Evaluation

E N D   O F   U N I T 

The 'Locating' Unit has been by far the best unit on the TIP course. I have really enjoyed it despite initially thinking how terrible it was going to be, trying to work out two briefs at the same time, whilst also beginning the inevitable process of networking. Having to write my own project has been challenging in more ways than one, I have had to learn how to manage my time effectively whilst thinking independently. In terms of contextualising my practice, I feel I have developed a lot over the course of this project and I feel happier where I am now; heading in some sort of direction rather than feeling a bit of a mess. If I could change anything about the project, I would change the length of weeks we had to complete it, as there are still so many things I want to explore. I am a bit disheartened that the construction of my jewellery took me a long time; time that could have been spent exploring more braiding techniques and sampling. I also wish that I had made my warp 8 yards rather than 6 as I finished it too quickly and got to the end with 4 or 5 samples still planned. In my next project I think I would like to carry on with the same market that I feel I have developed into, both jewellery and bespoke work. I would like to try more things with my warp next time like painting over it, bleaching and I would also like to try weaving using braids and generally being more experimental. 

Professionalism and Employability Task

At the beginning of Level 5 when we were handed this task, I had no idea what I was going to write, but as we have moved through this year I feel that I have really progressed and am beginning to realise things about the way that I work and where I hope to fit into the industry. The first term of Level 5 was very up and down; one minute I thought I knew what I wanted to do and the next minute I had changed my mind again. Its been a time of development and I am learning a lot about myself as a creative person; more and more each day. The ‘Locating’ unit has been the most useful and I feel I know myself so much better. I have found it easier and ideas have come more naturally to me. The chaotic mess I was in last term, seems to have become a little more organised through this unit. I think I have worked out that I like to have some sort of final outcome to work towards, what I haven’t worked out though, is whether or not it has to be something I have set myself or if it can be something that someone else has set for me. I have really enjoyed being able to make up my own brief, and work towards something of my own, and I am beginning to question whether this means I might work better on my own in the future.

When thinking about the context of my personal practice, I’m still a little unsure of exactly what path within textiles that I want to go down. There are lots of things I am still keen to experiment with, however, through the last unit I have really enjoyed working towards a final outcome in the textile jewellery area and particularly working towards a bespoke market. Being able to design and make products for this kind of market, has allowed me to think more artistically and less commercially which I have liked doing and I have found it more exciting. At the beginning of the year, I really didn’t know much at all about this area of the market, but my knowledge has greatly expanded and I now know all about the pros and cons of being self employed thanks to some really insightful lectures this term. The key person to really inspire me has been Daniel Heath. I found the experience of Daniel Heath’s lecture really invaluable and it has inspired me to seriously think about pursuing self employment; an avenue which I thought i'd never go down. I gained a lot from his lecture, and I feel like being self employed may be something i’d now consider. One of the key things I took from the lecture, was that each project is new and different from the last one when you are self employed, and I find this aspect appealing as I like change, and I work much better when I am challenged. The other key person to inspire me this term has been Karen Nicol. I found her to be very genuine and she talked openly about her experiences in the industry. One of the key things which I picked up on in Karen’s lecture, was how she was able to work on projects all around the world. I found this so inspiring as bringing culture into my work is important to me and I always look at culture for inspiration. Even though working for myself seems very daunting at the moment, I do think that it may suit both my personality and my creative practice.

As I have already mentioned briefly above, I think that the audience in which I want to work towards, remains in the bespoke high end market area. I don’t think that my practice relates to one age group specifically; its open to anyone in that bracket. I feel like my practice is aimed at this target market because I like to create unique and bespoke pieces which are artistic but still functional as a product. To show an example of this, I haveshown below one of my textile jewellery pieces which I have made recently through ‘Locating’.

I feel that my work is artistic like a bespoke product should be, as well as one off; no piece will be exactly the same  as they are all handmade which means they fit into the bespoke market rather than any other market area. In order to explain the desired audience a little better, I have shown a few examples of other practitioners who are working towards the same area as me. 

The first artist is Erin Considine. Erin is a New York based Jeweler who also works with weave. She makes her products by hand and each one is unique as she crafts her jewellery from found items around New York.  Her jewellery is aimed at a high end market. Other practitioners working towards the same audience as me include Daniel Heath, Claire Ann O’Brien, and Karen Nicol. All of these 
artists are self employed and are designer makers. 

Erin Considine. Lunate Fringe.

In terms of the future of my practice, I have recently put a lot of thought into this. I have decided that if I do want to be self employed, the next best step for me is to get as much work experience as possible with practitioners who are self employed too. After my final year, I then want to continue to gain more experience, and then I would also like to continue to develop my skills and enrol on a MA Textiles degree. I think this will enable me to have enough time, experience and maturity to start thinking about branching out on my own.

Daniel Heath. High-Wire Wallpaper 

I am aware that setting up to work for myself is going to be an extremely challenging process. Between now and then I need to begin thinking about costs, and start researching where I can get possible funding. In order to set up a successful practice of my own, I also believe it will be worthwhile thinking about factors that will affect my practice and I think one of the main factors will be producing my products in an environmentally friendly way. I will               take a leaf out of Erin’s book and use as many natural dyes and pigments as possible.

References:
 Lectures this term
http://erinconsidine.com
http://www.danielheath.co.uk

Jewellery

 A    F E W   S A M P L E S  

Below are three of my five finished jewellery pieces. I am relatively happy with them for my first ever real attempt at making jewellery. After Lesley's last tutorial on Thursday, I took her advice and re developed the fastenings, and I'm pleased with the way they now look. Unfortunately I have not had time to photograph my pieces on a model, however it is something that I am still going to do, but with the fiddly reconstruction of my jewellery as well as mounting, there was no time left for a final photo shoot. After constructing my jewellery pieces, I now think there is one thing that I would change if I were to make them again. If I had time to develop my designs further, I would like to have tried stiffening the back of the woven samples, to enable me to sculpt them into different shapes when placed on the body. This is something that i'd like to experiment with in the next unit. 

Jewellery Construction

M A K I N G 

It's taken me quite a few attempts to be able to construct my jewellery pieces. The method that I ended up using to create the secure loop at the top was as follows:

1. Cut a small strip of bondaweb and lay across the frayed edge of the fabric and iron on
2. Peel away bondaweb
3. Cut the same size strip out of a piece of thin black cotton
4. Iron the cotton onto the bondaweb
5. Lay the necklace/chain along the fold line
6. Machine stitch a straight line using invisible thread

After trying different ways I found that this way was the strongest, and I also found it easier to thread chains and yarns into the loop as  I had an extra piece of stiffening cotton to keep the loop upright. 

Thoughts so far

D I R E C T I O N

At the moment I'm feeling a bit confused about which direction I feel I am working towards. So far L5 has been up and down and one minute I think I know what I want to do, and then the next minute something has changed my mind back again. Its a time of development and I am learning more about myself as a creative person and how I like to work. This project has been particularly good, and I have found it easier and ideas have come more naturally to me. I think I have worked out that I like to have some sort of product to work towards in the end, what I haven't worked out though, is whether it has to be something I have set myself, or if can it be something that someone else has set for me? 

After thinking about this a bit, I went to speak to two of the tutors today to find out some more about Unit x.

 We had to make our unit x decisions quite early on this year, and at the time I decided on College 2 which was to work as part of a design team. The other options are College 1 which is for teaching, College 3 which is about thinking in new ways, and College 4 which is aimed at people who are thinking of self employment. I picked College 2 as I have always thought that I would want to work as part of a design team, however I think I would have been happy doing any of these Units as I'm still really unsure of my direction. Today I went to see Fiona who told me more about College 3. It sounds really interesting, learning to think in new ways, becoming more ambitious and learning to look outwards. It also sounds very challenging, at least to begin with. You work as part of a group of around 8-10 people collaboratively. I then went to see Sally who told me more about College 4. This also sounds really good as you can work towards a final outcome, but of your choosing. (Different to 2 which is set). College 4 also gives you the opportunity to do a lot of sampling and thinking about manufacture and bespoke production of products. 

I am going to think about it a little longer before I make my final decision. 

Contacting Erin

S T U D I O   V I S I T S 

As I am lucky enough to be going on the art study trip to New York, I decided to contact one of the designers who I have been inspired by through this project. After researching her work I knew that her design studio was based in New York, however I hand't thought to contact her until one of the tutors mentioned something about it in our last New York meeting. Fingers crossed that she will reply as it would be an amazing experience to see the space that she works in and to gain a bit more insight into her practice. 

Japanese Braiding

B R A I D I N G    T E C H N I Q U E S 

I have been exploring lots of braiding techniques, one of the main techniques is called Kumihimo. Kumihimo is a type of japanese braiding which looks really complicated to begin with, but once you learn the rhythm its easy enough to follow. The problem with it, is that if you do it by hand it takes a really long time. With practice you begin to get gradually faster. This week I have also experimented with braiding with bead, plaits, and making my own braids by using the cording foot on the bernina's.

On the left and right hand sides are the braids I produced on the cording foot on the Bernina. In the middle are the glass bead constructions I have been sampling. 

Daniel Heath's Lecture

D A N I E L   H E A T H

Today we were lucky enough to have a lecture with bespoke artist and designer Daniel Heath. I found his lecture really inspiring. He talked to us about his work for an hour or so, and was really honest about how he got to where he is now. It was exciting to hear about his journey and he gave us some top tips. One of the main tips he gave to us was that if you spend money on anything, make sure it it photographing your work. High quality photographs play an enormous role in getting your work out there. Another point he made, was that if you want people to see your work, you need to make it easy for publishers to feature in their magazines. This means the less work they have to do, the more likely they will feature your work. In other words, if you send them your high quality photos, and even go as far as writing a blurb about your work and sending it to them, they are more likely to put your work out there. Following on from this, it is a good idea to keep your contacts from university. These are the people who will be able to help you later on. Daniel told us how one of his friends did photography, another could make table legs from wood, etc and these contacts have been vital to his work. 

To be successful, another key point he made was that most projects are worth doing for the press, they may not necessarily make you a profit, you may only break even, but they are worth doing strictly for publicity. You need to get your work out there through as many opportunites as possible. Its all about word of mouth. Another good way to show your work, is through London Design Festival, and simialar festivals which enable you to meet other designers for possible collaborations, and to get your work known.  

I found Daniel's lecture so inspiring that I decided to go and speak to him some more afterwards. I wanted to find out more about being self employed, do you get lonely? Is it hard making every decision on your own? I spoke to him for about half an hour and he gave me some good answers. He told me that it isnt really lonely, as you are always working with others to produce you work, he said that sometimes it is nice to be on your own after a busy week.

I have found the whole experience really invaluable and it has inspired me to think about pursuing self employment; an avenue which I thought i'd never go down. Another point which I took from the lecture, is that being self employed is quite exciting. It is possible to travel through work, gain experience from everywhere, and work with many different people. Each project is new and different from the last one. I find this aspect appealing as I like change, and I work much better when I am challenged.  

Today has definitely given me some food for thought.  

http://www.danielheath.co.uk 



Development

S K E T C H I N G  &  T E S T I N G 

This week I started sketching some shapes which I could cut my weave into in order to make some interesting compositions on the body. These are just ideas, as I am not going to cut my weave, but following Angela's advice I thought I would experiment a bit anyway.

I have also started to think about how accessories can be developed from what I already have in my sketchbooks. On the left I dyed and bleached some tassels which relate to my earlier drawings, I have also taken a couple of new photographs for some new visual research, and I have begun to collect things in order to construct my jewellery. 

Development

A C C E S S O R I E S /

A D O R N M E N T

This week I have attempted a go on the Berninas in order to develop my project further. However, after a long day testing small samples and trying to figure out how to work the machines again, I don't feel as if it has been successful at all. The problem is, that I just cant get the machine embroidery, to feel the same as my weave. My samples from the loom, are so intricate and delicate, nothing that I have produced on any of the machines feels similar at all. I have tried the cut pile tufter and the loop pile tufter, the embroidery foot and the pink tuck foot on the berninas and also the embellisher. None of these machines can produce the same qualities that my weave samples hold, and I also havent enjoyed working with them like I expected to. Ive decided now to go home and brainstorm a bit more, I want to do some accessories and designs but I dont think I want to use the machines to produce these. Ive decided to go and think about hand making some instead.  

In order to add more visual imagery to this bit of the project, I have taken some more photographs with an urban theme. I found the roof tiles of my flat really interesting and so I want to explore this pattern further, and maybe try some layering and bring my shiny iridescent colour palette back in.

Sourcing Jewellery Materials

N O R T H E R N   Q U A R T E R  

Today I have been out sourcing materials in order to construct my jewellery. I thought this would be an easy task but I actually came across a massive problem. I spent hours trying to figure out what to use to make my woven samples into jewellery pieces. I searched the shops high and low, I looked through chains, cords, leather, beads, but I could feel that somehow nothing was right. It wasn't for a few hours that it suddenly hit me that none of these materials felt right for my samples.

 The problem is that my woven samples are so delicate and intricate, that I feel like none of the products I have seen reflect these delicate qualities. After having a break and thinking some more I have now decided the best thing to do now is to go back home and decided exactly which samples I am going to make into necklace pieces and which ones I am going to keep flat. After I have made these next decisions, I will revisit and try again, my other options are to make something myself... 

Jewellery Construction

D R A W I N G   O U T   M Y

I D E A S 

This week I thought it would be best to draw out the ideas I have in my head of how I am going to construct my jewellery in order to find out if I have thought it through properly and find any flaws in my plans. 

Tutorial with Angela Davies

A N G E L A   D A V I E S

This morning I had my tutorial with Angela Davies. I was looking forward to this as its always to helpful to get opinions and thoughts about your work from people who have never seen it. I found her tutorial really useful and she gave me some great new ideas. Now that I have finished my weave samples, I felt a bit stuck with what to do next. I told her about my idea of possibly moving my practice into accessories but she said first, it would be good to develop my thinking on how to construct my samples. Angela told me about a new designer, David Ogle. Ogle has recently been exploring how light, shape and technology interact with one another and has created large installations throughout London. Most of his installations are underground.



'David Ogle, who is based in Cheshire and works with light, was given the Subterranean challenge and in nine days has painstakingly transformed one of London’s unseen spaces with fluorescent drinking straws, fishing line and a weather balloon. The location is not for the unadventurous contemporary art aficionado. Its entrance is at the unglamorous end of Waterloo station, under the tracks, which is normally used as a (council-approved) practice area for graffiti artists and as meeting point for street drinkers. Outside the exhibition, the tunnel air has the aroma and sense of threat you would expect of any such abandoned urban environment.'

Angela told me to look at the styling of his work. It feels very urban and contemporary which is useful to my project. She also said it may be good to take photographs of my samples with light shining through them using inspiration from his work.

Angela also told me that my work had a tribal feel to it. Something quite a lot of people have commented on. She said it would be useful to do some more visual research into this. Her last point, was to think about shapes and lines when constructing my weave samples. We were talking about how you could cut them using inspiration from the lines I have found through my images of light, as well as Bradley Basso's glass architecture. However, I did not want to cut the samples themselves, so instead I am planning to scan them and think about postitining and shaping in that way.

Jacquard

S T R U C T U R E S 

This afternoon we have had a structures session on how to get our designs onto the jacquard in order to produce some new samples. Lesley told us to bring an image without many colours and I thought this would be suitable but when we began to learn the programme I realised that it actually had around 260 colours! I chose this image as I wanted to produce something quite photographic on the jacquard as I thought it would look really different to my other weaving. I took these photographs when I was working out the spacing between my pleats and the sizes of each one. 

The longer image above is the one that I ended up using for this session, I decided on a tiled pattern as if I don't have much time to go on the jacquard I can easily weave a little bit of it, rather than trying to finish a huge sample with one non repeat image.