Unit X: Location, Location, Location!

To give an idea of the sort of scale we want to work towards, here are some installation artists that I have found as inspiration. Over the weekend, we found that once we pulled our knit samples we could stretch them out and manipulate them so that they could span a larger space and form cool geometric shapes. But to progress any further we need to settle on a location so that we have a better idea of how much we need to knit. Surprisingly, it doesn't take too long to arm knit a large piece and isn't particularly laborious so can be easily done whilst watching the telly!

 I'm currently waiting for the film-people to see if they've got a film location in mind to give us an indicator of space we will have to cover. For this, Rachael has suggested filming in Antwerp Mansion and is in the process of emailing them for permission. As for finding a location for the actually exhibition, we have discussed what kind of space we are after and have agreed on looking for a blank white space that we could cover entirely in the knit. 

For our experiment in my flat, we used very conspicuous masking tape to anchor the knit to the walls. As tape will not do for the final exhibition, what I am concerned about is how many spaces will be happy to let us hammer nails into the wall! As a solution to this, I proposed building a wooden scaffold-type structure that we could construct on-site. This will give us a frame to work within and tie on bits of yarn that will hold the installation, with the film displayed in the centre of it. But in our tutorial, Robin rightly pointed out that this might just be unnecessary bother and that we wont actually know what we're working with until we find a location. 

But since we don’t have very long left, we should probably get a move on!

Unit X: Arm Knitting Part 2

Following on from our experiment with arm knitting, I took the opportunity to photograph the samples in the evening using dim directional lighting to try and capture the shadows that it cast on the wall. I think there is something quite beautiful about the intricate patterns created by the knit that is quite sinister and eerie at the same time. 

Unit X: Arm Knitting

The object of this weekend was Scale! Lizzie came over to my flat to get to work on trailing a knit installation. I was very impressed with her knit samples from last week as they were very tactile and even Robin pointed out that throughout the tutorial she simply couldn't stop handling them! What I was interested in was pushing them further in terms of scale and trying to see how we could create 3D shapes out of them.

Because we probably wouldn't be able to source big enough knitting needles for the sort of scale we had in mind, I suggested we try arm knitting after seeing a small sample of it from a friend on the course.  Below is  the Youtube tutorial that we used.

We popped into Abakhans on Saturday morning and since we were just interested in sampling the technique we weren’t particularly fussed about what kind of yarn we used. In the end, we settled for deep purple medium weight yarn and a mossy green yarn that was much finer to give us an idea of the difference in textures. After a bit of fiddling about, we found that the arm knitting process was pretty easy to grasp and were able to make a sample using a whole ball of yarn surprisingly quickly.

Once we had our samples, all we could do next was find some space and start putting it up. We didn't have much of a plan for this as we haphazardly started to stick up random corners of the knit. We found that we liked that shape of the knit when it was pulled taut and twisted to different angles.

Also, as we were knitting I found that my sample was much tighter than Lizzie’s; most likely due to my inability to let go and knit loose ‘messy’ structures! But in the process of hanging up the two pieces we were interested in the contrasting densities between them. In a previous meeting we had talked about the installation being concentrated at a central point and expanding outwards. So the two knit samples worked well in the sense that we could vary the tightness of the stitches in order to portray different densities.

We thought about using different thicknesses of yarns side by side, again as a means of portraying a concentration of energy and outward movement. So the idea is that the yarns used in the centre of the installation could be thick and become progressively finer as we reach the peripheries of the piece.  This is dependent on what we can source as there wasn't a great range available at Abakhan.

Finally, we thought about colour and the possibility of using a gradient colour scheme that uses darker yarns in the centre and lighter yarns as it moves outwards.

Overall, I think this was a successful experiment and we are definitely edging closer to defining our final outcome.

Unit X: Harmony from Discord

This week has been a stressful one! There has been much biting of tongues and Facebook based venting!

 It all began with our lecture with Anne Douglas. Anne's work is based primarily takes on a curatorial role is excited by the process of bringing together completely different fields such as fine-art and science bring the audience an exciting artistic experience. One question she got us to think about in the lecture was that can a collaboration be successful even if the outcome is not? Her argument was Yes, it can. This is because collaborations are all about the sharing of skills and knowledge and therefore much can be gained from the actual experience of collaboration. If the end product is successful then clearly the collaboration worked well, but all in all it is a process of trial and error.

With this in mind, Anne Douglas was the perfect person to sit in on our Tuesday tutorials Robin and Eleanor. But all did not go to plan. For starters, the only people that turned up were myself and Lizzie from the installation sub-group and Millie from the film sub-group. Not a great turn out! We were asked to pitch our idea so far and the tutors took a positive interest in what we had to say about the installation.They were particularly interested in Lizzie’s knit samples because of how tactile they were.  However, as Millie was the only one present from the film group, I don’t think she was quite able to do justice to their ideas on her own and since we had not been involved in that process, neither could we. This led Anne to question our decision to work separately and she stressed that we were completely missing the point of the collaborative unit. At this point I must admit, the whole sub-group scenario was a bit of an easy way out of having to manage such a large group!

For the remainder of the meeting, Anne talked to us about the ways in which we could combine the film and installation as a sort of performance piece where we could invite the audience to experience the installation as a sort of guided tour and film the reaction. Whilst her ideas were all very exciting, we left the tutorial feeling a little dazed and confused.

Things only got worse when the news hit Facebook. I would post a screenshot of the conversation but it’s a little messy! The problem was that Millie posted a panicked message about how we were being asked to change our ideas. Somewhere along the line this got heavily misconstrued and things got pretty heated as people were not happy about though of dropping ideas.

Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when we called for an emergency group meeting. Thankfully, we had all cooled down a bit and were able to talk about how we could intergrate the film and installation. At first we talked about the knit being part of the set design to go with the film.  But as we went on to brainstorm scene ideas I was a little concerned that the story line had nothing to do with our plans for the installation at all. I think it was a little difficult for the group to visualise how it would fit in as we haven’t yet gotten around to sampling anything on a larger scale and as a consequence couldn't really show them what we had in mind.

As the narrative the film-people had in mind was based around irrational fears, I suggested that the knit could be a figurative representation of this that is present throughout the footage. The fact that it would be more in the background for some of the scenes might add to the sinister connotations as fear can be portrayed as something that is ever present. 

I think after all that fuss, we might actually be in agreement. All we need to do now is to get cracking on some large scale knit samples!

Unit X: Sampling

Following on from our meeting, this weekend I have been busy sampling with various material. My initial research looked at objects that were used in Voodoo rituals so I thought it would be a nice idea to make casts of objects, maybe those that had sentimental value, to display as part of our installation. For this I decided to keep it simple and use watered- down PVA glue to fuse various materials together in a moulded shape. Inspiration for this came from Lizzie’s research into the work of artist Anna Mortimer who uses heat fusion to mould fabric into delicate cocoon-like objects which she embroiders and puts together as beautiful globular clusters.

So I started by covering a small vase with patches of loose wool fibres (kindly donated to me by Flavia) and soaking it in watered-down PVA glue. I was quite happy to keep my layers quite uneven and haphazard as I was interested in the way light would pass through the varied densities.

Whilst that was left to dry, I repeated technique by wrapping thick string around an ink bottle and some thin yarn around another vase. Again, my aim was not to be too precise and leave random gaps in between the layers to allow for light to pass through. 

As I had really soaked the pieces I found that it took ages to dry! But as it was a nice day I was able to take some pictures of my experiments in good light. In some ways this worked better with the coloured glass as a base for the wool and string outer shells as it accentuated the light and shadows. 

Once dry, the samples weren’t quite as successful as I had hoped. I found that the samples simply didn’t hold their shape once they had been peeled off their bases. Particularly, the wool fibres began to come off in clumps once it started to peel it and would probably start to shed every time I handled it! But this might simply be down to my PVA to Water ratio. What might have been a half-success however might be the string and yarn structures. Again, these did not hold their shape properly but once removed from the base structure, it was almost as though the yarn took on a skeletal resemblance of the object that formed it. 

Unit X: Brass Art

The week before we broke up for Easter, me and my friend Sonia gate-crashed an art lecture. I say gate-crashed because after about 5 minutes we realised that we were the only fashion students in the entire lecture theatre and the content wasn't really directed at us at all. Nevertheless, it’s probably the most bad-ass thing I shall ever do!

But this being a collaborative unit and possibly the only chance we will have to deviate from everything fashion, this incident turned out to be a bit of a ‘happy accident’. For you see, the lecture was headed by Chara Lewis, a member of the Manchester based artist collective, Brass Art.

We came across a piece of their work in September last year at the Tatton Biennial entitled Flights of Fancy. For this, the collective exhibited a site specific inflatable sculpture called Trine Messenger (2012). Taking inspiration from classical images of Hypnos, the collective’s surreal piece was an amalgamation of each member’s face using 3D and 4D bio-medical facial scanning.  Sadly, when we visited Tatton Park, the sculpture had started to deflate so we did not get to see it all its glory. But from its documentation on the collective’s website I can see that this was clearly an impressive piece. The fact that it was stark white alludes to marble sculptures, almost as an echo of the inter-mingling of modern technology and classic art forms.

Trine Messenger at Tatton Park, 2012

A lot of their work revolves around the interplay between light and shadows. For example the series of watercolour silhouette drawings produced as part of ‘The Non-existence of the Unnamed’ (2010) series were exhibited in a dark room in which the artists installed just one light bulb. This brought the notion of shadows playing tricks on the mind to the audience whose own shadows would mingle with the figures on the wall. In this way, the drawings almost become an installation as it is as though the eerie silhouettes were emerging out of the canvas like some portal to another realm.

The Non-Existence of the Unnamed at The International 3 Gallery, 2010

I am interested in how the collective utilises space to play an active role in their installation. For example, the installation ‘Still Life No.1’ (2011) was a result of their ongoing fascination with 3D laser printing, with which they created miniature figurines of themselves. These figurines were displayed alongside other small scale sculptures made out of cheaper materials such as cellophane. They worked alongside a theatre technician to create a rotating table with its own light source on which to display the collection of objects. This gave the mini-sculptures a new dimension as the shadows created by the rotating table created ever-changing shadows on the walls of the gallery space, almost like a live shadow play. I think this is a lovely idea as the installation in itself was not particularly big but still the artists managed to fully utilise the space in an interactive manner. In this way, the difference between the expensive 3D printed figurines and the cellophane is lost entirely as the shadows cast on the walls reveal nothing of their origins.

Still Life No.1 at The Whitworth Art Gallery, 2011

*images taken from the artist's website

Unit X: Zero-Waste Pattern Cutting with Fiona Mills

Our lecture with Fiona Mills was an introduction into the concept of Zero Waste pattern cutting. The objective of this process is quite simply to reduce the amount of waste produced in the creative and commercial pattern cutting process. Shockingly, 15-20% of fabric waste is produced at this stage in current commercial practice with even greater waste produced by high-end designers as a result of their elaborate and complicated designs. This is worrying as, despite the protestations of many big brands, much of that waste does not get reused or recycled. This is even more of a problem now as fashion is fast moving and the seasonal trends mean that more garments are produced at a quicker pace; therefore greater wastage.

It is then interesting that though this is a contemporary issue, the practice of Zero Waste Pattern Cutting has been around for centuries and takes inspiration from the first garments ever produced. This harks back to a time when fabric was a valuable commodity as Roman and Grecian garments would be constructed using entire lengths of fabric and shaped simply by tucking and draping.

Fiona then spoke to us about the Yield exhibition held in New Zealand in 2011 that celebrated the use of Zero Waste in modern practice. The exhibition brought together a diverse cross-section of designers and researchers that are the forerunners of this field. This ranged from young designers such as Julia Hamsden, a recent design student, who works primarily with menswear and uses the waste pattern to create quirky grown-on details on generic garments for the commercial sector. On the other end of the spectrum, there are designers such as Yeohlee Tang who create garments for high fashion who have experimented with the technique for a high-fashion market.

The lecture followed an afternoon workshop with Fiona herself who has just completed a masters with her research based around transforming commercial and designer patterns into Zero-Waste garments. As part of the workshop, we were given a set of pattern designs from the Yield exhibition and were asked to recreate the design without any instructions. This struck me as a bit of an odd request as I regard pattern-cutting as being about precision and accuracy. But Fiona assured us that it was just about having fun with the construction process and being creative.

I decided to take her word for it and chose to work with a skirt pattern by Yeolee Tang. It seemed simple enough but when I got down to cutting and reassembling the pieces I just couldn't figure out how to put it all together so that it looked like a designer skirt. I really didn't help that I didn't have any clear images to see what the end product should look like so essentially I was trying to re-create something that I had never seen before! Since I have major control issues, this was quite a frustrating process. But Fiona was pretty encouraging and eventually I managed to fit all the pieces fit together so that they actually resembled a garment.

Aggravatingly, when I got home I Googled an image of the garment I had tried to recreate and it turned out that my skirt looked nothing like the original! *deep breaths* 

But I won’t lose my mind completely as at the end of it all Fiona reminded me that the process was just about experimentation and creating original designs through the process of problem solving. This is something I'm very interested and might even take another crack at it when I start designing for my next project. All in all, a really great lecture with an equally engaging and friendly lecturer.

Unit X: Installation Sub-Group

This year has been very much about trial and error. At first, I felt compelled to abandon the ways of working I had adopted in my previous foundation year, which was geared more towards textiles, and approached the course with a preconceived notion of how a fashion designer must design.  Unfortunately, what I imagined to be the ‘correct’ way of working did not translate into the correct way of working for me and I have found myself struggling to design in a way that reflects my artistic sensibilities. This is why, I was so excited to use this unit as a chance to step outside the confines of the course and begin to explore different ways of working.  I am still interested in the practical making of things which is why; when it came to thinking about the final outcome I was more inclined to work towards some form of large-scale installation. Thankfully, as a result of last week’s tutorial with Louise who gave us the option of creating more than one outcome, I was joined by Flavia and Lizzie as we formed a subgroup. Like me, the girls are interested in working with textiles and prefer a tactile and hands-on approach to making.

We came together as a sub-group today where we went through our research and talked about what sort of medium we’d be interested in working with.Whilst I enjoy working consistently on my own to develop a narrative for my work, when it comes to realising those ideas into an actual outcome I find myself a bit lost for direction. In this way, I think working with a team (though now smaller than originally intended) will benefit me as already we were bouncing off each other’s ideas.

It emerged that whilst Lizzie and Flavia had ideas of what they would want to work with in terms of the final outcome, due to having to change the direction of their research according to our turbulent group discussions, they had not defined a research concept. The general feeling was that each time we had a meeting, ideas were changed and in turn research had to be altered accommodate those changes. 

My research had the advantage here as I had stubbornly refused to change my research as I wanted to continue to develop a strong narrative on which to base our groups ideas. I guess that’s not quite being a team player but it has worked out for the best as the other two were happy to continue with my conceptual research.

The concept we have settled on is that of ‘Evil Reflected’ as illustrated in the images below taken from my sketchbook.

Collage using image of a 'Gris-Gris' talisman. Pencil, Tracing Paper.

Collage based on photograph of Horse skull.  Pen, Watercolour.

Despite the fact that this research came from looking at Voodoo, our aim is to make the final outcome more of a figurative representation of the original concept. Both illustrations show sharp forms protruding from objects, so we talked about potentially making structures that raise up from a fixed point in a space, i.e. either upwards from the ground our as a hanging installation from the ceiling. As inspiration for this, we thought about the work of artist Cornelia Parker, whose piece ‘Cold Dark Matter’ is an exploded view of a garden shed that appears to be suspended in motion. 

Cornelia Parker, Cold Dark Matter- An Exploded View. Exhibited at Tate Modern(1991)

What we particularly liked about this was the fact that all of the individual components were concentrated at a central point and then expanded outwards into the larger gallery space. Lighting is an important component here as again its central positioning almost suggests a source of energy.

Finally, we are interested in fully utilising space by playing around with lighting to cast shadows. To achieve this we have a number of ideas that we aim to sample during this week.

• I want to continue to play around with fabric manipulation to create 3D structures
• Flavia is interested in machine embroidery onto dissolvable fabric
• Lizzie is interested in free-machine embroidery but wants to look into incorporating text within the piece. 

So the plan for the rest of the week is to Sample, Sample, Sample!

Unit X: A Day at the Museum

Today, I spent the afternoon being an absolute menace to tourists and children alike by blocking the view of exhibits that I insisted on taking ages to sketch!

In search of some primary research, I set of to Manchester Museum where I looked at skulls and ancient artifacts for inspiration. This is because my research into voodoo culture so far has pointed towards inanimate objects that hold value for the owner.  The reasoning behind the animal skeletons took inspiration from an image of a Voodoo Market in Benin that I found on Pinterest.  Again, we see that inanimate objects are capable of holding deep meanings and serve a greater purpose.

I also found authentic dolls from West Africa and was particularly interested in the ‘Ibeji’ figurines from the Yoruba people of Southern Nigeria. Ibeji, literally meaning twins in the Yoruba language, are wooden dolls whose care and protection ensures the survival of either twin. It is thought that if one twin dies, the other must carry both Ibeji that will then house the soul of the deceased twin.

While at the museum I also came across axe and spear heads. I think this fits in with my concept of ‘protection’ and ‘evil reflected’ as essentially weapons are there to protect but needless to say cause destruction in the process.

Finally, I spent an inordinate amount of time drawing broken bits of ceramics. I guess what I was interested in here was the idea that the broken bits and pieces are almost as important to the museum as other whole objects for the historic value they hold. In a very round-about way, I suppose this echoes the idea of valued objects. Or maybe at this point I was getting a bit desperate!

After this, I continued my wander down Oxford Road to the Whitworth Art Gallery. I didn’t find much that could relate to my research as such but as it’s a contemporary gallery I saw some very interesting installations that might help us a group in terms of how to curate our final outcome.

I was immediately drawn to the video installation by Micheal Landy as it’s pretty much in direct eye-line of the main entrance of the gallery. The main feature of Landy’s very personal work about his father was a video of still images that were projected to a screen suspended in the middle of a large room. This is particularly striking because of the overlay of the artist’s father whistling his favourite tunes as the soundtrack. The overall effect is a little eerie due to the stark feel of the room but oddly familiar and comforting at the same time.

Similarly, the artist Beryl Korot’s installation featured linen and wool weave that were again suspended in the middle of the space. Directly facing this were a row of five television screens embedded into the wall that played a looped documentation of the weaving process. The rhythmic sound and movement of the looms really compliments the repeat geometric patterns of the weave in documenting the meticulous process.

From this, I am interested in how various components can work in harmony with each other to form a cohesive installation and create an overall narrative. I am also interested in how space is used in these installations as both exhibits were quite stark but this only added to their impact. I think this is something we can look towards for inspiration in the later stages of our project.

Overall, I am now rather overwhelmed with ideas indeed. However, it was nice to briefly step away from my own research and look at some more contemporary works of art at the Whitworth, which are all definitely worth a visit!

Unit X: Louise saves the day!

OK. So I must admit, I’ve spent this week feeling rather lost with the project. After Tuesday’s group meeting at Hilton House, it seemed that we were being pushed to condense all our ideas into one final outcome. Now, it’s all very well to collaborate but since we are a group of nine creatives with very different ideas I couldn’t help but feel a sense of panic at the thought that my own Easter research might get lost in the process.  It’s a given that in collaborating with other artists and designers we have to surrender some of our own ideas and be open to new perspectives. Thats perfectly fine by me, but what worried me was that it would be too difficult to reach consensus when dealing with such a vast pool of ideas.

However, after today’s tutorial with Louise Adkins I feel a little more optimistic and can certainly stop hyperventilating into a paper bag at the thought of relinquishing some creative control.

Firstly, when we tried to explain all the various ideas we had in mind for this Unit, it became very clear that perhaps at the moment a lot of our research is quite superficial.  Louise suggested that we might have jumped to conclusions too soon about our chosen superstitions without having enough knowledge on which to base a rich outcome. To remedy this she suggested that we spend the weekend looking at artists, films and books to build a fuller background of research to inspire our work.

Louise also gave us the option of exhibiting multiple outcomes on the same collaborative theme. She suggested that we take on an almost curatorial role as though we are artists working towards a show. It is still important that we return to the group and maintain a common ground but we have the freedom to explore our own interpretation of the theme.

As a result, we have divided the group into two sub-groups; people interested in Film and those interested in Textile Practices. I belong to the latter as my research is geared towards a more 3D textiles outcome and fortunately I am not alone in this. This is great because it means I can still collaborate with people from my group to create an outcome that is ambitious and reflective of all our interests.

After the tutorial, I had a brief talk with Flavia who is willing to collaborate with me in an installation. We concluded that we are both interested in textile techniques and processes. In particular, Flavia suggested using dissolvable fabric and possibly recording the process as a starting point. Similarly, I want to continue pushing my research into fabric manipulation but push this to an extreme as we both agree that we both want something that is ambitious to reflect the theme of ‘The Irrational’ in a figurative way. Currently, we can’t quite visualise a final outcome but this is good. I now have a sense of direction and a greater sense of relief knowing I can push forward some of my own ideas without completely going rogue on the group!

Unit X: Return to Hilton House

Today we found ourselves yet again at Hilton House for our first group meeting after the Easter break. For this we were asked to start pinning up our research onto our allotted wall space so that we could start to see what common ground we had and ideally move forwards with an agreed concept. This was easier said than done!

I think that we might have a bit of a setback as all our research at this stage is quite broad. Also, before the Easter holidays we agreed to continue research on our own strand of suspicions. This may not have been the best idea as it just means that now our research simply does not have enough in common, and naturally none of us are going to let go of our ideas without a fight!

My fear in regards to this is that whilst the research is broad, it is simply not in depth enough.  However, all is not lost. During the meeting, it was something that Rachael said that stood out to me. She found that the definition of Superstition was an ‘irrational fear or belief’.

 su•per•sti•tion (ˌsu pərˈstɪʃ ən) 

n.

1. an irrational belief in or notion of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, etc.

2. a system or collection of such beliefs.

3. a custom or act based on such a belief.

4. irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, esp. in connection with religion.

5. any blindly accepted belief or notion.

The keyword here is ‘irrational’ as I think this gives us a concept with which we can evolve our theme. Irrational not only gives us a concept to work towards, but can also be translated visually as a piece that might seem out of control or simply a bit crazy. In line with this, I proposed that we create an installation that is ambitious in scale and impact.

Another idea in regards to the final outcome is to make a fashion film based on fears and suspicions. At the moment it is undecided whether this will be a modernised parody of the theme or perhaps a more sinister tone. Whilst I like the idea of making a film, having had a go at this for my last project, I’m not exactly confident in my filmmaking abilities just yet and fear that I will not be making much of a contribution.

All in all, today has left me feeling more confused than ever about the fate of our Unit X. It might very well be a case of ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ as in spite of our collective research efforts we are no closer to coming to an agreement. It’s safe to say that at this stage I am very nervous indeed!