SEA Textiles

Textiles MA  -  A blog to keep track of my thinking and development through my course

[seatextiles]

6. Booking a Venue

As a group, we decided we wanted to try and make the exhibition a reality, so I was put in charge of finding and booking a venue. I initially wanted to hold the exhibition at St. George’s Square (Huddersfield Train Station), as there would be a lot of foot traffic, with people getting the train to different parts of the country. The idea was that this would allow our project to spread across the country through word of mouth, and people seeing our logo on clothing. I filled out an activity-based permit application through the government site, which led to emailing with one of their employees, who provided help and advice around booking the space.

We decided against this idea, as through multiple emails we were made aware of the overall cost of hiring the area. These costs included:

£30 just to apply

£500 deposit, that’s refunded afterward

£40 for a tabletop license

£317 for a street traders license.

We would also have then needed to provide our own table and monitors and anything else that would have been needed for the event. For a one-day, non-profit charity event, this was way out of budget, so I began to look at other places that we could use.

I contacted the Student Union at The University of Huddersfield to see if holding the exhibition there would be possible. They were keen to help with the project, saying that we could use their monitors for the videos, and that they would provide us with a table and space to hold the exhibition, and that they would also promote the project throughout the university so that people would come. Through the application process, we were given advice on days to hold it, telling us the days and times that would be busiest, so that we could make our exhibition as successful as possible.

Though we wanted to hold the exhibition, we ultimately had to cancel it, as the work could not be completed in time. As I balance my studies with work and I was also going through some personal struggles at the time, I was unable to make enough successful patches and clothing pieces within the time-frame. However, I was able to make enough to showcase the idea and find how it would be best to make them should we hold the exhibition in the future. The collection of artworks on mirrors and the video had also not been completed in time.

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5. Putting the Logo onto Fabric

As one of the final outcomes of this project, my group and I have decided we want to sell clothing and patches with our logo on them, with the fabric we use having different colour schemes and characteristics, so that it keeps to the idea of freedom. Having our logo on different styles of clothing and patches allows the wearer to keep their freedom of expression, whilst also being part of a bigger group of people who want the same thing: Freedom.

Initially I experimented with using fabric paints to put our groups logo onto fabric. I tried painting onto denim, thick cotton, calico, and jersey fabrics. I found it easiest to paint onto the jersey and light cotton fabrics. I found the thick cotton/denim fabrics quite difficult to paint onto, as there were larger bumps between the threads of the fabric, stopping the paint from spreading as evenly. With darker fabrics, multiple layers of paint had to be added to make the colours stand out. The different sections of the design would have to be done individually rather than painting over sections, as the paint from underneath shows through, discolouring the design intended.

Aside from the problems faced with the actual painting of the fabric, this process is also too time consuming to be used to make enough work to use in the final exhibition. After painting the design, I would have to wait at least 24 hours before ironing the design into place; following this I would then have to wait 48 hours for the design to set before washing it.

[Fabric painting samples]

After finding that using fabric paints wouldn’t make for a successful outcome, I decided to try using the AMAYA embroidery machines at University. This would allow me to directly stitch my digital design for the logo onto fabric, which I could then make into patches, or simple stitch straight onto different items of clothing. Before I could use the AMAYA, I had to redo my training for it, which I found very helpful, as I haven’t used it in a couple of years, so I was able to note down how everything works, meaning when I got to the machine, I was able to pick up how to use it relatively quickly.

With my first samples on the AMAYA I didn’t put the embroidery hoop in correctly, but once I had realised my mistake, I was able to quickly get other samples done. After doing a couple of samples, I attempted putting the logo onto the back of a denim jacket. I liked how the logo looked on the jacket, however, the collar had folder under and got caught in the stitching, making the jacket unwearable. Though this was disappointing, I know now to double check that no excess fabric can get caught in the stitching; I used hair ties to hold excess fabric away, which worked well, leaving me a top and shirt that the logo was on. However, when I stitched into the shirt, I forgot to turn the design around on the computer before starting, meaning that the logo was stitched onto the shirt incorrectly. I will know for my next sessions on the AMAYA to double check these things before starting stitching onto items of clothing.

[Photographs from my first session on the AMAYA]

I began putting multiple logos onto the same piece of a fabric, which I found useful for making patches. When I had completed the stitching onto the fabric, I was able to cut the logos out and make them into patches. I used my own sewing machine at home to make the patches, but for the next batch, I will try using the sewing machines at the University as they are better quality machines, and the patches I made with my own didn’t looked as professional as I was aiming for. The edges of the patches were uneven, and the satin stitch over the edges wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as I had wanted it to be.

[Photograph of the first patches I have made]

Using the AMAYA, given that I am able to book the machines for days I am available, I should be able to create a collection of patches and clothing in time for our exhibition.

Another campaign where slogans were used on clothing to raise money for charity was ‘This is What a Feminist Looks Like’. The collaboration between Elle Magazine, Whistles, and The Fawcett Society, saw celebrities donned in the t-shirts and sweaters to raise awareness of the cause in 2014. However, ethical issues emerged when it was found that the garments where being “made in a Mauritian sweatshop by women earning 62p an hour.” (Hoskins, 2014). When it comes to the making of our products, we will have to be careful to meet high ethical standards given the nature of the work. In the article, Hoskins (2014) goes on to warn that anyone looking to use raise money for charity in this way should make sure to conduct their own research into ethical practices in the fashion industry. Though we can avoid ethical issues through the clothing we use being donated and by adding the logo to the garments ourselves, we may find it best to look further into the brands of the clothing that have been donated to us to avoid accidentally supporting or promoting an unethical brand by adding our logo to their clothing.

Figure 1 Benedict Cumberbatch, actor, ELLE cover star and feminist (ELLE, 2014)

Figure 2 Emma Watson, actor, ELLE cover star and feminist (ELLE, 2014)

References:

ELLE. (2014). Benedict Cumberbatch, actor, ELLE cover star and feminist [Photograph]. Call Yourself A Feminist?. elle.com/uk/fashion/celebrity-style/articles/g23464/feminism-t-shirt-tom-hiddleston-benedict-cumberbatch-emma-watson/

ELLE. (2014). Emma Watson, actor, ELLE cover star and feminist [Photograph]. Call Yourself A Feminist?. elle.com/uk/fashion/celebrity-style/articles/g23464/feminism-t-shirt-tom-hiddleston-benedict-cumberbatch-emma-watson/

Hoskins, T. (2014, November 3). The feminist T-shirt scandal exposes an entire system of exploitation. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/2014/nov/03/feminist-t-shirt-scandal-exposes-entire-system-exploitation-elle-whistles-fawcett-society

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4. Logo Design

Having Textiles as my subject area, I want to be able to incorporate this into our project. As a group we discussed ideas around how to do this. I initially thought of creating a patchwork quilt with the names of those effected by the protests displayed on their own sections of the work; this would then be placed within the exhibition. However, we decided to create a collection of videos telling the stories of individuals that have been effected and I decided that I wanted to make something that people wanted to buy, so that we could raise money for charity.

After discussing with my group, I started developing a logo for our project which could be put onto upcycled clothing. Though putting a logo or slogan onto clothing is not a new idea, I like how it creates a sense of belonging for a group of people, almost like a uniform. I don’t want our logo to be placed onto the same clothes, for example: onto T-shirts that are the same style, but possibly different colours. Putting our logo onto a variety of styles of clothing can keep with our running theme of freedom. It could be more appealing to people if they are able to wear the logo on clothing that fits their own personal style, as it still creates a sense of belonging to a group of people who want the same thing, but also allows them to keep their individuality.

(Image: Why We March, 2017)

Protest boards inspired my initial idea for a logo, with it just being a simple shape, with a bold colour and text to stand out. However, it was to plain and I wanted to make something that people would recognise when they saw it. Keeping with the protest board idea, I created several boxes to represent protest boards and placed them together, making them overlap and different sizes to suggest the idea of multiple people holding the boards as a group. I then took inspiration from the women tying their hair in a pony tail and cutting their hair. I made a ponytail like shape for one idea and cut it in half for another. This keeps the idea simple and easy to create, while also being something that people would recognise when they saw it. I also looked at a photograph of one woman holding the hair she had cut in a fist, which she held proudly in the sky. Using the lines of the hair, I then made another logo idea. I like the idea of using the colour pink as it is typically seen as a feminine colour, so with the boldness of the hue, I feel like it further suggests being proud to be a woman.

Women Life Freedom has become a saying that has inspired protests and art to come from the women of Iran. “During Amini’s funeral, on 17 September, crowds gathered in Saqqez chanting the slogan ‘Women Life Freedom’, which was adopted across the country and beyond.” (Shahrokni, 2022). I have used this saying as the slogan of the logo, but I have also played with the words to make it Women Like Freedom as well, as I feel this may appeal more to a global audience. However, it is something that my group and I can discuss, so that we can choose together which idea will be most successful. While watching a video of someone explaining the protests, I also heard “Do not look away”, which stuck with me, so I have also played with the idea of using that as our slogan as well, as it demands the audience to pay attention and to learn what the people of Iran are going through.

I want to experiment with different ways that I can put the final logo onto clothing or patches. I am going to try with fabric paints, applique, hand embroidery, sublimation printing, and machine stitching with the AMAYA. When I have found the most successful way to do this, I will create a collection of different style clothing items with the logo on and patches made from upcycled materials. The clothing that I use for this will be either donated or bought from a charity shop and washed, so that the price of the final pieces will be affordable for people and no two pieces will be the same. Buying from a charity shop will also have the benefit of being another way that we can help charity.

References:

Shahrokni, N. (2022). Women, Life, Freedom. History Today, 72(11), https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/women-life-freedom

Why We March. (2017). Washington, DC [Photograph]. In Artisan. (2017). Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope (p.39). Workman Publishing Co.

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3. Our Project

Throughout our idea sharing sessions, my group and I have decided to base our project around raising awareness of the protests in Iran and the negative effects that it has had on many people there. We also plan on raising money for a human rights charity through exhibiting work and selling upcycled clothing with our logo on it.

Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman, died while in the custody of Iran’s Morality Police. She was arrested for not complying with the strict dress codes. Since then, Men and Women across Iran have protested for their freedom, with women at Mahsa Amini’s funeral even taking off their headscarves to protest the forced Hibjab laws. (BBC News, 2022) Our group’s aim is to create artwork to raise awareness of these protests and how the protesters have been treated by police upon arrest. Some people that have not been killed have been left with lasting injuries; Ghazal Ranjkesh is one woman who lost her eye after being shot in the face but is still staying strong and fighting for the day that women will be given their freedom. (Women NCRI Committee, 2023)

The Woman Life Freedom movement showcases artwork from many people affected by the protests in Iran to raise awareness of what is happening there. The Mozaik Virtual Exhibition has work by several artists; it includes photography, graphic design, painting, animation. The animation ‘Baraye’ (Anonymous, 2022) gives an inside view of how peoples lives have been affected throughout the protests, by zooming further an further into the drawing, suggesting that the more we look into what is actually happening, the worse it gets; but we shouldn’t look away. With one of our group members being an Animation student, we hope to develop an animation as part of our final exhibition. We have decided that we also want to have screens with videos playing where the story of individual protestors is being told to try to help our audience to connect more with the people being affected.

Videos created for this will be showcases alongside artwork that we have made inspired by the protests in Iran. We want this exhibition to be seen by lots of people, to help spread the discussion and help raise awareness of the protests and how people are being affected by them. To do this we will display the work in an area with a high amount of foot traffic and promote it on social media and through posters.

I want to create a logo for our group. Using the ideas of Woman Life Freedom, I aim to create a logo that will appeal to Women in the UK no matter their current knowledge on the Iranian protests. The logo will be put onto clothing and patches, which we will then sell to raise money for a Human Rights Charity that are working with Iran. My hope is that by the logo being on clothing and patches that people will wear, people will start talking more about the protests and raise awareness in order to find a solution.

References:

Anonymous. (2022) Baraye [Video]. Mozaik. https://mozaikphilanthropy.org/woman-life-freedom/

BBC News. (2022, September 17). Mahsa Amini: Women take headscarves off in protest at funeral. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-62940907

Women NCRI Committee. (2023). Brave Iranian women lose their eyes, but their hearts still beat for Iran. Women NCRI Committee. https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/01/17/brave-iranian-women-lose-eyes/

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2. Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration by Keith Sawyer

I read the book ‘Group Genius’ by Keith sawyer to gain better understanding of how to effectively work collaboratively within a group project. This book helped me with figuring out how to work collaboratively within a group to manage a project and reach our end goals.

I have always felt that I work better alone, with just occasional input from tutors along the journey of a project, so when told this project would be collaborative work, I worried that as a group we wouldn’t be able to come up with interesting ideas for innovation, as I am used to working mostly alone. “we’re drawn to the image of the lone genius whose mystical moment of insight changes the world. But the lone genius is a myth; instead, it’s group genius that generates breakthrough innovation. When we collaborate, creativity unfolds across people; the sparks fly faster, and the whole is greater than the sum of its part.” (Sawyer, 2007, p.7). Throughout this project I will learn to work efficiently within a group, sharing and developing ideas together to produce the best outcome possible. Working with other people can bring together different backgrounds and skills to discover ideas and concepts that I may not have previously considered.

When the groups were initially formed within the session, my group and I discussed idea that we had for the project. However, during the next session, a week later, I realised that I was not feeling inspiration from the ideas being presented, but other group members were. There was another group member who felt the same as I did, and upon hearing her ideas for the project, felt inspired; we formed our own group, along with another student who seemed interested in our project ideas. Sawyer, 2007, wrote that the most innovative teams tend come together spontaneously, as they find others that think similarly to them. Due to lack of inspiration by the expected outcomes of the first group I was placed with, I didn’t feel motivation to work. Through the restructuring of the groups, I have found that I want to research and work collaboratively with my team mates to reach our desired goals. “One widely accepted notion is that students can be motivated to engage in an activity either by pure interest in the activity itself or by some outcome of the activity” (Mullins, et al. 2013). By finding a group where we are all interested in the context of the project, we should all feel more engaged and motivated to reach our goals for the project.

During the group collaboration, we will have to work together to generate ideas and keep development flowing smoothly. Group flow is “blocked when one person dominates, is arrogant, or doesn’t think anything can be learned from the conversation.” (Sawyer, 2007, p.50). To avoid getting blocked in the development of our project it is essential to assign roles to people, so that everyone knows where to place their focus and to ensure that the critical elements of the project are completed. Part of this is through each member of the group bringing different skills, but also through job role assignments. These roles where explained by The University of Huddersfield in Brightspace (2023), showing five roles to assign to members of the group. These are: Visualisers to draw and visualise ideas created through the project, Project Managers to organise meetings and events, health and safety assessment, and ethics & public liability, Communications to oversee strategy, social media and press releases, Technician Assistants for building, painting and installing work, and Interpretations for programming and invigilation. Together, we can find where our individual skills lie to decide on who should be given each role. As I am part of a small group, we will have to each take on more than one role, but as long as we hold regular meetings to discuss what we have done and share ideas with each other, this should still run smoothly.

As a group, some of our ideas may fail and not be able to be developed into our final outcome. Though it could be disheartening when ideas don’t go to plan, “research shows us over and over again that the twin sibling of innovation is frequent failure. There’s no creativity without failure, and there’s no group flow without the risk of failure.” (Sawyer, 2007, p.55). This is why we will sample and experiment throughout the project; We will work practically, creating products to find the most successful ways of making for the final outcome. By doing this, we will be able to work more efficiently towards our goals for the project.

In conclusion, working collaboratively could lead to more innovative and successful outcomes, as we will each bring our own backgrounds and thoughts to the group, allowing for a more efficient development of ideas. However, we will have to continue to engage in the project and group meetings, sharing our skills and interests, to keep motivation high. Assigning roles within the group will also benefit us, as we will each know where to keep our focus within the project, and within our meetings, provide information gathered and work produced with the rest of the group. Throughout the project we should also continue to sample and experiment using our skills without worry that pieces may fail, so that we can produce a body of work and then select the most successful pieces to use as part of our final outcome for the project.

References:

Mullins, D., Deiglmayr, A., & Spada, H. (2013). Motivation and Emotion Shaping Knowledge Co-Construction. In M. Baker, J. Andriessen, & S. Järvelä (Eds.), Affective Learning Together (pp. 139-161). Taylor & Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/HUD/detail.action?docID=1128263&pq-origsite=summon

Sawyer, K. (2007). Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. Basic Books.

The University of Huddersfield. (2023 January 27). Roles [Powerpoint Presentation]. School of Art and Humanities. https://brightspace.hud.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/220703/viewContent/2042063/View

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1. Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship

For this module, we have been split into interdisciplinary groups to create an idea together that can be use either commercially or non-commercially. My hope for this project is for everyone in the group to be able to use their subject knowledge and different skill sets to create a successful outcome.

The subject areas of the people in my group are:

Textiles

Photography

Graphic design

Interior design

Product design

During our first session together, we discussed ideas for our project and start thinking of ideas individually to further discuss in our next meeting.

In the first session the main idea that was discussed was brining all our work together in an art gallery format; having a place for people with different art styles to showcase their work. This reminded me of the Szimpla Kert Ruins Bar in Budapest, which I have previously written about, where there are several rooms which have been designed by different artists. There is one room in the bar that allows people to add to the art by writing, painting, adding stickers, etc. onto the walls. This could relate to this idea; we could create a place for people to come where they can also be creative, such as an art café. Similar to the Ruins Bar, members of our group could create our own pieces using our different skill sets, which could then inspire people creatively and make them want to be a part of the art.

On my own, I created a couple of mind maps to come up with other ideas to discuss with my group. I started with a mind map of things that I enjoy doing, both in my own time and in relation to my textiles work. I used this to then create a mind map of how some of these things could be made into a creative project with my group, highlighting the ideas that I most want to discuss in the next meeting with my group. These are: the multidisciplinary art café, a wellbeing library, and a photo studio.

My idea for the photo studio, is that we can create a few rooms or areas with one room where we have collaborated on art work to create fun scenes that people will enjoy taking photographs at. This would be open for use during the day and some nights when people are most likely to be on a night out, as from experience, people tend to enjoy taking lots of photographs on nights out with friends. To promote the studio, we could contact local clubs and pubs to see if they could advertise on their social media pages and in return, we could hand out their promotional cards.

I also thought of possibly creating a library/workspace for people to use. We could work collaboratively to create the décor to improve wellbeing for its users, looking at comfort, colour schemes, tactility of items, etc. We could try and have this available for students to use in the Uni, as it will be a different experience than the University library. There could be multiple rooms or areas, where quiet music could play and a selection of fiction books could be available to students as a break from studying. It could be a place for students to come with friends or on their own as a wellbeing break.

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Szimpla Kert - Budapest Ruins Bar

On a recent trip to Budapest with my family, we visited a Ruins Bar called Szimpla Kert which is made up of several rooms providing different music genres and décor and bars. We came across a room with painted white walls, with the expectation that visitors be creative, drawing, painting, and adding their own touch to the overall design. As soon as we entered the room, we started looking through our bags to find pens to write on the walls ourselves. We enjoyed searching the walls for interesting details; most people had drawn, but lots of people had added their own stickers, and some had added 3D elements.

When I have done crafts with residents in the past, they have mostly seemed to like saying what they want and seeing me make it. Visiting this Ruins Bar made me wonder if I use giant pieces of paper, possibly with some designs already on it, will this entice the residents to leave their own mark on the work and make them want to be more involved in the project if they see that lots of other people are contributing to the same design.

Initially, I had thought that drawings to be made by the residents would just be painted, drawn, and collaged. However, being at the bar, I realised that simple 3D elements could benefit this element of the design process. For this I could offer flowers, ribbons, photo frames, etc. for the residents to use to add to the work. This will also be great for the sampling and making for the end pieces, as I can use mor embroidery techniques to make the products better for their sensory purposes.

As a lot of the walls were covered in writing and this was interesting to my family and I to search through, it may also be something that the residents will enjoy. Residents may find wellbeing through films and books, so it may bring them happiness to use their favourite quotes within the work. If quotes are to be added to the end pieces, it may be beneficial to use the AMAYA to machine stitch the words, so that they are clear and high quality for the residents to read.

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Creating 'Digital Embroidery' Samples

Within the sampling stages of my work, I find it useful to create digital embroidery samples to get a better idea of what pieces may look like when completed. I do this as I can quickly create mock-ups to select the most successful of my designs, and I can also play with colour easier, which is helpful for deciding on colour schemes to use in my work and is quicker to produce than hand embroidered samples which may end up not being as effective as I had hoped.

To make the digital embroidery samples, I use Illustrator and create a number of brushes and swatches to give the impression of stitch. Examples of these are below:

I played with the colour scheme of a sample as an example of how this can be used. after creating these samples, I will be able to choose which I want to create a hand embroidered sample from and start creating yarn wraps and gathering the fabrics that I need.

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Designing a Book Cover

During a workshop, we were given the task to design a book cover for a book that we may want to write based on our specialism. With mine being textiles and embroidery for wellbeing, this was going to be to key theme for my design.

To begin with designing the book cover, I created a collection of thumbnail sketches of ideas that I had, taking inspiration from past embroidery work that I have done and decided on the title being ‘Happy Little Stitches’, as I feel that these elements would quickly sum up what the book is about to the viewer. I did the first few of these sketches in the university, while sitting with others on my course. By doing this we were able to give each other ideas for each other’s work, which I was then able to reflect on and create further sketches with while at home.

When I had completed the sketches, I selected a few of my most successful ideas, and created quick mock-ups of them using Illustrator. For the mock-ups, I created swatches of fabric textures and brushes to look like stitches to work with, to try and create the illusion of hand embroidery. Doing my mock-ups this way, I was able to experiment with colour schemes, placement, and style more easily than had I drawn them by hand like I was planning to do initially.

With my mock-ups, I joined course mates in the university studios and created my final design. Again, being within the university studio for this section of the project, I was able to receive and share ideas with others about our book cover designs, such as which of our mock-ups we liked most and how to improve them. During this stage, I completed the front and back of the cover, refining the designs and including the blurb to summarize what the book is about.

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Away from Her (2007)

The film ‘Away from Her’ (Polley, 2007) is a story of a man, Grant, dealing with the struggle of watching his wife, Fiona, suffer with dementia and ultimately end up in a care home, not even recognising him anymore. While watching the film, a few things stood out to me in relation to my project.

On his first visit to the care home that Fiona wants to go to, Grant asks “who chooses the music? I assume it’s not the residents, I don’t see any of them singing along”. In my own experience I have found music to be very helpful to people with dementia; when hearing an old song that they know, many of them will sing or hum along the best that they can, and become more social, chatting about the artists or memories they have from it, such as if they have been to the concerts. Hansen (2017) found that in people with early to moderate dementia, music helped with relaxation and had positive short-term effects and that people with moderate to severe dementia had less agitated outbursts due to the effects of music. Throughout my project, I plan to use music to increase the wellbeing of the residents; I will ask them for recommendations for music and make a playlist to use during their participatory part of the project.

Patchwork quilts, paintings and other textile products were placed on the walls of the care home within the film, providing the space with lots of colours, shapes, and textures. Later on in the film, we also see Fiona wearing a sweater that doesn’t belong to her and Grant questioning why she is wearing it. I have found that residents with dementia enjoy picking up and touching items that are colourful or textured, so I plan to have them help with fabric decisions as well as just drawing and painting. By including lots of different fabrics that the residents pick out themselves, I can make products that are textured in ways that they like, meaning they are more likely to respond positively to the end products.

Reminiscence is key throughout the film; flashbacks on memories and fashion with stories being told over the top of them, showing the lives of the main characters. Residents tend to enjoy sharing their memories with people, telling the stories of the fascinating lives they have led and giving people tips and recommendations on what they should do, such as places they should visit that they have enjoyed visiting with friends and family. An example of reminiscence that I loved in the film, was a resident, Frank, who used the be the ‘play-by-play guy’ for a sports team watching it on television and Grant lowering the volume so that everyone can hear him do his play by plays of the game. The people around them cheered Frank on, and this would have helped him to feel important and reminisce on his time in the job he loved. I would like this to be included in the design process in some way. I could use stories that they have told me to go side by side with the products or be written into the patchwork through stitching the actual words or even drawing out their stories through stitch.

References:

Polley, S. (Director), & Iron, D., Urdl, S., & Weiss, J. (Producers). (2007). Away from Her [Prime Video]. Icon Film Distribution.

Hansen, S. M. (2017). Dementia and Music Therapy. Alzheimer's and Dementia, 13, 1411. https://doi.org/https://doi-org.libaccess.hud.ac.uk/10.1016/j.jalz.2017.06.2188

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Experimenting with animation styles

In my last tutorial, I talked about how I won’t be able to take pictures of residents through the project for confidentiality reasons, but that I might be able to take photographs of their hands as they participate in the project. I was given the idea to possibly use short stop motion animation to reflect the residents touching the different fabrics and participating.

To experiment with this idea, I took a photograph of one of my own hands holding one of my samples for this project and drew it using just pencil and pen. I then used layout paper to trace the drawing four times and tried different materials and styles for how the animation could look. I want a simple idea, that I can repeat multiple times, so that I can make several animations for the project.

In the one where the design of the fabric is made with shapes cut from post it notes, I left them loose on the paper to move the shapes instead of re-drawing the hand as it moves. My hope is that the movement of the shapes creates the sense of the fabric being moved.

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Dale Holmes- The Stone That Crashed Into The Kneecap Was Not Moving

This project was inspired by the injuries that pro-cyclist’s risk and get during tournaments. He used photographs of the injuries with retro filters laid over the top of them and performed three texts that he had written based on the images that he saw, as he shaved his legs. He purposely used a metal bowl to rinse his razor, as the sound of metal on metal created a surgical sound. (Holmes, D. 2019)

Within my own project, I will be taking photographs and I am hoping to create a few short stop motion animations based on the project. As I enjoy writing, I could write about the experience or take note of quotes and anecdotes throughout the project and record myself reading them to place with the animations. I could also take sound inspiration form the environment around me at the time: music, indecipherable chatter, the sound of pens on paper, etc.

Reference:

Holmes, D. (2019). THE STONE THAT CRASHED INTO THE KNEECAP WAS NOT MOVING. Dale Holmes. https://www.daleholmes.co.uk/the-stone-that-crashed-into-the-kneecap

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Making My Products More Fun For The End User

I want the end pieces of my project to be fun to look at and use, so I want to start thinking of different shapes I can make the decorations into. This could be cushions, comforters, or small stuffed forms for example.

My current idea is to take shapes from the drawings and paintings that the residents create to inspire the shapes of the overall end products, not just the patterns and embroidery on them. Using Illustrator, I have made three mock-ups using my own paintings that I did quickly, when I was just painting to be happy. I played with how the shape could be changed and how embellishments would fit to the design.

Though the outcome of these examples is not overly aesthetically pleasing, I can see how changing the shape can make the decorations more interesting to the residents. Through experimentation with the residents’ drawings, I should be able to find shapes and designs that will be more appealing. When I come to designing the products, I will likely use Illustrator to make mock-ups and experiment with ideas to help decide on what end products I want to make.

[seatextiles]

The Studio and My Own Project

My project will consist of creating tactile products to be used in a care home for residents with dementia. I have decided to do this due to my own experience working with people with dementia in the care home environment. While working there, I have realised that touching objects and moving them around happens frequently; this could be anything with texture, including wet floor signs, vases, washing bags, and other items. Creating tactile products such as cushions and comforters with residents could be beneficial to their wellbeing, through the making and end use of the products.

As a big portion of the project will be done in the care home, this could be counted as a studio. I plan to create design ideas with the residents. Using paints, pencils, collage and other drawing methods, I will create designs with the residents inspired by what makes them happy. Some residents will enjoy doing this by themselves and others will prefer to give ideas and watch as I draw for them. While doing this part of the project, music will be playing, which the residents will choose themselves, as I have found they connect to the music they listened to in their earlier years, often singing along and dancing around to it. I will also gather fabric swatches for the residents to feel, so that I can see which the residents respond to the best, so that I can use fabrics that they like in the end products. When creating the products, I can bring in the pieces that I have done to gather ideas from the residents on how they would like for them to look and what could be added to them.

My own home is where I will reflect on my work alone and think of how to further improve products and the wellbeing of the residents participating in the project. Journalling my ideas and writing up my report will be done in here, as it is a quieter space meaning I can focus on writing and thinking of ideas without getting distracted.

University workspaces are where I will do the more technical parts of the project, like the embroidery and pattern making. The technical parts of the project could cause health and safety risks, as I will be using sharp needles, scissors, and other tools, which is why they will not be conducted in the care home environment. Creating samples and putting together the end pieces here will be good, as I will have other art students around me, who may have further ideas for me to try as they see me working on the project and I can share my ideas with my peers as well; we can help each other throughout our individual projects.

Throughout the project, my ‘studio’ will be three different places: The Care Home, my own home, and the University workspaces. Similar to Olafur Eliasson, each of my studios will have a different purpose for the project. One will be a busy environment with other artists, one will be a place of reflection, and one will be where I go to generate ideas and make pieces of work in an environment where I wouldn’t usually create work.

[seatextiles]

The Function of the Studio- Daniel Buren & Thomas Repensek

When I first read the article, I was taken aback by Duren & Repensek (1979) commenting that the work on gallery walls giving the impression of a cemetery and being a place for work to go to lose its meaning. Though I partly see where they have gotten this idea from, as seeing a piece of work in a gallery you may not fully understand the artists meaning behind the work, this has not been my experience with museums and art galleries. Even as a child, I loved visiting galleries with my dad, as the art felt alive and was often interactive, helping myself and other viewers to connect with the pieces. Viewers may not fully comprehend the ideas and themes behind the work, but this does not mean that all meaning is lost; the audience can create their own meanings and connections with the work.

 Having performance-based workshops and being able to co-create work leads to participants feeling more connected to the work and finding their own paths to follow. Through research it was found that allowing communities to be a part of the work “developed changes within their lives, e.g. one was accepted to study fine art, one went to college, another built bridges with their family and others volunteered locally.” (Barnes & Mcpherson, 2019). If work in a gallery can affect someone’s life in this way, how can it have lost all meaning by being there?

More recently, my mum and I visited the exhibit ‘Conscious’ by Suki Chan in the Bluecoat Gallery, in Liverpool. The exhibit was a multi-platform project, allowing viewers to see the world through the lens of someone with memory loss or dementia (The Bluecoat Gallery, 2022). This was far from a cemetery where the work had come to lose meaning. Upon entering, staff warned how emotional the work is, and it turned out to be very true. The sounds of people sharing their experiences of dementia being played as we viewed the photographs and array of broken teacups and teapots arranged across a dining room table brought a flood of heartbreak to the viewer. My mum was brought to tears by the work in front of her. The dining table and broken dishes has stuck with me as well, along with the words saying that when a loved one gets dementia, you end up mourning twice, for the person they once were and again when you lose them; something that I find family of residents at the care home I work at, as well as myself with my nan, experiencing.

Own photographs taken at 'Concious' exhibit

Talking of how they visited many artists in their studios and again when the work they had seen there was presented within a gallery, it is said “it was when I later visited, one after the other, the exhibitions of these artists that my enthusiasm began to fade, and in some cases, disappeared” (Duren & Repensek, 1979). In a way, I agree. Though I fully enjoy the experience of art galleries, the connection to the work is different than if it were to be found with the progress made to get to the place it is in now. I have found this within the end of year exhibitions at university the past couple of years. Due to COVID, my class had their work exhibited online, where only a sample of work was shown of each student along with some writing of the journey taken to the final pieces. This differs from the previous years, having in person exhibits, where all work throughout the project was provided to the viewers; I had enjoyed looking through the sketchbooks and sampling to see the complete journey of ideas and inspirations which led to the final collections created and this gave more meaning and connection to the work that I saw.

References:

(Buren, D., & Repensek, T. (1979). The Function of the Studio. The MIT Press, 10, 51-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/778628?origin=JSTOR-pdf)

(The Bluecoat Gallery. (2022). Spring Event Programme 2022. Bluecoat. https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/about/news/spring-event-programme-2022)

(Barnes, P., & Mcpherson, G. (2019). Co-Creating, Co-producing and Connecting: Museum Practice Today. Curator The Museum Journal, 62(2), 257-267. https://doi-org.libaccess.hud.ac.uk/10.1111/cura.12309)

[seatextiles]

Studio Olafur Eliasson

Having 3 essential studios for the development of his work is something that I find interesting in Eliasson’s approach to creating work. Reading about the style of the studios, I realised that in my own way, that is what I have and what I need in order to produce work that I am proud of.

The first of Eliasson’s studios is based in Berlin and has a “labyrinth like complexity” in which a blend of people and projects are to be found. Inside the studio, no music can be heard; the only sounds being that of quiet conversation allowing the artists to focus solely on their work. (Coles, 2012, p. 61). Though not done in silence, I have personally found it very helpful towards the generation of ideas to work in spaces with other art focused individuals. Whether this be in the university setting or at home, where I have always lived with art lovers (both when I lived with my parents and when I moved to university). An example of this is my final year of my undergraduate; I lived with a girl who was studying animation. Seeing her work on her stop motion pieces gave me the idea to turn one of my initial drawings from my own project into an animated piece. Though this first attempt didn’t work out the way I had planned, it is something that I would like to practice further, and it also gave me a deeper appreciation of animation to see all the work that goes into just seconds of a piece.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 1 & 2- Alexander (2021)

To watch the animation: https://sealexander0599.wixsite.com/mysite-1/animation

A space to go to reflect on your work, journaling the positives and negatives of the work you have produced and noting ideas to experiment with, can be a key element in producing artwork. Coles (2012) writes that Eliasson has a micro-studio in Copenhagen and that this is somewhere that he spends time contemplating and reflecting on his work without the pressures he faces in his main studio. Having space to sit and think, without the distractions of a busy studio or housemates helps me to look back on the work I have done and the ideas I have gathered and pick out the ones that interest me the most. It is then that I can start to experiment with these ideas and note down what works and what doesn’t; it can also lead to realising new ideas which can be expanded on within the studios. Again, from my undergraduate course, an example of this was when I was designing products that could be sold in Oxfam’s festival shop. I went to the studio with samples of what I wanted to make and left with comments and questions from others about the work I was making. When I was alone, I was then able to use that to reflect on my work and guide me through the next steps of creating.

Eliasson also has a mobile studio in Iceland. “it’s basically an old camper van with a bubble on top. I use it to take photographs of the landscape and sometimes to paint” (Coles, 2012, p.63). though I don’t have access to something like this, I do travel home and find inspiration on the drive and at the different locations that I visit. If I don’t have the tools to sketch my inspirations, I found it useful to photograph and make note of how it could influence my work. Exploring is like having a mobile studio, in that it contains new inspiration and can provide tools for design. For example, when I was at my parents house last year, I experimented with the leaves and flowers I found, painting and printing them to inspire embroidery.

Figure 3 Figure 4

Figure 3 & 4- sea_textiles (2021)

In conclusion, having a range of studio spaces is a vital part of generating artwork. In the same way that Eliasson finds each of his studios important to his creative process, I also need to use different spaces to reflect on and develop my textiles work, from initial ideas and drawings to sampling and creating final pieces. Being with others can expand on your knowledge and give you outside opinions and new ideas. Working alone can help you to reflect upon those ideas, note down the parts of your work that went well or could be improved upon, and allow time to experiment with ideas you have developed. Travelling for inspiration can provide new ways of working, such as making tools with what you can find to sketch or paint with.

References:

(Coles, A. (2012). Studio Olafur Eliasson. The Transdisciplinary Studio, 1, 61-76.) (Coles, 2012, p. 61)

(sea_textiles. (2021). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6kQjFD3Ep/)

(Alexander, S. (2021). Drawings. Sarah Alexander Textiles Art and Craft. https://sealexander0599.wixsite.com/mysite-1/drawings)

(Alexander, S. (2021). Animation. Sarah Alexander Textiles Art and Craft. https://sealexander0599.wixsite.com/mysite-1/animation)

[seatextiles]

My specialism being embroidery with craft and art. With this, I enjoy making decorations as well as fashion and home accessories, including creating the patterns to structure them together. I also enjoy digital design and include this within some of my work; I often create digital drawings, and for my projects, I like to create ‘digital embroidery’ samples to inform my next sampling work.

 I want to expand on my abilities to include photography and marketing & communication, as I feel that these will be useful for my future goals. If I am able to start my own business, I will need to improve on these skills to appeal to my target markets and show my products to the best of my ability.

[Fig 1- digital embroidery sample from undergraduate Final Major Project]

[fig 2- photograph of Final piece from undergraduate, based on above digital embroidery]

Figure 1 & 2:  Alexander, S (2021). Textile Practice BA/BSc(Hons). https://radar.hud.ac.uk/directory/fashion-and-textiles/textile-practice/2021/sarah-alexander/