PE TASK 2

My last three rotations have been weave, embroidery and then I returned for mixed media for the last 3 weeks of sampling. I believe context really helps to put in perspective what it is you’re actually making and where you can imagine your work being shown. However, I found this hard to visualise when it came to embroidery. I think this might have something to do with how much I really was not enjoying this rotation and I found myself just viewing the samples as a way of completing the amount that needed to be done in the time period given. Context with mixed media has always been clear for me since I discovered the work of Iris Van Harper. I was inspired by her approach to sculptural fashion. However, the more the mixed media rotation has progressed, I find myself envisioning my work actually to be just a sculpture piece in itself.

Reflecting on these 3 rotations, I think the context was most clear when in weave. The influence and inspiration for the journey and discovery of future contexts for my work was very much clear to me. I found that this was because of the artists Elizabeth Ashdown and Yayoi Kusama, whose work I found interesting.

As soon as I found Elizabeth Ashdown’s work this influenced the materials I could use to then see how far I could push the loom.

Weave Samples by Elizabeth Ashdown

Using yarns such as pipe cleaners, elastic and taking yarn straight off the bobbin created big textures. Then I realised I was pushing it too far and that I needed to strip it down. I knew that I wanted to take the idea of using different materials which created this 3D sculptural approach, however still to have that beautiful weave structure. I remembered how much I loved Yayoi Kusama’s simplicity in a certain piece of work I was interested in and how much I loved the plain background with the splash of colour.

Yayoi Kusama's Obliteration Room Pic 1

Yayoi Kusama's Obliteration Room Pic 2 

From this process, I combined the two approaches to then influence my final outcome, which is shown below.

Weave sample Created by Me.

 

I feel this sample shows clear inspiration from the artists mentioned and from my drawing work. For example, the data collection research of the lines created from the length of streets and the colours of my five senses page.

If I was to take this further or if I had more time I would increase the scale of the sample, so I could see what it would look like in the context I imagined it to be. A bigger scale would highlight the sculptural features and provide a clearer perspective on whether the sample design would work as a sculptural textiles piece.

By considering context within my work, this has helped to guide me towards the artists and work I am inspired by and to then think of how I would want others to see my work in the future.

Mixed media Exploring the living hinge

This week I have been on the laser cutter trying to understand how I can make a solid material so for example wood and to make it flexible and be able to sculpt the material.

Last week I was researching living hinges in places like Fred Aldus where I came across living hinges of different patterns and I really wanted to see how this worked for myself. I searched online from a sight called living hinge and also one just called hinge. 5 hours later from the laser cutter I came out with some really interesting outcomes and samples. From looking at the different types of hinges I decided which was the most flexible and enlarged i.e. started with a decoration approach with wooden uses. This was taking away from the simplicity of the living hinge. I plan for this week to take this idea of hinge and flexibility and the ability to sculpt with paper and to see how I can create the same movement the wood has and apply it to the paper. Maybe see how it falls on the body.

Back Too Mix Media

I have chosen mixed media as the rotation I go back too. I found myself the most intrigued to mixed media and that’s why I wanted to come back to it. I loved the lazer cutter last time I was in the rotation. So I wanted to come back to this and what went well with the lazer cutter so for example the living hinge. I have chosen the word ‘material Transitions’. The context in which I want to imagine my work being is fashion. I have been looking at textile artist such as iris van harper and looking at her collections the one which I found myself drawn to is her voltage collection and how they look when walking on the catwalk. Then I have been looking at sculptural fashion pieces on Pinterest which combine wood to create a sculptural garment. By looking at these I have this week gone to research how to create the certain living hinges so I can then go in my lazer session on Tuesday to go ahead and see which would be the best to take forward to see what shapes I can create with them. I have also found myself enjoying drawing again coming back to mix media I think from all the Friday drawing days it’s starting to show with the drawing I am now producing.

Embroidery Crit

Last week after the first embroidery Crit I considered all the comments given to me as a platform to start with for the next 10-15 samples which had to be done for this week. I found that with the sample below;

I found that with this sample the ideas were there, however I could feel my sample becoming smaller and smaller. Even though there was a print of a hand, which represented the sense of feel, I wanted the text ‘touch and feel’, which was machine embroidered, to look like it was cut off the roll. So this week I tried to bring that across within one or more of my samples for this week. Below is the sample which I applied what didn’t go so well from last week. 

From doing this sample I believe I can develop this even further. Instead of having just one continuous line. I am thinking of applying two more of the same design, which do the same sequence either end of the material. Whilst making this sample I found that using the pfaff and the benina together and how they complement each other really interesting and I want to bring this combination forward. 

embroidery

This week has been a real set back. Throughout all the rotations I have been doing something completely different. Nonetheless, embroidery is something I am familiar with and is something I have always enjoyed doing. On the other hand, I have found myself experiencing a mental block, I found myself doubting what I was doing, and stitches I have done before with confidence. I have the ideas and I know what I want to communicate with each sample however, at the same time I am trying to still being experimental. So on Friday I went into the library and looked at different embroidery artists/designers and this really has helped me get back motivated and start enjoying what I am doing. A library induction on the previous Monday really helped me to understand how the library works and I am now starting to see it become very useful. My target for the coming week is to be experimental and enjoy it. 

Construct Artists

From the data collection research I have found that I have been drawn to my idea of the five senses and I have colour coordinated each sense. For example smell, touch, hear, taste and sight. When researching for designers/weavers I came across 82-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s work. I loved how she let others take control of her work and let the children determine the final outcome. Her inspiration to me is very clear, she just is in total love with spots/circles. In everything she does there is guaranteed to be a spot on it, from her sculptures to the motifs on her prints. She suffered from hallucinations from a young age (http://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/31-yayoi-kusama/) and I like how her work almost gives that hallucinatory feel to it. Although she is not a weave designer I found that by taking what she does and trying to maybe combine these ideas with the skills, I have recently learnt on the loom I am positive that I could get some interesting outcomes. I really like her idea of adding colour on to a plain background and incorporating this within my weave samples.

Below are images of Yayoi Kusama and her work, which most inspires me.

 Whilst researching weave designers I was uninspired until I came across weave artist Elizabeth Ashdown. She works with unusual yarns and I love that. Elizabeth Ashdown was a student who studied BA (Hons) Textile Design at London's prestigious Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. She specialises in producing innovative and contemporary mixed media Passementerie designs for both fashion and interior markets.
She also produces woven jewellery. She is fascinated by structural forms and texture. I am also interested in texture and having a structure to garments or something more sculptural. I can really see myself bringing forward these two aspects and also trying out the pockets on the loom to do this.

Yarn Research

     This week I have been emailing different yarn companies, simply just asking for shade cards for my yarn research. I found this task very enjoyable. Doing this research, I learnt about a massive range of different yarns, which are not available within the university. I also now have some contacts I can go to within the future who were kind enough to give me a variety of different yarns. This was a big achievement for me in confidence. I now feel that from this task I can go ahead without fear of being told ‘no’. To go ahead and ask for samples, even maybe to collaborate with other textile designers in the future was a great skill learned.

Below are some images of the yarns given to me.

1st Week Of Weave

 First week of weave. Learning the loom and trying to understand how to use it was very difficult; I found the diagrams provided difficult to understand. However, once I translated them to numbers and just worked from them it finally clicked. I am starting to see myself reflecting more on what is not going right and then trying to resolve the problem by trying and testing different ways in which I can then work from. This week, now that I have cracked how to use the loom, I now want to try to see how far I can push the loom and what yarns I can use on the loom. Below is a sample after I started to understand what to lift and by working with numbers.