1. Demonstrate the use of analysis and creative thinking in interpreting and responding to self-initiated and other projects.
• Are you able to demonstrate your use of analysis and creative thinking?
This was perceived as a weak point by my tutor within my tutorial for my previous assignment (assignment 2). I needed to work on analysing others work. I find that I am naturally doing this in my head when viewing work now. Instead of being the “image collector” in a “pinterest” gathering style; I have become much more selfish as to what I retain and think deeper on. In order for this to come to light from my tutors point of view and for ease of access, I have named one particular post deliberately, which goes into one piece of Freddie Robins work. I cant do this for every piece as my blog would become overloaded, yet it proves to be an example for what I am now doing all the time. Find it here.
• In which aspects of your work do you feel this is already apparent?
Example One
The analysis now in a deeper form, is informing my creative thinking, allowing me to think outside my practice methods which I have become used to using, namely fabric and embroidery. In the case of Freddie Robins, I used many aspects of her work to inform my own. Having listened and watched her lectures, I see how knitting has become her form of repair (the topic which I am currently researching and using as a foundation for my developing practice). This is not always a repair in the sense of patching up a holed jumper, but the physical / emotional kind. She mentioned a poem within her lecture – The Knitter. This proves as evidence that Robins is here discussing the emotional form of repair; the act of the maker making to repair herself.
At first, I was excited by her use of knitting to make sculptural, humanistic forms. However my excitement waned after a few weeks of developing my own knitting skills. I realised that to Robins, knitting has become her form of repair – yet it will not be everyone’s. I needed to find my own personal way of emulating this quality.
Thus I reflected back on my own practice outcomes in the past. What was I drawn to? I realised that it was cloth, in it’s basic state. Pattern and colour tends to allude me, however undyed linen, vintage cloth with history, or any other natural fibre excites me. It speaks to me via its marks and tactile qualities. I find that this assessment then turns to the humanistic qualities the fabric can convey; i.e. a soft muslin reminds me of comfort, childhood, dressing up costumes and a provocation of warmth. An undyed Irish linen brings me back to my original love, an art canvas. The material evokes strength and also harks back to my own birth place. In short, Freddie’s wool is my fabric.
Example Two
I have had email and phone contact with Julie Arkell. This has allowed me to publish my findings within this post and connect my own work to hers.
Looking at her use of paper mache, I subsequently began to question sculptural forms and what my own interpretation would look like. Her use of the colour black, at times even subliminally to herself also evoked my interest. I myself have favoured white undyed cloth, due to its clean, untainted feel. Investigating her colour palette helped me focus on my own:
Left: My own colour palette of undyed wools and silks, in opposition to Arkell’s darker tones, which she began to employ after the loss of her mother. This brings me to an important similarity within our two practices. She illustrates loss in dark tones, yet I illustrate it in pure light tones. I do this to convey the message of a memory or circumstance lost or wiped out, that is my “repair” or way of “dealing” with it. Arkell’s dark palette shows her loss in the traditional context – wearing black or dark colours for a funeral or loss of something or someone dear. I noted within my interview notes both of us have the same starting point, yet our interpretations are different.
• How can you further practically demonstrate your strengths in this area?
For my Research course, I have been emailing and interviewing a number of artists who employ or touch upon an aspect of repair or hints of emotion within their practice. This has also fed my investigations for Personal Specialism. I will further interview and add my findings. I intend to publish this at times in separate named posts. This is for ease of viewing for those assessing my work and my tutor. Separate posts will allow me the space to critically analyse the artist, based on my own understanding of their practice, focusing on the parts relevant to my own. The answers from the interviews will shape my views too and allow me to focus on why each artist is important as a brick within my project.
I have spent time critically analysing the practice of others, yet I perceived that one weak point was the analysis of my own work. This is to not only help others to understand my pieces, but also for me to understand what has been the drivers and what’s inside my head, as sometimes work gets made with underlying meaning which may get highlighted by another, not the artist themselves. I wanted to strengthen this perceived weak point. Thus I have acted to this within this post, which picks apart one example from my project which I felt was the most important.
2. Show proficiency in using personal visual language and practical work to communicate ideas effectively.
• What personal visual language do you feel you’re already exhibiting in your work so far? What are its features or qualities? How are you applying this visual language to effectively communicate your ideas? What ideas have you been aiming to demonstrate and communicate in your work?
Repair, the ongoing answering and percival of ‘how to heal’ and how to celebrate the “OK”.
I have chosen to not answer this literally, so far there was been no embroidered text saying “heal”, no mended seams with gold (I have previously mentioned that the Japanese technique of Kintsugi is a strong inspiration for myself) and no obvious repair…i.e. a darned jumper.
My work has taken a personal view of this subject, yet I have not made it so personal to view, that it is uncomfortable for the observer. My sculptural pieces made so far, can be interpreted by others; I have not made them so narrowed down that my audience cannot make their own judgements. Thus my project has a subliminal, subtle feel, which is exactly what I wanted.
The body of work made so far, has been thoughtfully created. It is the sensitively chosen materials which convey the quality of repair, rather than a visible show of mending. This analysation of one of my pieces evidences this further.
• How is your practical creative work able to communicate your ideas effectively?
Repair and a question of ‘how to heal’ has been a consistent theme from my first course, Watercolour 1. It is not always picked up via the literal, for instance it does not always appear as a repair technique, such as Boro although it has at times. Here are a few pieces to show this language of repair…
Above from top left: Textiles 2, partial self portrait on vintage doily. Watercolour 1, Self Portrait. Textiles 1: A creative approach – repair of a face. Textiles 2, Boro with vintage rust dyed salvaged materials, Textiles 1 exploring ideas, partial view of dress made from destroyed lingerie and vintage findings, brought together to make a new garment. Textiles 1, Lace collar with machined invisible fabric and cut up garment care labels. Textiles 3, small knitted sculpture, Textiles 3, large human size sculpture.
Without going in to every reason why these pieces either symbolise or literally emulate repair, it is obvious to me when looking back on my body of work for this degree, that even when I have been unaware at the time that I am dealing with repair, I have been. Thus this has naturally flourished as I finish within my final Textile 3 work.
My works features and qualities have changed over the years, as you can see above. However, it can be housed under the same vocal umbrella – how to heal – our mind, or a broken piece of fabric, whatever the context.
Taking for an example the most recent works created, illustrated above (bottom left), repair has been silently conveyed via my material usage. Each piece of cloth was carefully chosen to send a specific message. I have discussed this in depth within this post and this one too. Giving one example, the legs of my large sculptural sample were made from the pattern based on my own body size, fashioned from Irish Linen to hint at my own heritage and outer strength. The insides were stuffed with bubble wrap. This was designed to illustrate that at times we may feel too lightweight, or at times we may look strong, yet it can be a façade which is easily “popped”.
• How can you improve on this?
Through my latter body of work, I have focused on ways which I can convey repair or a question or answer on the need to heal in a subtle way. This is what I hoped to achieve; I wanted to test out my ability to simplify my work and let the structure or material choice speak, rather than a detailed pattern or print. I feel that this puts my work on a higher level, as I find it easy to simply embroider the words ‘repair’ or similar; yet it is the weaving of themes to become undercurrents, which have to be deeply thought about to be understood that takes time, experience and careful management. This is what I aim to produce through my Personal Specialism.
There are other ways I could try to bring this to the fore more within my project:
- I began to play with the use of egg shells in Part Two. I have alluded to this in brief within Part Three, yet this could be pushed further. The idea of using the egg shells for dolls heads adheres well to my thematic content and enquiry into repair within an emotional context.
- More stitched drawing work or extensions there of. It will be important to not simply repeat the style of my previous work examples without incorporation of new. This will be where a clever use of the materials chosen and techniques employed come in. I have enjoyed adding an element of surprise to my outcomes; for example when using Jesmonite, I designed the areas I used it to be hidden, thus when the final sample was picked up, it carried a weight which was not observed to the eye at first. With my stitched drawings, the fabric they are embroidered on could be painted in sections with a liquidised Jesmonite. Once dry, I know from previous testing that this not only stiffens the fabric, but also gives weight. The fabric itself could also be moulded at its damp stage. From prior testing, although my machine and hand needle does do through Jesmonite, it does not give as good an outcome as when the drawing is done first and then the Jesmonite employed. All of the above could be played out as part of my skill communications within this project as a whole.
- Incorporating my knowledge of Print making has been a key thought when meditating on how to push and extend my project. The use of mediums within this category has been thought out sensitively to align with my projects thematic matter. From the beginning of this course, I have questioned how to dissolve or lessen bad memories or trauma and thus allow for a sense of healing. Thus the following mediums / techniques work well in this regard:
- Bleach (As used in Part One)
- Decolourant pastes and discharge mediums (Part One)
- Cyanotype (Usage within Textiles 2: Contemporary Practice)
- Solarfast (Usage within Textiles 2: Contemporary Practice)
All of the above have been decided due to their ability to fade or erase an image or other aspect both on paper and fabric. Decisions into which one to use will be surrounding the type of image or part of my project. For example hand dyed fabrics with no fixed dye work well with Decolourant. A computer printed image, which has been chosen and loaded onto a specifically treated paper type works well when a highly detailed image is required.
4. I unearthed the possibility of creating at least one more life size sculpture, so that the qualities of repair could be further ascertained via body language. I.E. How do two figures react to one another when a hurtful situation arises which requires repair?
3. Show both the technical scope and a critical and contextual understanding of a chosen textile process or processes.
• Are you able to exhibit the technical scope of your work at this point in your project? If so, how are you doing this? • How are you showing a critical approach to your use of textiles processes?
I feel that this could be improved. I have made a material “work” for me – namely Jesmonite. I am pleased with how I have manged to use it. In its traditional state, it is often used as a fashion piece:
However I have managed to take it out of its recognisable state, using it not only as a symbolic medium through my large and small body studies, but also looking at the aspect of mixing it with other materials, namely cloth and knitted textiles.
Above: Large body (life size) and right, the small hand held piece.
The strongest aspect of my work at this stage, seems to be how I am able to connect a material or technique with emotion, thus the piece I create can be critiqued on two areas, how it has been made and what the maker wanted it to say. What is clever about this, is that I am not using any facial features or small details – all the meanings are coming from either the material or the way it has been staged when photographed.
The imagery above shows this in action. The sculptures heads are made from my own disused facecloths along with Jesmonite. The Jesmonite, once hardened adds weight and retains the shape it has been formed in. By combining this with the fabrics and knitted structures, I have created a binary opposition – the are a part of the same object, yet totally opposite in style. This is a designed and planned feature on my part, as it means that in both the small and large sculptures that the heads flop down, thus conveying emotion through body language.
• Which aspects of your work would benefit from a more critical approach during further development of your project?
As a perfectionist, I can see ways which this could be further pushed – so far I have only worked with the plain fabric, which yes have been carefully chosen, i.e. the dolls are made from personal fabrics, vintage findings etc. However could I push this further by doing something with the fabric before I make the structure? I have lots of skills in my “toolbox” as it were – ones which may still relate to the area of repair – i.e. forms of print making, such as Solar and Cyanotype.
The whole theme of my work at this stage, is repair, making things okay, celebrating the things I cant repair or make as if there was no need for repair. Thus these techniques could work, as they take the colour away from fabric – bringing it back to its original state in a new way, or taking away something.
Really I feel I need to pair down all my different areas of interest which I have highlighted through the course so far and push the strongest, making for a few outcomes with depth and a clear progressive path.
• How are you able to show your contextual understanding of the textile processes you’re employing?
I have been working in tandem with my research course, where I have chosen the same topic to pursue. I have been able to develop an extensive body of research with directly relates to this theme, in order to fully ascertain the context of where my own practice lies.
To give an example of how I have linked other artists practice techniques with my own, see this post on the work of Julie Arkell. Her use of paper mache, helped me understand and place my own work outcomes, where I developed my own form of paper mache as is were, using Jesmonite and Liz Earle facecloths around a balloon to create a life size head.
• What can you do or produce to strengthen the contextual framework for your work?
A consistent approach is needed especially when analysing others work and my own. Unearthing with clarity the clear undertones within another artists work and my own, will help me add on the contextual framework of my own developing work.
4. Demonstrate the ability to develop ideas and sustain a project from its inception to final outcomes that take into account the audience and/or requirements of the client.
• How is your development process evident in your work?
This is outlined above within the answer to the question How is your practical creative work able to communicate your ideas effectively?. It is clear that the subject of repair has been either an undercurrent or an obvious quality throughout my BA. My focus and attention is now centering on this subject, which feels like a natural progression. I need to make sure that this progression is not just evident to myself, as I know my work well and know the story without need to fill the gaps.
• How are you going to manage and direct your project to ensure there’s a sustained approach from start to finish?
The key is to not feed any paths which I cannot put my heart into, or ones which I genuinely cannot learn the skills needed quick enough to fulfil and produce an extended body of work.
The theme has been chosen 1. Because it is one I feel strongly about and can personally connect with. 2. It has depth, variance and unending possibility, thus I have not chosen a subject where I will run out of steam, yet it is one I can filter to my own preferred realisation.
The above reasons will help me to finish this project with as much enthusiasm as when I began it in the first place.
• How have you begun to evidence consideration of your market, audience or client in your work?
See comments in 5.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of how your own work connects with market forces, commission work and/or exhibition opportunities for textile outcomes and within the context of contemporary art and design.
•How does your work connect with its intended context/s? How do you plan to strengthen and/or present your creative work to allow it to reflect your understanding of the context/s within which it will function?
Future exhibitions
At this stage in my practice, I am thinking realistically about where my work “sits”. In line with this, I have been approached by this art gallery is Glasgow, The Lighthouse, who have asked me to put in a proposal for an exhibition.
Thus I am thinking outside my studio setting and how I would want an audience to approach and observe my work. I will not be using this to curb or mould my work in a way where I make work simply to fit an exhibition. However the focus of seeing a space and deciding how I would curate and design an exhibition, helps to add focus to my practice in a healthy way.
Consideration for my perceived audience
Thinking of definite areas within my actual work examples where I have shown consideration for my audience….
This is evidenced through my understanding of how my figures are perceived. I noted within this post that scale was a big factor within the work I am producing ‘This small structure, acts as a type of “trap”. It deals with issues, yet because of its size and our traditional association with doll like forms, it attracts rather than repels. Curiosity is evoked.’ – This comment was added when I was discussing the sizing / scale of the work I was producing. I was trying to understand how an outsider may view one of my small sculptural pieces, in contrast with a larger one.
This is something I intend to continue to play out and explore.
Getting audience feedback
I have begun to ascertain opinions and perceptions from others regarding my work. For example within this post, I asked fellow students about my piece ‘I am 5ft 2 and 3/4″‘. Getting opinions from fellow students is only one way of gleaning results, thus I intend to strengthen my findings by asking a wider range of audience types. This could begin with those close to me – family and friends. I could then extend this to include those with lesser knowledge of my work, for example a Gallery Curator I know. She will have an artistic viewpoint on my work, from the point of view of a Gallery setting. This will be a vital source of learning for myself, in order to ascertain how my work could be viewed within an exhibition setting.
Exhibition visitation
I plan to strengthen and widen my ideas as regards the setting and contemporary place for my work via visiting as many exhibitions as possible, in and out of the Textile discipline. From this I will gain an understanding of the current themes observed in others work and how they present themselves.
Seeing work in an exhibition setting, will give me ideas as to the setting up of my work and the presentation for assessment too.
Market forces
Due to the nature of my current work, I see myself going down two routes:
- One off works, presented in exhibition settings.
- Printed Textiles, work available to a wider audience to view. This has the bonus of:
- Being repeatable.
- Possible sales.
- Makes my work viewable physically to a large worldwide audience.
3. Teaching and lecturing in the Art / Textiles field, which I have been sustaining for nine years.
Previous experience which has strengthened me so far and which I can extend
- I have had one solo exhibition to date and been a part of at least four group exhibitions.
- I have been an Artist in Action, demonstrating my practice at both Harrogate and London Knitting and Stitching shows.
- Been a part of countless art fairs.
- Own website, where I have set up a shop during the time of my BA. Recently I sold a piece of my Printed Textiles to New Zealand, which is one way I can evidence a wide audience.
I will continue to ascertain the placement of my work and discover wider ranges of audience as I push my project forwards.
Ailish Henderson 512344 oca textiles Level 3: Personal Specialism and research 