PE Task 2: Sampling Reflection

Embroidery:

I focused my initial research around my trip to the museum as the collection of crystal and rock forms was the influence to my three-dimensional structures within stitch.

Paula Kovarik was a contextual artist whom referenced my sampling throughout the three weeks, her work cleverly expresses simplicity in a detailed form, she works with layering and adding texture to produce interesting structures.

As crystals/rock forms are the initial resource for my embroidery samples, I chose to work with dissolvable fabric. In relation to my research, I wanted to create defining structural shapes through using the free-machine foot on dissolvable fabric, as the result would be a juxtaposition of structure through stitch and dissolving between fabric.

I felt comfortable working with mixed media as I enjoy the challenge of introducing materials both paper and fabric forms. Similar contextual references I researched into are Carolyn Saxby and Sally Mancus.

Through embroidery, I was able to express a strong connection through stitch and contextual references.


Weave:

Throughout the three weeks of weave, I focused on making samples, which referenced colour proportion through the warp and weft.

Dash and Miller are woven designers whom focus on creating structural woven fabrics in a controlled way. Having based my last three weeks of embroidery on the research from crystal and rock forms, I continued to develop with this research, referencing from linear, geometric rock drawings using a range of yarns and materials.

Using Dash and Miller and Elizabeth Ashdown as contextual references, I was able to produce samples that clearly show links from my visual research of crystal and rock forms whilst also producing a good sense of proportion in colour for my interior context.

Final Three Weeks of Print:

Personally starting my final three weeks of a new subject matter was very refreshing, I was able to work in a rotation where I felt I could personally express passion through a particular style of designing. Print has been the rotation where I have strongly addressed the context for what I am designing for, even though the print rotation can be known as very demanding, I feel that this pushed me to work and establish a strong collection of digital printed samples.

Working with the word ‘Duality’ I researched into a number of designers in which would contextually reference my project. Even though I chose to produce a statement wall print with my context to be within interior space, for e.g. an apartment/studio space, I looked at both fashion and interior designers to influence my project as much as I could.

Mary Katrantzou, Teatum Jones, Hoku Katsui & Nao Yagi, Rozai Nichols, Helmut Lang and Clover Canyon are a few of the long list of contextual designers I researched into for influence.

Katrantzou is one print designer who is forever designing vibrant statement collections, referencing her AW13 Collection I was extremely inspired by her structural prints. After photographing both new and old architecture within the city, I began overlaying my photographs using Photoshop to express my design idea of juxtaposition within a print.  Clover Canyon was another contextual reference in which really influenced my design ideas, Canyon had photographs of architectural buildings and manipulated these beautifully into prints for a fashion context. Canyon’s particular collection in which I referenced throughout my design process was the SS14 Collection. Helmut Langs AW13 Collection and Hoku Katsui & Nao Yagi AW11 Collection were two contextual references, which worked in a similar way. Whilst producing textural backgrounds for defining my statement print, I referenced these designers’ collections because of their abstract, geometric shapes, which had influenced my work.

I personally feel that both my fashion and interior contextual references for Print strongly influenced my digital print and the three final weeks of sampling and I am pleased with the work I have produced for this rotation.