Saturday 10 May 2014

Light Sensitive Dye

When thinking about using light in my work, I thought about light sensitive dyes. I liked the idea of using light to create patterns and when I tested the dye I was really happy with the results. I had photocopied some feathers and liked the organic images that it produced. Firstly I used image maker to lift the photocopy and embed it into fabric, however this left quite a messy finish and distorted the flexibility of the fabric. When I used the light sensitive dye, I coated various different fabrics, including cottons and silks, and lay feathers on top of the material while situated in the sun. This process was quick, however it did a few attempts to perfect. It all depended on the fabric used, the amount of dye used, and how much light it absorbed.

At this stage, I would like to create a piece that is made up of different components. I would like to use my previous knowledge of print, and make small samples, which I intend to join together to create a quilt-like wall piece. This will eventually be projected on, and I plan to distort this projection in some way, using shadows.




Friday 9 May 2014

Ant Dickinson

Ant Dickinson's workshop was really inspiring and completely relevant to my work, and future aspirations. Firstly the talk covered all his previous work, and how he has fallen into different job roles and commissioned work. The projections that he had developed with his wife were amazing, and it was interesting to see how he had used different digital technologies in open spaces, for instance a castle in Conway. He labelled himself as a musician, however his work was so diverse that he could easily be categorised as a textile artist.

He gave us an insight into how to use different softwares, and tutorials on how to use them. This information was hugely useful, and I have been able to list these programs down for future use. 
I have been using audacity, which is a sound editing software, and I would love to develop this new skill and combine it with my projections. 

He also touched on projection mapping, and introduced me and Nicole to the software that he uses and how he uses it. Obviously at this stage I would be unable to incorporate this into my work, and it would take me too long to understand, and I would have to experiment with the settings and sample my ideas, however I am definitely going to use this process in the future.

Curving photography was also mentioned, and is something that I was unaware of. I am a really excited to explore this further, and would be keen to use it in future projects. It involves taking a photograph of an object, and the camera releases electronic pulses at the photograph is taken which creates beautiful halos.



Saturday 3 May 2014

Sam Meech

I have been hugely inspired by the workshop with Sam Meech. I had never used a knitting machine before, and was quite daunted by the idea, but after creating my own knitted sample, I’m already addicted to the process.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to how Sam reacts to briefs, and also about his general interests. It was interesting that he begins many of his projects by creating short films. I love this way of working, and have always been interested in photography and film, but have struggled to combine it with Textiles. However, I now realize that although my degree is Textiles, I can divulge into other practices. The short film he showed us, featuring a group of older ladies, who had formed a knitting group was really cleverly filmed, and Sam had captured and combined a mixture of knitting skills, and gestures perfectly.


Sam also explained that he had been a freelance artist for over eight years. At this point, I am still unsure which direction I will take when I finish my degree. However, seeing how successful Sam is, while still remaining experimental and open to learning new skills, I am more confident in becoming a freelance artist.  I realise that a lot of hard work, and self discipline is needed to be successfully freelance. Sam has shown me that, although recognised for previous work, there are no limits to creativeness, and you can learn new skills during your projects. There are no barriers, and you can divulge in other artistic practices. 




Friday 2 May 2014

Manipulating projections

Looking back on the workshops that I have taken part in, I zoned in on the structure I had made out of shot glasses and el wire. I started to combine my projections with this idea. I really liked the outcome of this, however realised how difficult it would be to build a large structure out of shot glasses. When making the small sample, I used a soldering iron to create holes between each glass, and also to attach them together. However this process was messy, and didn’t give me a clean finish. I thought about using a drill, but the plastic would be too fragile for such force.


I really liked the knitting punch cards that we used in the workshop with Sam Meech, and thought that the early plastic sample I had made using a soldering iron was very similar. Firstly I thought about compressing the feather pattern down into rows of holes, however after sampling this idea, I didn't think it gave me the surface I was looking for. So I bought a large piece of clear acrylic which I plan to punch holes through, and then sit in front of patterned fabric, to create interesting shadows.




Thursday 1 May 2014

Development of photographs

My research has been mainly based on the Blackpool costume volt. I began to manipulate the vibrant photographs that I took during the trip, and used photoshop to distort them. I rented out a projector  over the Easter holidays and started to use it in unusual places and on various structures. These projections created really interesting surfaces and textures. In particular, I really liked projecting on stacked wood, it gave the image new dimensions and created really unusual shapes. I also projected on hay bales, which gave the images a tinsel look. The hay bales glittered in the light and captured the projection really well.

This process has really fuelled my ideas for potential installations. Rather than just creating images to project, it important to consider what you are projecting on. It could be interesting to project on irrelevant objects or opposites, for instance, much of my work is based on feathers, so perhaps I could project on industrial machines. I also like the idea of distorting a projections using mirrors or shadows. 




This process allowed me to think about the surface I would eventually project on. I began to create my own feathers using threads. I also used the laser cutter, etching on to thin acrylic. I wanted to make my own sequins, similar to the ones I had seen and photographed in the costume volt.
I thought the process was quite successful, and particularly liked the larger feather on transparent acrylic. I projected light through this sample, and really liked the distorted linear lines that it produced.