drag queens only. Each week the queens walk the runway with a brand new look depending on the category, this is where I will take inspiration for each shape and pattern created. I will strip down their outfits finding shapes and patterns whilst exploring everything they wear.

What inspires me from the ballroom and club scenes that existed in the 1980s were the colours, the music, the array of people, the families they created and most of all how hard they fought to live their lives the way they wanted. They dared to be different and didn’t want to fit in, they took gender and challenged the boundaries of what people expected. I want this project to be big and bold and reflect these aspects that inspired me and lead me to look further into the drag scene. I want to try and change peoples opinions and perceptions on drag and present my own interpretations through the use of patterns for people to view.

The first part of this project will involve taking screen shots from each episode in season 6 of the top 4 drag queens and RuPaul on the runway and entrance looks. This will capture the outfits they wear, from their clothes to their accessories, anything from head to toe could be used to create shapes which will form the pattern swatches. Once each runway look has been transformed into a pattern, they will under go various experiments which will naturally lead onto the next experiment taking the project on its journey. For this project I will be taking a new approach and not be creating predetermined outcomes which I have previously done on projects, this project will push me to embrace the journey, take chances and explore all possibilities. The experiments however will investigate how movement and transformation combined with my own interpretations can be developed using shapes from each swatch and the patterns in full.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is an ever growing popular show that now has a large fan base and huge following across the world. Drag queens are still unaccepted by some people and misunderstood, this project also aims to bridge the gap and start a conversation by presenting drag in a different, unexpected art form for people to re-consider and give drag a second chance.