Susie Beame - Surreal Supper Club & Surreal Wearable Objects

Surrealism to me is something completely new and different, dreamlike, nothing barred and something even obscure, absurd - anything goes!

After a lot of research, so many choices and of a bunch of ideals, I decided I had to start somewhere, try a few things and hope that these ideas develop and form a life of its own!

Supper Club

- Jazz/Comedy/Theatre Restaurant/Live Music/

Private Functions (Great Surrealist Ball)

Theme - Retro Funhouse

Influences - Salavador Dali, Miro, John Galliano, circus, puzzles, weirdos, Ripleys Believe it or Not, Dr Seuss, Rocky Horror Picture Show, eery 50's Funhouse, Luna Park

Colours - red, green, purple, yellow, orange, black, sky blue, strong, striking colours but slightly antique, eery, dark - retro. Also black & white checks

Possible Names - "The Clock", "Retro Funhouse", "The Maze", "Side Show", "Curiosity Show", "Shocked"

Exterior features - odd shapes, oblique shapes, odd shape windows, 2 levels with rooftop garden

Interior features -

Ground floor to have an interesting entry and  has dim light dining and a bar.  The floors black & white checks, on the walls alot of clocks, alot of doors and more doors.  Odd shaped windows. The stairs to the upper floor are melting into the lower floor and that wall is melting.  Melting tables and odd chairs.  (Maybe too much melting, we will see!).  I would like to include a faceless mannequin as a lamp.

Upstairs level to include a large bar, a stage with heavy blood red velvet curtains, some space infront of the stage for a dance floor, intimate tables & chairs. This upstairs level opening onto a rooftop garden with a maze and lots coloured lights/laterns.

Lighting downstairs mostly green and lighting upstairs mostly red.

Misc - Retro board games like Monolopy, Scrabble, Backgammon, Chess etc. available downstairs for after 12pm fun with friends.  A Retro Pin ball machine upstairs. Side show alley clown games, Carousel horse ride

To be continued...

Surreal Wearable Objects

Many ideas, but what to do?

I love John Galliano.

I have also made a huge collection of curious little old and new objects I thought could possibly be used (some not all) - buttons, feathers, lace, cotton reels, cutlery, coins, keys, ribbon, safety pins etc.

Possibilities...

1. Headpiece made of old vinyl record singles, spray painted red or yellow

- a pendant of a few curious objects, a dice, a button, a coin etc., spray painted with lace over and hung on a black ribbon 

2. Headpiece/hat made of a very large plastic bowl as a oversized hat with various curious objects arranged/layered, lace veil attached

- Matching bracelets made of cutlery

3. Large lamp shade headpiece with lace veil and painted and decorated in a slightly odd way!

- Matching earrings made of coloured light globes

Face painting/Makeup

- Cabaret style

- Pale, almost white foundation

- strong strips of colours and silvery glittery heavy eyeshadow

- extra long jet black eyelashes

- blood red lips

- beauty spot

- blush circles, maybe

SURREALIST DAY NIGHT CLUB

Surrealism to me is a concoction of random things put together to evoke a question of thought and a sense of amusement.

After coming up with an idea for my costume I was then thinking about what could do for my nightclub, as I wanted it to be a similar theme but keep it random. I wanted it to be 2 levels but I wanted the top level to be ground level and the bottom level to be a more of a basement level so that when people walk in its more of a “wow” this is bigger than I thought. Was also think of having like a water feature (pool/fountain) in the middle of the room and having a ramp going down stairs under the pool. I wanted the pool to be a fluorescent blue with lighting or something and there to be almost a highlight green somewhere else. I also want to use discordant colours to create an unusual feel.

For upstairs flooring the use of see-through material so you can see downstairs, to make people actually feel like they are dancing on a roof.

The only thing I had thought of for lighting was for the downstairs area. Having cats as seats upstairs with plastic wiring coming out of their feet that intertwine and create a sort of chandelier. First of all I was thinking upside down candles that had and immense amount of fire to keep them a light but then realised that may not be so safe. For upstairs I am still not sure about lighting.

I want upstairs to be more of a bar and then they pay to get downstairs which is where the nightclub would be where all the dancing and so on happens. But there will be one bar upstairs and one downstairs so that people are able to buy drinks in both areas without to much hassle.

I have also thought about the theatre thing and I am still not sure will I should turn one half of the upstairs into live entertainment and the other half being the bar area. As I’m not sure whether that would be enough space but it would attract a broader amount of customers.

As to my idea as I feel it is to be random so it will come together as one as my ideas are.

SURREALIST COSTUME

Well for my ball I thought it could be an animal’s fancy headdress party, so people have to wear a mask of some sort of animal (I originally thought of African animals such as tigers, giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions, etc). The influence of the animal can then influence the style and colouring of which the headdress is addressed. Which lead to further development, that the club could hand out the masks for people to wear and it could be one animal so that people all look the same which provokes more of a surrealistic feel of uncertainty, also bringing in a colour code. I found an image of a zebra mask on the internet, which then reminded me there was suppose to be a little black dress to be made that maybe that’s the animal that I should go with. Also thinking that black and white was fairly boring but could present that a make an overly colourful nightclub.

Surreal Costume

The biggest problem I am having concerning this brief at the moment is that there are too many options, too many great designs to draw inspiration from.
It would be nice to stay with the proposed theme of my club and go with a feminine, sculptural, garden-like headdress.


It would be a lot more fun, though, to go with something darker, perhaps more masculine. I am really drawn to this image.


It's quite scary, but I think it would be fun to do. I would like to develop the surreal elements of it further, maybe attaching something to the top of the mask as well.

I like the creepiness of these two images.

Surreal Interior

The vision for my multi-leveled club begins with inspiration from two sources; the surreal 'Garden of Eden' surroundings of Cloudland and the dark, seamy atmosphere of the Moloko Vellocet, as seen in the 1971 Kubrick film "A Clockwork Orange".


My initial ideas for the layout includes a large ground floor space, consisting of bar area and a dance floor that is dropped down one step. Downstairs, in the basement, you will find a dark, private room with curtained off bed/lounges, a wall for film projections and a small bar.
I will, perhaps, separate the levels according to the "looks"; the ground floor based on the 'Eden' theme, with a slide back roof top to bring the outside in, and the basement concentrating on setting the dark mood of the Moloko Vellocet.


I also like the 60's inspired sculptural light fittings and the use of mirrored walls to expand a space beyond it's limits.

SEARCH FOR INSPIRATION >>>>>

I've been delighted so far with the images of imagination and originality that ive come in my research. I'm still searching for my own personal inspiration for these assignments but at the moment i am most definitely drawn by the idea of bright colour and a real dreamy, out-of-this-world design. I'm thinking really out there, i really enjoyed that MAC makeup advert we watched in class and i'd love to find my own piece of that similar style. something with a story. and I'm on THE PROWL TO FIND IT!

Dali's imagination is amazing. That's what i love about surrealism; the way you are provoked to sink into the story and let your imagination flow beyond reality.

IDEAS To Be updated on following blog...

(hope everyone is well :) )

Thermador or mornay?

Bronson, love the concept keep developing it to go uber surreal . here's a couple of images to wet the appetite. look what's hiding under those white gloves. look what's under the tophat! no wonder they're poking out there tongues! . have a surreal holiday. stay elegant.