Evaluation
05.05.18
Overall, I am really pleased with the outcome of my work and the opportunities I have had with this module. I was inspired by the ‘Forensic Room’ in the Curzon Building where we had to solve a murder. I decided to focus on forensic science and how it plays a vital role to help solve crimes. In my final piece, I have explored concealing and revealing and the importance of a hidden message which adds mystery and suspense in my work. I did this by using glow in the dark threads; forensic scientists would narrow down areas by using a UV light to search for DNA. I have replicated this process by the viewers having to reveal what is hidden to the ‘naked-eye’ by shining a UV light on the fabric. I have also focused on the detail of objects in my final piece inspired by Frances Glessner Lee’s Doll’s House creations of real life crime scenes. I have used words which link to the Susan Barber murder case; the viewer would have to look at the detail of the embroidered words and work out how the murder was committed.
I have successfully investigated the emotional connection to objects and domestic space in my work. I enjoyed visiting the forensic room at the Curzon Building and learning new skills in the textile room, such as digital embroidery and experimenting with Variotherm inks. I have always wanted to learn how use the digital embroidery machines and I have now accomplished this skill. Digital embroidery and forensic science worked really well to show that both processes use data and patterns to create and solve crimes.
The most challenging part of this project was trying to pick an interesting context for my work. I struggled to pick and combine an object with digital embroidery. I had to try and pick a fabric that is used in a domestic environment and use embroidery on it; such as curtains, rug, blanket etc. I decided to pick a table cloth and pick a murder based around a table. I also struggled with picking a focus point at the start of the project.
For my next project, I need to consider how I display my final piece of work. In this project, I struggled to create successful photos displaying my fabric on a table in a domestic environment. I placed a plate, knife and fork and glass on my fabric and edited the photos. The photos were not interesting enough. However, if we were to have an exhibition I would set up a table with domestic objects on the table cloth. Therefore, the photos I took are more of a guideline for the tutors; I didn’t want them to be the final outcome. In the exhibition, viewers would see the table cloth in the middle of a dusk room and have to pick up a UV torch to search for the words on the table cloth. This reflects how forensic scientists look for clues to help solve murders. However, if I was to generate photos of my work, I could photograph my table cloth in a different domestic setting. As a result, getting whole room photos which could lead me to embroidering on more fabrics, such as the curtains, rug, sofa cushions, etc… creating a ‘forensic room’ which viewers would be submersed in a domestic environment and be more inclined to take on the role of a forensic scientist.