Calligraphic Practice by Tacit Knowledge between Imagination and Realization in Garment-Making

Abstract

Making is a realization of the maker’s imagination. From imagination to realization there can be gaps in thought and the reality. Knowledge, both explicit and tacit, is necessary for carrying out the making. This article originated from autoethnographic writing about my failed calligraphic practice carried out on a garment by imitating a calligrapher’s movement. Failure resulted from misjudging my skill, i.e., from unawareness of my lack of tacit knowledge. Because tacit knowledge can be involved at the imagination stage of the garment-making process, a maker has no precise notion of how much he or she knows before performing the required actions. This article attempts to explain a maker’s personal journey of producing a garment, and to find the characteristics of tacit knowledge as imagination for garment-making. Research methods include autoethnography, filming, and the theory of tacit knowledge.

Keywords:

• garment-making
• tacit knowledge
• imagination
• autoethnography
• making movement

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

Notes

Notes

1 From the definition of “realization”: “the making or being made real of something imagined, planned, etc.” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/realization).

2 See https://www.designboom.com/art/pablo-picassos-light-drawings-from-1949/

3 Watching my filmed self was interesting, though having to face an unfamiliar version of myself (i.e., one not mediated by a mirror) was uncomfortable. I firstly realized that making garments involves a significant amount of movement of arms and fingers. I also noticed that I keep touching and stroking the fabric surface, as if reading Braille, to check the front side and the lengthwise grain of the fabric. During the stand-work my hands are continuously occupied with holding and manipulating the fabric, marking it, and pinning it onto the dummy. I was taken aback by the significance of the hands and touch in my making. I only realized at this point that when I see fabric in a shop I feel as if I am touching it.

4 After toile, fitting is performed to check the design and fit, including cut, fabric, method of manufacture, shape, and size. If not satisfactory for both the idea and the body, the pattern is changed.

5 The wearer also makes a difference; body type, figure, etc. Even wearing involves the imagination, from choosing a garment to actually wearing it. Thus, the gap between imagination and realization occurs for the designer or maker as well as the wearer, who does not know what a garment will look like until it is worn.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hye Eun Kim

Hye Eun Kim studied for her MA at London College of Fashion and PhD at the Royal College of Art in the UK. She is a designer, researcher, and assistant professor in the Department of Fashion Design at Dong-Eui University in South Korea. Her work has been exhibited internationally including in China, France, Italy, South Korea, and the UK. Her main interest is fabric and its changes through garment making and wearing in material culture from an anthropological viewpoint. She has published several articles in international and Korean journals relating to these issues. Her research article “The Wearing Process as a Rite of Passage” was published in Textile 17 (1): 100–109. doi:10.1080/14759756.2018.1545347. [email protected], [email protected]