Practice - Evaluation

Over the past 18 weeks I have learnt a wealth of different things, about myself, the way in which I like to work and the style into which my work grown. To begin with I felt overwhelmed by the vast length of the practice unit, 18 weeks on one unit seemed to me like a never en ding road. After a few weeks finding my feet I began to feel comfortable and relaxed more into the project and my work alike. I knew quite early on that I wanted my work to hold a sense of order, structure and precision, something that has come to be my speciality.

The summer work which I had undertaken seemed to be hindering my idea process, so I decided it would be best to start over and work on a brief that more suited my needs. I chose to focus my attentions onto architecture and the surrounding shapes that towered over me. Manchester provided the perfect backdrop, with photography sessions in and around the city I was able to generate several image collections that would later be the main focus of my work.

I looked into collage, digital manipulation and of course weaving. After several weeks running with the ‘Urban shape’ theme I wondered what I would find if I were to delve back in time. Comparing the modern shape of architecture to the shapes and forms of past times. The university slide library became my new companion, searching for images from the 60’s a new hobby. A few in particular caught my eye and it was these images that would guide me over the next coming months.

Picking away at the shapes I found, I began to deconstruct images and create new forms and shapes of my own. This led me to the idea of double cloth, a new weave technique that I had never tried. Needless to say, it was perfect for me and my project. The structure, rigidity and heavy weight feel to the fabric enticed me. I found that I now was starting to become clearer in a potential context for my work.. Upholstery. Thick, dense, heavy.

Moving forward and after Christmas I engaged in a live brief, set by Dash and Miller. Creating samples for Ralph Lauren home was an amazing experience and enabled me to once again explore shape and linear structures to the extreme. Working with a single cloth I was able to generate samples that fit my own personal brief to a tee – ‘Urban Darks’.

I have discovered that as well as just weaving, I am extremely fond of using digital processes to enhance and push forward my design work.  I feel confident that I can run with my overarching concept into Unit X and hope that upon graduation I will have a clear and consice idea about where my future lies. This project has taught me to think outside of the box, push boundaries and to not be afraid of my own ideas.