Peacock

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The researchers made an intervention into the history of the necktie, an object that has evolved from its humble early origins as a simple soldier's neck-cloth into a luxurious accessory, such as the flowing cravat of the seventeenth century. The cravat, in turn, was a forerunner of the reduced geometry of the modern necktie. 'Peacock', a handmade bowtie, proposed another evolution in the development of neckwear, this time based on the folding techniques of Franz Zeier ('Papier', 1974). RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The researchers sought to apply three-dimensional patterning to the bowtie and so recapture the volumentric nature of an earlier form of neckwear - the cravat. They used thermoset folding techniques to produce a crisp volumetric body which captured the beauty and material characteristics of silk. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: 'Peacock' was exhibited as part of Kabinet, a group of images and artefacts that mapped independent archtiecture and design gallery Pin-up gallery's colllective exhibitons. Objects in the exhibition were selected by independent peer review by Pin-up's founders: curator Fleur Watson and architect and AR Magazine editor Martyn Hook. The gallery has significant external support from civic and commercial sponsors, including City of Yarra, Planning Studio on Peel and de Bortoli. Peacock redkindles old elegrance in a new way. The result offers a dose of unconventionality to the formal suit and infuses casual attire with classic beauty.