Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Melanie Bowels

After recently undertaking copious amounts of research for my Monograph on the implications digital print has on the creativity of practitioners, i came across Melanie Bowels work. Melanie is a designer, researcher writer and lecturer at chelsea college of art and design, who's work explores new concepts for digital textile design, the collection that particularly inspires me is her digital craft collection called 'digital shibori' which i have attached in the link below.

i like how she has translated these traditional techniques into digital print, using a similar process to my own, but what is most inspiring is how there is not actually any traditional techniques used of the fabric, it is all done digitally with a traditional concept and narrative.





http://www.melaniebowles.co.uk/m_bowles/Digital_Craft.html

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Exploration 2 - jelly

with this experiment, jelly wasn't my initial idea but the shop that i went to were out of stock of gelatine so i opted for a yellow pineapple jelly flavour because it is still fitting with my colour scheme and i thought it might compliment the colour of the threads.



i feel as though the colour of the jelly takes away from the colour of the threads, some of my threads were multicoloured which had been died from pigments in print, but in these imagines you cant see it so next time i am going to use clear gelatine and maybe even vege-gel because it is more transparent and vege-jel is harder which will hopefully give a smoother edge.

Exploration 1: Ice setting

I decided as part of my experimentation process of materials and surfaces i would do a few casts with different things, after finding my colour scheme in collection one i used the inspiration of that colour through threads and set them in water, i decided to not emerge the threads in the water completely so that they wouldn't all sink to the bottom which i think worked really well because i like how they drape over the side and have formed an interesting sense of movement and lines.

i was happy wit the situation of the threads so i placed it in the freezer over night 


 when it came out of the freezer it was frosted over and i couldnt see through the plastic container so i removed it
once i remobed it you could really see the detail in the colours, shapes and cracks in the ice

i was especially pleased with how these threads hung and how some of them were mysteriously gidden by the cracks in the ice






i am happy with the metallic thread as well because each of the threads reacted different to the exposure of the water, some expanded, some stayed normal like the silver, and i think the metallic silver really compliments the other colours


 it was especially interesting once the ice started to melt, they started to poke through the top and some even stayed perfectly formed in place, again, playing with that thought of 'freezing' movement 

i am really happy with this experiment however i think ice is very limiting in terms of development and using it in a final design. My next experiment with ice is to freeze inks and see if they produce a drawing technique as well as some interesting movement images.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Probes; SKIN dresses



Philips Design Probes is a dedicated far-future research initiative to track trends and developments that may ultimately evolve into mainstream issues that have a significant impact on business. one of the project areas is, SKIN, which examines what the integration of sensitive materials in the area of emotional perception will be like in the future and researchers whether or not it is possible to change 'intelligent' products and technologies to ''sensitive'' products and technologies.


These garments are intended for demonstration use only, demonstrating how electronics can be encourperated into fabrics, which is something i am going to explore with LED's





http://www.youtube.com/v/WRX-3DDBow0?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=FgAIXgriqSS0_DRFNsSudg






Monday, October 28, 2013

Galaxy Dress

The Galaxy dress

This elegant evening gown is made of taffita silk, organza, over twenty four thousand LED's of all colors, converting it into the worlds largest usable color display garment with more than four thousand swarovski crystals.
LED's as thin as paper were used, which wee hand embroidered into the silk. four layers of organza were used over the silk to defuse the light and to create the feeling of a magical aura.
The circuits that connect all the lights work with several ipod batteries and were built on an extra thin flexiable surface, which enable people to move gracefully, as if it wee a normal fabric.

although i am not really aiming to make a fashion garment myself, the idea of this would be something great to explore in my prints and possibly include some kind of final design, LED's are a big exploration for me, i want to use them in lots of different ways so this would be a good experiment to under go, on a much smaller scale to begin with, obviously.

Luminex Fabrics

I found a really amazing book in the library about future textiles today called 'future fashion , innovative materials and technology'

Luminex Fabric

Luminex is an innovative fabric capable of emitting light through an electrical LED system . These light emitting diodes are available in five different colours: white , yellow, red, blue and green and can be used alone of combined.
The fabric can be electrically powered in two ways, depending on the end use. when used for immobile objects, such as a certain, it can be connected to the power supply. it can also be used wirelessly, such as clothing, and either 3.6 or 9 V rechargeable batteries can be used.





what amazes me about Luminex fabrics is that its a completely functional fabric, it can be washed (as a delicate) , cut like a normal fabric and used just like any other fabric. i feel it is very fitting to my work and would be something i would love to experiment with, for my colour palate and aesthetically to the eye.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Interactive Textiles

Interactive Flooring 
Interactive textiles blows my mind, this Interactive flooring is LED light put together with motion tracking .  The colours, patterns and tracking response just absolutely amazes me


The Elevator


The Elevator by Samira Boon is a large mechanical contraption that forces people into each others comfort zone, therefore users tend to stand against the walls to keep their distance.

Samari uses smart textiles by covering the elevator walls with a smart textiles. the heat reactive yarn allows threads to change colour when warm.
 I find smart textiles fascinating, i especially love the idea of a piece being interactive.

To read more about Samira's textiles - http://www.samiraboon.com/work/research/interactive-elevator

3D stretch effects - interiors and Lighting










These two videos are examples of new 3D effect Technology. They use 3D prints, and 3D HD digital prints as a ceiling and/or wall cover, combined with LED lighting to create an atmospheric illusion and installation. 

I am intrigued by the techniques used
- 3D printing
- HD printing
- Digital print 
It especially amazing how it can all be controlled from and iPad or an iPhone, so innovative and perfectly fitting for what i would like to achieve in my FMP, involving light, digital print techniques and movement.



Eyel Gever


http://www.eyalgever.com/PUBLICATIONS

Eyal Gever is an israeli artist who creates beautifully sublime sculptures based on the exact moment of impact during collisions. I find that this relates to my work and interests as i want to capture 'movement' of light in a still form and explore 3D technologies.

on the publications website in the link attached there is a really cool piece at the end where he uses 3D technology to capture, as it is happening, the movement of a dancer with film and sound. It is fascinating.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Future Textiles

I am so intrigued by 3D printing and digital printing, i cant wait to explore it and broaden my understanding of it, and how it may change future textiles in relation to more hands on craft based textiles. After a tutorial with Jenny Lee a tutor on Textile crafts today, i went on to do some research in some of her past projects and found this posttextiles website which has a lot of graduates who challenge this concept. i cant wait to get started and further my research now.

http://postextiles.com/?p=339

This is my favourite of a collection of digital skins that Jenny Lee produced, i love the colours and aesthetic. It gives me a really great urge to touch it as well, especially some of the other pieces in the collection.


Kinetica Artfair

My tutor informed me about this fair in a tutorial today and i yelped with excitement a little bit! cannot even wait till February for it. 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

CLOTH AND MEMORY 2 EXHIBITION REVIEW

Yesterday, i went to the Cloth and memory 2 exhibition in Saltaire in Bradford, i had no idea what to expect from the exhibition, only that it is a very craft based exhibition. Upon entering Salts mill i was automatically struck by the atmosphere of the room, rather than the work, however, i don't think that is a bad thing, i am a design and print based textile worker, so the work did not appeal hugely to me.

After going around the exhibition the work was all aesthetically pleasing, however from looking at the work and reading the exhibition guide i still couldn't quite grasp what the work was about. so i sat down and listened to a short video about each of the exhibitions which really opened my mind to them, after the video, i went back around and looked at the exhibits again which was a much more pleasing experience some of the work was outstanding.

Although the work does not directly relate to my own practice there were still a few that took my eye for different reasons.

KATSURA TAKASUKA (JAPAN) 
emerging artist using the waste production from spooling silk from the cacoon to the reel and compressing into small cubes. the exhibition hold 13 cubes, each individual and unique.







what i like about these blocks is how he has used a recycled silk transforming it into a 3D form which is what u want to experiment with in my practice. 

YORIKO YONEYAMA (JAPAN)
A japanese artist whose installation comprises a suspended web of dried rice threaded on fine cotton. Yoriko's intention is to link those overlocked elements which are essential to our survival and our culture heritage: food and clothing - rice and fibre.



when i first set my eyes on this piece i assumed/thought that it was made up of little plastic, or rubber pieces something similar to what is produced from a glue gun, but after reading about it and finding out it was dried rice i was amazed, i love how he has used such a raw material to create such a vast piece, which gives me hope, and inspiration that a large scale 3D piece is possible. I am still unsure what the purpose of the mirrors are in this piece but if i let my mind free i feel like they are part of expanding the insertion, and from a printers point of view i feel the piece is inspired by the architecture of the building which is reflected in the mirrors. There was a lot of structure on the ceiling of the building which was very inspiring for pattern. The ceiling of the mill also let through a lot of light, which i tried to capture the beauty of in a picture, but i couldn't quite get it.





MACHIKO AGANO (JAPAN)
One of the foremost textile artists in Japan with an international reputation and work in major museums throughout the world. for cloth and memory 2 her large scale installation pieces reflect the importance of water in the production of cloth and the revolutionary recycling of rainwater at salts mill through contemporary use of the traditional Yuzen dying technique. 

i like the scale of these pieces and the thought behind it but i dont feel like link between the concept and the prints has come across very well. To me, the prints feel immature and child like, and although i like exploring colour i dont get the sense that the chosen colour in these prints go with the concept behind cloth and memory in relation to the mill.




other artists from the exhibition whos work i found interesting were DIANA  HARRISON (UK), who has a reputation for her radical quilts, she took inspiration from the tiled floor in the mill and created an installation that represents a new development in her work, being made up of over-dyed and discharged printed handkerchiefs laid on the floor following the pattern of the flagstones. I am interested in how she took the handkerchiefs, dyed them, and gave them a new meaning.



i also like the shapes, colour and texture of these handkerchiefs.

ANNIE HARRISON (UK)
who works with new technologies, she recorded interviews with local people who use ipads to draw maps of the mill as they remembered it, recovering lost memories and hidden narratives. New technology is something i would like to explore in my own practice, especially digital and 3D techniques so this is an interesting way of working which i may try out. working in a sketchbook is how i would usually work, however, working on an iPad and digitally would be a great way to link in digital drawing to my digital printing exploration.

i love how interactional this is with the viewer


Other pictures of exhibits work, RACHEL GRAY (UK)




 CAREN GARFEN (UK)



Finally, after viewing the exhibition i decided to go to the end of the exhibition, sit down, and do some drawing, i did it from the end of the room so that i could work with scale, view finders, colour and shapes of the room itself and the positioning of the exhibits, i was pleased with my outcome but rather than being inspired by the exhibits themselves, i got my drawing inspiration from the texture on the walls, the shapes on the ceiling and the light in the room. i thought about the media i was using and decided to keep it quite limited using pen, pencil and felt tip. I kept grey scale because i couldn't find much colour in the room, un till i went into the entrance hall and came across Peta Jacobs work which i gained some photographic inspiration, finding colour and shape from the light behind his installation, 
this was drawn from the shapes on the floor tiles 

drawn from the layout of the room including Maxine Bristow's piece

ceiling shapes

lighting shapes

Shapes and patterns on one of the walls



This was taken from the snippet of light from one of the wall cavities 



 These pictures were taken using a slow shutter on a sony SLR, movement and light from Peta Jacobs work, i am more than happy with the outcome of these pictures as i am doing a collection on the exploration of light through photography.





To take a look at the exhibition yourself just go to http://www.clothandmemory.com where they have a really detailed website with some amazing videos and photographs.