RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Carnivora, my undergraduate thesis collection, explores the human tendency to desire, devour, and possess, and the taboo that surrounds women who do so without apology. The word carnivora, the name of a scientific order of mammals, derives from the Latin carō, meaning “flesh” and vorāre, meaning “to devour”. I was inspired by carnivorous plants and predatory animals, as well as b-movie femme fatales with a thirst, often quite literally, for blood. This collection is a rejection of traditional gender roles, encouraging women to relish their ability to wield power. It is also a reaction to a view of powerful women seen quite often in the history of the western world: “If…woman evades the rules of society, she returns to nature and to the demon” (Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex).
I used the mindmapping process to organize my research, design philosophy, muses, aesthetics, and other inspirations. The mindmap then served as a springboard throughout the design process.