“Place is not a physical location nor is it a state of mind, rather it is the engagement of the conscious body within a specific location”
For my honours year collection I have chosen the topic of place to be the inspiration for my design process as I have discovered location can determine your start, present and future in life, and it plays a vital part in our upbringing, as well as the places we inhabit and visit throughout our lives
Place is such a broad concept and it can be related to a wide range of interests, varying from the influence of our location geographically to the value of inner or imaginary locations within ourselves. What inspires me most in my studio work is the landscape, inhabitants and places which have left an impact upon myself and within the international culture and contemporary world.
At the end of January I had the final hand-in of my dissertation and began to work full time within the studio focusing on my honours collection.
I have since been able to focus on the deconstruction at my own perception of place, which has led to my these designs and samples which were exhibited for the interim exhibition and external examiner visit.
The two drawings below are a snapshot of some of the maps and observations of place which I have created, heavily inspired by aborigine songlines (rock & wood carvings portraying abstract maps) I wanted to take mapping back to its foundations as it had been more and more heavily developed throughout time and with the development of technology.
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| My abstract map of Aberdeen and the journeys I have undertaken while living there. |
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| My angular abstract map drawing. |
| Over my four years at Art school I have focused within knit & weave however I feel my real talent lies within print, especially screen printing. Even although screen printing is a lengthy and technical process, where I have to coat and expose my screens within the darkroom, spot my design, mix my own inks and dyes, and the often messy and unpredictable act of printing, I find it much more satisfying than digital print which doesn't allow for discovery or innovation in its creation. |
| My angular abstract map drawing. |
| A choice of fabric for my final year is something so important as it determines on so many levels to how my collection will look, be developed, and be used within the interiors or fashion market. During a research and fabric sourcing trip to London in December I came across the most amazing fringing in a haberdashery store, I was astonished at the available lengths, raging from about 30cm to a meter in length. It reminded me of the work by Korean fine artist Hong Sungchul who had digitally printed onto cord to create these alternate canvases. |
| My angular abstract map drawing. |
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| Hong Sungchul - String Mirrors |
| I decided the fringing I had sourced would be the perfect output for my designs to be produced and the ways in which I could further develop them were endless. I bought three different lengths of the fringing to try out various scales and to test how the act of screen printing would impact them - or wether the design would be visible or lost within the delicate threads. I produced three alternate scales of screens to match the fringing and began to sample. |
| My angular abstract map drawing. |
| How did I screen print onto thousands of threads without them moving or being twisted and completely straight? |
| My angular abstract map drawing. |
| I have never before undergone such a technical and challenging process - one which is now top secret after weeks of working with various technicians and lots of trial and error. |
| My angular abstract map drawing. |
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| My first screen with the shortest fringing (30cm) |
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| I mixed all my own dyes for the project ensuring the print would come though effectively. |
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| A close up of the fringing being printed. |
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| My print design which was screen printed onto the 1 meter fringing. |
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| Another close up of the printed fringing. |
After much research and as my project was focused around the topic "sense of place" I wanted my designs to be suitable for the interiors market. With an interest into the contemporary boutique hotel industry - I was always impressed by their innovative approach to interiors and I wanted my outcome to be of an appropriate style to interact with the environment that would surround it.
I decided that for my interim exhibition I would design a three tier lampshade to which my fringing would be draped and layered upon, allowing the internal lighting and layers of the print design to blend.
Compared to other projects where I focused on repeat pattern or symmetrical designs I have been eager to push my own boundaries in my final year and focus on being more selective and think about the placement of my designs. This led to my design and development for the barrels of the lampshade. I wanted to continue the print design however instead of screen printing I decided to use flock which was digitally cut using a plotter cutter then heat bonded onto the lampshade.
For my interim exhibition, I wanted the environment which my work would be displayed to be built in keeping with my work, this led to the development of a support beam and lighting system to be fitted above the space. I decided to create mock ups of how my space could be set up (seen below) and with the help of a technician I began to build my exhibition.
"Perspective" Exhibition showcasing my completed lampshade and printed fringing to follow...
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