Jasmin Marie

[jasminmarie19]

Project Synopsis

‘Postcards from Japan’ explores the relationship between textiles, fashion and the photographic image, primarily focusing on its usage within printed textile design. With a background in Photography for Fashion my main aim for undertaking an MA in Textile Design Innovation was to learn, develop and understand the use of traditional and digital textile processes and technologies that would compliment my photographic knowledge, and  to produce a collection of work that studied the connection between the different disciplines.

Being awarded a Paul Smith Scholarship was an amazing opportunity for me to explore a new culture, collect primary imagery and to start a new textile journey that moved me away from my previous practice of creating kaleidoscopic imagery, and move towards being able to appreciate photographs as a textile print designs in their own right.

During my time in Japan I documented my travels and cultural experiences through the medium of analogue photography. Documenting nine rolls of 35mm colour film enabled me to build up my own photographic archive throughout the six-week scholarship, capturing personal memories and experiences.

Although the partnership between digital and analogue processes was a key feature within the overall development of the project from the scanning of the negatives through to the final print designs. I made the conscious decision after returning from Japan to only explore the use of my 35mm analogue images. I felt that my digital photographs were reflective of straight documentary photography, whereas a negatives physical nature was fragile and delicate, and the unintentional light leaks, fogging and distortion throughout the rolls of film created visually stimulating images and reflected the key concept of the project; how over time our minds would manipulate what were once vivid memories, reducing them to vague thoughts; so the process of removing, rebuilding and remembering my memories started.

Removing

 The process of cellulose printing mirrored the uncontrollable aspects of analogue photography. It was a process that never created the same design twice, removing the clarity of the image to produce a blurred print that distorted the memory, creating a nostalgic and visually dream like appearance to the design. With individual print designs being created their preciousness through the medium of analogue film and process of cellulose printing would be retained through limited runs and exclusive designs.

Collating key images together from my analogue photographs and cellulose print designs, I explored the use of discharge and devoré, continuing to distort my designs further. This would reduce them to the vague thoughts they will once become. Through exploring these processes using a screen, it became apparent that I was returning to the rigidity of digital photography and simply by hand painting with these processes I created freer, more imperfect designs that continued to reflect the initial distorted imagery from Japan and my concept of memory.

Rebuilding

From distorting the images to vagueness, I focused on rebuilding the designs with the use of foil, reactive dyes and digital embroidery. However, these traditional and digital processes had their limitations in regards to the use of photographic imagery, often with the subject matter of the photograph determining the overall success of the sample. If there was more time within the MA these traditional screen-printing processes and digital embroidery designs would be the key aspect to experiment with and resolve further, to create a harmonious relationship between the process and the photographic image. Therefore constructing the memory became more about the digital restoration of my experiences, exploring the use of CAD rather than craft.

This led me to start digitally merging my initial photographs together with their cellulose counterparts, choosing fragments of the designs that were most prominent to me, starting me down a path of creating distorted imagery that had a visually familiar aesthetic, yet an unfamiliar presence. Through manipulating, distorting and fragmenting my designs I created delicate, blunt and surreal prints that created an alternative reality and questioned the truth.

Remembering

The remembering aspect of my project was resolved in module three during the realisation of my designs. Establishing that digital print design was my strongest style of handwriting, I used the module to finalise prints produced through the removing and rebuilding stages of my project. With the initial project aim to create lengths of fabric I started to further explore the use of photography within a repeat. However, this experimentation was quickly cut short due to the fact that I was restrained to the squares and rectangular boxes of a photographic frame, I could not escape the boxy repeat due to the nature of the unsymmetrical images, and so my creativity was channeled into producing an alternative output for large scale designs, with the first resolved pieces being seven scarves, created from habotai and chiffon. This continued to reflect the delicate and fragile nature of memories through all aspects of my project.  

The second resolved collection that would compliment the scarf designs was the designing and production of two minimal seam dresses. Coming from a non-fashion background I found the alternative garment construction method inspiring from David Telfer’s workshop. It pushed me to think further than a 2D print and explore my designs within 3D. By combining print design projections, CAD and the use of maquettes I created a dress that continued to replicate the distortion theme, where the print would not match at the seams. In contrast the second dress was engineered enabling the print to match perfectly across the seams responding to the initial wholeness of a photograph and therefore a memory.

Although the visual outcomes of the dresses were stunning, choosing a minimal seam pattern was not without its difficulties. Fabric shrinkage was calculated for when the designs were digitally printed, yet on both dresses the print did not match with the pattern, and so compromising on the seams was something that needed to be considered to ensure all of the design looked in proportion. Through creating these two minimal seam garments it has proven to me that although technology can produce perfect results using CAD and miniature 3D maquettes as soon as this is transferred from 2D to 3D, at a larger scale there are a variety of different factors that need to be taken into consideration to ensure that the initial design is reflected in the end product. 

‘Postcards from Japan’ has been an explorative and creative project that has directed me to different areas of textiles I didn’t initially think that I would experiment with or develop my work towards. It is through photographing my scarves using 35mm analogue film and taking them out of their original context, that I have realised the true extent of the relationship between photography, fashion and textiles within my project. By creating new photographs with light leaks and fogging reflective of my initial imagery I have produced new photographs that in their own right could be print designs. It has become apparent that through photographing and re-photographing, my project has become about the process of photography in all aspects of design.

It is now a case of where shall I take these new images to continue my photographic journey within textile print design.

[jasminmarie19]

Postcards From Japan - Zine

As my print designs are photographic based I felt it important for my viewers to understand the processes involved, from taking of the images, through to cellulose printing and the final creations, showcasing the relationship between textiles, fashion and the photographic image. 

The main purpose of the zine was to create visually stimulating imagery that would compliment my final display of work, telling my memories of Japan and the journey of my MA. 

Through using the knowledge of page layout outs and Indesign, both skills that I grasped through creating the FTK NTU Mastered zine I produced double page spreads that focused on the key areas of the project. 

I am really happy with the overall design and final outcome of my zine, I feel that it is a strong addition to my portfolio and project, informing the viewing conceptually and visually about my MA in Textile Design Innovation. 

[jasminmarie19]

New Designers 2016

Last week I was selected to show at New Designers in London. Spending the week looking at other students work gave me inspiration, but also showed me that my style of design is very specific, and I need to think about contacting the correct designers were my work will fit in. 

Looking at my display at New Designers has made me think about how I would want to show my work at the Nottingham exhibition. Ideally I would like my scarves and garments suspended individually to allow the full design to be displayed, I feel that folding the scarves or hanging them from a corner doesn't show their full design off, and distracts the photographic nature from the print designs. 

[jasminmarie19]

Foil & Discharge

In these samples I have explore the use of both foil and discharge to add to the print design. In the two red samples I have tried to create a more abstracted print taking inspiration from the pillars to create a check with discharge and foil that replicate layering and crossing of the pillars. I think these designs have become more textile inspired, I have tried to explore moving away from the photographic in my work and experiment with learning more skills that I can take forward after the MA into creating more textile based work. 

The cellulose design was an enlarged area of an initial print, I wanted to look at my samples in enlarged areas to see how the design would change with scale, and if they would be as successful enlarged. 

[jasminmarie19]

Discharge Printing

Continuing to remove aspects of my images through traditional screen printing techniques I removed the key feature of this image, to emphasise what was once there and to almost use this removal of the image as the central feature, that is what we are drawn to viewing the image, not what is actually visible around it. 

This experiment reminds me how if we digitally print a design with a shape cut out, that shape will remain white which can create different connotations to what the white space means. I feel that although there is a slight hint to what was once there before being discharge printed, I don't think it is as successful, as I feel the white stands out too much and although we are drawn to it, we are drawn to it for the wrong reasons. 

I feel that digitally removing and replacing aspects of images is much more successful that its screen printing counterpart. 

[jasminmarie19]

Devoré

Earlier in the project I had explored the use of devoré  in a more delicate way, but looking back at the designs I felt that there was almost not enough areas of devoré. Since digitally exploring cutting segments of images away and replacing them with another image I felt that experimenting with this process in a more traditional way has created more visually simulating results. With devoré when the large aspects of the images are removed they cannot be replaced, a feature that I wasn't expecting was how the ink from the digital print has stained the areas even after the devoré process has been completed. It emphasises the project idea of how that memory has gone yet there is a subtle hint of what once was there. I think by using devoré on larger aspects of the designs they become much more effective and much more reflective of the project concept.   

[jasminmarie19]

Embroidery

Part of my project proposal was to explore the use of embroidery within my print designs, now that I have experimented with the use of screen printing and digital manipulation of distorting memories I wanted to focus more on the embroidery aspects of my designs, focusing on key elements within the prints that I wished to enhance, creating abstract embroideries.  

Some initial experiments where created on digitally printed cotton, however, this  made the colours of the print more dull and it lost some of the tonal areas that the embroideries were picking up on. With this in mind I changed to using cotton voile, a lighter weight fabric that kept the vibrancy of the prints. I had to use aquafilm to create a more stable surface for the print designs. I think that some designs are too heavy for this fabric, but could potentially be used as a single motif, on an alternative fabric that kept the vibrancy of the textile print designs.

I feel that the most successful of the designs was the leaf embroidery and some of the red check designs. The design I initially created in module 2 I don't think has been as successful during module 3, the print is too detailed in areas and a bulky design would have off set the delicate nature of the cellulose print. 

Embroidery within my designs as a new dimension to the photographs, however, if there was more time this would definitely be an aspect that I would want to develop further. Going on to exploring the full extent of what digital embroidery means for print design. However, Wilcom Embroidery Studio is a new software to myself, and to have a basic knowledge in it is now a new technical skill that I have learnt and developed on the MA that will enhance my CV.    

[jasminmarie19]

Minimal Seam Garments

Although there were a variety of problems that were faced during the cutting of the fabric, overall I am really pleased with the final outcomes of both designs. 

As seen in the first image the cellulose minimal seam dress does not match exactly, and even though I was slightly disheartened I feel that to those viewing the dress it would not be as noticeable. I believe it is because I have designed the print and garment that is why I cannot escape the fact that it doesn't match exactly. If I was to reprint the design and allow slightly more fabric for shrinkage than I originally allowed then there could be the possibility that the pattern fitted the print design better. However, this is not guaranteed because of the variables involved in the printing and washing of fabric. 

What I have learnt from this experience is that although technology can be quick efficient and produce reliable results, it also has many factors that will alter with each print, the way the fabric is loaded into the machine, or how it shrinks due to washing and drying. A printer that would be more accurate, reliable and be able to produce exact results would be the Shima Seiki in Japan, where the fabric was laid flat, the design digitally placed on to the fabric and then the ink is sprayed on, reducing ink wastage and also being able to get the design parallel and therefore the shrinkage would be more inline with what the end result should be. 

I think that visually both designs are very striking, to display both the print and design features it was discussed with several tutors that I could suspend my designs or hang them using a pole running through the sleeves, similar to that of many kimono displays. By displaying my work like this it invites the viewer to look around the garment seeing the one piece patterns from the from and back, enabling them to view the dress on their own or together with the backdrop of the scarves. Exhibiting them like this creates a distorted image and story of what once happened.  

[jasminmarie19]

Minimal Seam Garment

The second minimal seam garment required a full pattern to be cut to ensure the seams lined up, as this garment intentionally would have the print matched at the seams. This is the opposite to the first dress, reinforcing the idea of how although memories may fade they remain complete (symbolic through the matching of the seams). Like the first dress extra fabric was added to allow for shrinkage. 

However, this dress was much harder to line up than the first even though there were more distinct lines in the print where I had engineered the design to fit the pattern exact. None of the seams matched the pattern, and all were slightly smaller, although in Photoshop the design was exactly the same size as the first dress this appeared to be much smaller. 

After discussing with a tutor we established that although I had allowed for shrinkage a factor that was out of my hands was how the fabric went through the printer. The print appeared to have shrunk but also potentially had been printed uneven so the design was not parallel.

The design was also of a cellulose print so the imagery used was distorted making it more difficult to line up, even using the digital photoshop file as a guide. I felt quite disheartened at the time as I had to compromise on every seam and will have to wait for it to be made before I can see whether the seams match or not. Even if they do not match it may not be that noticeable, as it is a graduating print and not as obvious as some of my designs. Even if I was to reprint and recut it the same problem could occur again, resulting waste fabric. 

This has made me realise that technology although fast and can produce amazing results can also be unreliable for precision. One alteration in the process that could change the angle of the printed design would be to use an alternative printer. Something similar to what I used in Japan would be more reliable where the fabric is laid flat and the designs are sprayed on using a moveable printer ensuring that the design is parallel. This in turn could possibly control the evenness of the shrinkage more.  

I will have to wait until next week to see the outcome of the design, how much has been hidden within the hem and seams and what print distortion is lost through the drape of the fabric. 

[jasminmarie19]

Minimal Seam Dress 

This first minimal seam dress was made up of an image from Kyoto, and an image of Mt. Fuji. The design has bee manipulated so that the print will not match at the seams. This garment will emphasise the idea that memories will become distorted over time, they will merge together and drift apart, so that they become familiar yet unrecognisable.  

During the printing of this garment I allowed for shrinkage, however I should have also allowed for extra waste fabric. The first problem that was faced when cutting the fabric was the fact I only had half a pattern, there were also areas of the design that either shrunk or over lapped the pattern. As this design was deliberately not matching these could easily be hidden in the hem, and solved through folding the fabric before cutting.  

[jasminmarie19]

Toile Development and Finalisation

This week I have been looking at perfecting my minimal seam toile to ensure all aspects of it are visually appealing and technically correct. The model here wears my latest and final toile which in terms of size I have taken the width and length from my second toile from module two and combined it with my first minimal seam toile from the workshop with David Telfer. 

I admit it is not that visually exciting in the white, however I am pleased with its overall appearance, and feel it portrays a contemporary yet Japanese kimono appearance to it. The two aspects that have now been changed for the final pattern, one of which is the diagonal arm seam. On this toile the seam goes straight across the hem, and I found this quite difficult to sew on the cotton. It has now been changed so that now when the hem is turned up the diagonal seam will finish at the end of the sleeve, keeping the symmetrical appearance to the back of the garment.  

Another aspect that will be changed is the hem length, instead of allowing a 3.5cm hem I have changed it to a 5cm hem, which will be turned up 1cm, allowing a 4cm hem overall. I felt that this needed to be altered because once it was fitted on the model the hems disappeared into the dress and therefore a deeper hem would become more noticeable and relate to the deep hems which are a design feature of kimonos.

[jasminmarie19]

Photo Shoot - Scarves

I wanted to documented my scarves after they had been hand rolled, however I was quite determined that they would not be a typical studio photograph wrapped around a model. 

I wanted the scarves to be free and display the wild physical nature of them. Through photographing them on location, and using a model only as a prop the scarves really take control of the images showcasing their size and print design.

Through using polaroid and 35mm analogue film I bring the project back to its initial stage of documenting a memory. The uncontrollability of analogue film the grain, the grit, the light leaks the fogging all of which is out of my hands makes the scarves even more beautiful. I look at these images and can already edit a selection down that could in turn be used as print designs or scarf designs in themselves. It encapsulates my project as a continuous process cycle.

I photograph what I love, I manipulate it and distort it to have it rephotographed which in turn I see as print designs as well as photographs, this will lead me back to the manipulation of the imagery and then back to the photographing of it, and then maybe back to the distorting of the photograph. 

It is a never ending processing of photographic imagery and its uses within textile print design. 

[jasminmarie19]

Final Garment Print Designs

This week I have focused on perfecting my garment print designs. The image on the left is made up of two 35mm photographs, both are manipulated to create one photograph that has been designed to create a minimal seam garment where the print deliberately does not match at the seam. This is in reference to my earlier research and project concept that our memories are not perfect, they become fragmented and distorted, creating beauty in what is left behind. 

The image on the right shows a cellulose print design that has been engineered, so when stitched the print will match exactly across (fingers crossed!). Enhancing the idea that although our memories may deteriorate they can still remain intact. 

To ensure that my designs will be accurate I drew my pattern to scale on illustrator and placed it on to the design to help me visualise what will appear in each area of the pattern. 

I am really pleased with the designs and feel on track to completing them in time for the New Designers final selection. I believe that these garments when suspended will really compliment my scarves and create a bold statement encapsulating my whole project.   

[jasminmarie19]

Scarves

I have now received the digital prints back of my photographic, cellulose and photographic/cellulose merge scarf designs. 

I am really happy with the final results and to see the designs on such a large scale really brings them to life and turns them from a photograph into a scarf. 

Looking at the designs together, you can see the correlation between the square scarf designs and their rectangle sister scarves. And also not only correlating in colours, but also in themes. Originally I wanted to produce two Japan collections one looking at the industrial side of Japan and one of the cultural. Yet these images tell a story themselves of both the natural and industrial culture of Japan featuring fauna, key landscape features such as Mt. Fuji and also man made religious temples and gates. 

The next stage of finishing them is to hand roll the edges, creating that detailing that is desired for the designer market level.

[jasminmarie19]

Scarf Designs/Test Stripes

Similar to photography sending a test strip to be printed is essential to see how the designs will appear overall. I sent the selected designs to be printed 3 onto habotai and 3 onto chiffon mouseline.

Since receiving them back there has been some slight changes in to fabric choice and also design. I found that the vibrancy of several designs were not being picked up on after being printed onto the chiffon, whereas all designs came out vibrantly on the habotai. Therefore I have now changed the fabric so that 5 scarves will be printed on to habotai, and 2 on chiffon.

Another aspect that worried me slightly after receiving the test strips back was the quality of the prints. As all the designs come from 35mm negatives as there original design source it limits them to how large they can be blown up and still remain in focus. Obviously looking at the designs they are essentially in focus and not completely blurred, however I would have preferred them to be crisp. However, as I have learnt throughout this MA there is limitations to both digital and traditional techniques.

To try and overcome this problem and increase the quality of the prints, I have rescanned and reedited my designs on Photoshop using the ‘High Pass’ feature that slight sharpens details of the photograph without over sharpening the whole image. However, although this will help improve the quality there is no getting round the fact that the original image is so small from the negative.

Over the week I have thought indepth about this problem, and it has made me realise that although the images will not be pin sharp as they would be if the photograph was taken with a digital camera. It overall outcome creates naturally occurring distortion through the process of 35mm analogue film. The grain of the film will also add to my concept of how over time these memories will not be as clear as they once were and that this imperfectness of the digital prints will add to the beauty of the project.

[jasminmarie19]

Minimal Seam Garment

This week I have really thought about what I want my garments to say, I have decided that going into fashion I should show how my prints on a garment, but have started to question if a shirt dress is the correct design for my prints. I am keen to have an oversized dress design, that has enough fabric so substantially show the prints. I feel that after researching into minimal seam last module to change to a shirt dress would make my research redundant. Although a shirt dress would be the more fashionable design, I have decided that the minimal seam concept correlates to my project more, in regards to the manipulation and distortion of memories. 

Therefore after consideration I have decided to return back to the minimal seam pattern I created in module two where there is a ‘T’ shaped seam down the front of the print and diagonal seams on the back of the sleeves. I plan to create one dress where the seams deliberately do not match, emphasising the distortion and fragmentation of memories, and then a second minimal seam dress where I will engineer the print so that it matches on the seams, and this will represent the rebuilding and wholeness of my memories. 

After discussing with a tutor and seeing my toile on a model I have decided I would like to display my garments not on a mannequin but suspended like a kimono, with a bar through the sleeves showing the garment flat, like how many kimonos where shown at the exhibitions I visited in Japan. Through suspending the dresses, both the front and back details will be able to be seen and appreciated by the viewers. The shape of the minimal seam dress is very boxy, and correlates to how a kimono also appears just with not so many layers to the design. I feel much more confident with going forward with the minimal seam design and showing my work like this, Japan has been so influential on my project I should really emphasis it and embrace the culture through my work, not only in the designs and images used but also in the final display. 

[jasminmarie19]

Shirt Dress

Initially to go along side my scarf designs I wanted to create a dress using my minimal seam designs I had created through a workshop with David Telfer. However, it was suggested that I create something more fashionable as my customers would not want to wear a design that had the print broken up with unusual seams. Therefore I decided to move towards creating a shirt dress taking inspiration from DKNY and COS. The shirt would have a front and back panel along with shorts sleeves and a placket down the front to the waist, for easy dressing and to minimise the disruption of the print as much as possible. 

I created a variety of visualisations as it was suggested in my module 2 assessment to play with scale and position within my prints, and therefore I have explored the use of large scale to show only a detail of the print and also at a smaller scale where near enough all the print is shown within the garment design. 

An aspect I am worried with for this design is the use of a placket, I will need to ensure all my pattern pieces are matched exactly after printing as shrinkage would alter the entire design, and if the design is printed slightly out of line.