Evaluation of the Origins Unit

Over the course of this unit I have learned a lot about the way I work as a designer/maker. Machine embroidery was almost completely new to me, but the samples I produced were really successful, in part because I didn’t use unnecessary steps in making pieces and had a quick turnover of ideas. Working straight from images or photos to material suited me well.

layered lace machine sample

When it came to drawing for Journeys, I was happy with the representational style I used but could have branched out further into mark making to broaden my research. 

bicycle in manchester; could be a good source for mark-making

When hand stitching I retained this literal approach but it didn’t work as well as the partial or abstract translation used with my machine sampling. I felt that I should draw it, transfer it into stitch and then develop it, when I should have been confident that ‘skipping’ steps could still produce good work. Reflecting more often and taking more risks should help to make my work more interesting and save valuable time. To help with this I aim to make myself a set of cards to be chosen at random when I feel stuck or too ‘safe’ to help shake things up by introducing an element of surprise.

Only when looking back did I realise the main theme for the project was ‘grids’; if I had noticed this sooner I could have played around with the form more, exaggerated it and developed it further. 

grid-like images from liverpool, manchester, and the construction day and a grid-like woven paper background 

Also I could have thought more laterally about what a grid is and what it represents to develop a contemporary interpretation of it. I tend to feel comfortable working to a small scale but it would be good to push myself to make larger pieces of work.

I generally find looking at other people’s work inspiring or at the very least an example of what not to do, so I should have gone to more exhibitions during the block to help further shape my work. The pieces I did see helped me to see the value of limiting colour and material usage, while the contextual studies unit reminded me of the importance of re-using materials, and finding the balance between fast and slow ways of working to make interesting, personal pieces.

This block has been challenging because it chopped and changed a lot; I felt that various mini projects and different technical skills were distracting me from the Journeys project which was frustrating. However I eventually realised that this is how it will be as a designer in the ‘real’ world; often many different things will demand my attention so it is worth learning to adapt now to this way of working. Also, if anything using different skills will push my work forward in a new way, and sticking to a plan might not always be the best way of making.

Personal Reflection Notes on Origins and Journeys

Overall I feel that I've learned a lot about the way I work that I wouldn't have found out otherwise, for example in machine I was comfortable translating images from photographs directly into material samples with no intermediate drawing stage. I also really liked the immediacy of machine stitch and the range of effects and drawn quality you can get with the machine work which I didn't expect. I was really happy with the final batch of machine samples I produced, the choice of materials and layering effects worked well. With practice the level of finish could be improved, and I could incorporate new materials.

My initial drawing style was representational, as I enjoy mark making in that way, but I was too slow to translate that into more abstract patterns or marks when it came to hand stitching. I felt that I should draw representationally with stitch, and it didn't work as well as I thought it would; I need to find a style that emphasises the texture and feel of wool and thread and the feel of the images while being more free with mark making, as I was with machine. Also I would like to practice combining different combinations of drawings, prints, photos/images, materials and threads; I think this will be a challenging process and take time to get right, but would be worth the time spent as it would make more interesting pieces.

The construct day was really fun, and wish I had had more time to go back and draw from the samples I made; putting them together created interesting patterns and made it easier to imagine my images being re-created on a larger scale. Also if the material links to the project, as the Shreddies did with Journeys, then it could be incorporated into a 3D piece, which again sounds exciting.

Looking back, I feel that I could have been more motivated through these projects. I really got stuck in to the Journeys project from the start, but when we started working with machine embroidery I felt like that project had to be put on hold, because of time constraints, and because we were doing something new the Journeys project was no longer my focus. I did try to incorporate images from Journeys into machine work, and felt like in the last week things were clicking into place. However, we were then moved on to hand stitch, so again my focus again had to shift to something new. There was more time available in this unit to carry on with Journeys, but I still felt divided, and wanted to focus more.


I found it difficult working without knowing what was going to be happening the next day or next week; I am usually very organised so found it difficult not being able to properly plan what I could do at home or what materials to bring for a day in the studio. It was also hard to work without a set end point; knowing that I wasn't working towards a final piece meant that my research kept cycling around, and going off in different directions; this wasn't helped by moving from drawing to machine to stitch. I just wanted to get my teeth into the Journeys project, and I only felt that that happened at 2 points; at the end of the first 2 weeks of drawing and at the end of hand stitch.

I think I got frustrated with the set up partially because it was not what I expected; I was given the impression from open days that on the degree you are left to get on with it yourself, and you sign up for workshops and tutorials separately. I thought that we would have one project that would last all term, and when we did workshops we would use images from Journeys to work from. I didn't react well to being told so explicitly what to do for so long, and felt like I was being distracted from the initial project we had been set, which I had really enjoyed.

Next time this occurs I will try to realise what's happening, be more flexible in my approach and try not to get frustrated; we need technical workshops to learn the skills, and sometimes the set projects are really helpful, for example in machine most things were new to me, so working in black and white meant I didn't have to split my focus too much in that area.

Hopefully, when I start the Print unit I will have a better idea of what to expect, which will help me to slot in to the right way of working more quickly. I think that it will still feel like we are chopping and changing what we are doing too quickly, but speaking to people in print and seeing their work has given me a better idea of what will happen over the whole block.

Hand Stitch

We have been shown several basic stitches as part of our hand stitch bloack, including running, chain, satin, and ladder. By making a joined sample of several fabrics, I learned that thread behaves very differently with different sorts of material, and sheer fabric can create an interesting layered effect.

 

For our French Knot samples we were asked to work in black and white, with the title 'population'. The first thing I thought of was the population of mould growing on our roller blinds; it is grouped in circular patches and as a gradient. The mould varies in size and shape, so I tried to reflect this in the type of knots formed.

circular mould

gradient of mould

Hand stitch is a much slower technique than machine, and so in a way must be planned more. I can see myself using it to add the odd detail, or for stitches that cannot be achieved by machine, or for 3D work, but I do enjoy the immediacy of machine stitch and the drawing-like technique it requires. Also there's the fact that it can be used to build up layers of stitch quickly, and make uniform seams and lines when needed, though it does lack the home-spun quality and feel of hand stitch.

Old and New in Manchester

Continuing the theme of old and new, I walked around Manchester city centre taking photos demonstrating older styles of architecture mixed with modern buildings and interesting, colourful objects.

I liked the jaunty angle of the front bike and layering effect of the whole row

The reflections from the glass mixes the old and new

The mix of colours and shapes gives a sense of movement

I then selected details from the photos to draw, using fine liners to make bold, simple images, which I could reproduce in stitch, some in their original colours, some in artificial ones, based on the 'new' parts of the photos.

Bicycle Blue

I particularly like the complicated detail of the bike compared to the simplicity of the street lamp; perhaps I could fashion a lamp-like 3D structure from thread, which could  take details from the spokes or gears of the bike. Some details, such as these below could be used to create a patterned background which could then be embellished with stitch in contrasting colours.

 

There are many options now for the development of the project, and combining 2 techniques or styles may be a good way forward.

Construction Day

We were challenged to experiment with a multiple of a single material to make different textures surfaces and marks. I chose pieces of the cereal 'Shreddies', as they are versatile and resemble the windows I have been drawing for my journeys project.

 


Using Richard Serra's Actions list (1967-68) as a starting point, I chipped, cut, systematized, joined, rolled, arranged, perforated, blew, cut and wet the Shreddies, and let parts of them fall by gravity. I also formed my own artificial Shreddies by putting crushed fragments into sellotape packets; these were then arranged. I also used glue to stick some together, forming towers and walls, and sewed through the holes to connect them and form interesting shapes.

Comparing Shreddies to other foodstuffs, I realised that they could be more playful, instead of the traditional square shape, so I attempted to make them into letters. Certain ones were too difficult to make, but a few were enough to show my idea. I formed the word 'bloated' and wet the letters so they swelled, adding ink to the water to show the spread of the water further. This method also ties in with the 'old and new' theme used for my journeys project.

I really enjoyed exploring this material, as it forced me to be creative in a focussed way, while adding unexpected humour, and I feel that my experiments were successful. There are many ways to bring this forward; I could draw from the samples, couch down shreddies onto fabric, produce a larger 3D sculpture, stitch according to the patterns created by rolling or crushing the pieces, or make a collection of further samples.

Paper and Material Collages

We were asked to make 2 collages as part of our hand stitch technical file, one from paper and one from material, which represented the colour used in one or more of our journeys drawings. Mine were based on several drawings, incorporating the 'old' brickwork and 'new' sweet colours.

Paper Collage

Bondaweb Material Collage

I tried to keep the colours in the material sample true to the drawings and paper collage, and I feel that this was quite successful, however taken as a whole the samples are too busy; small sections work individually but together are overpowering. Although the outcome itself was not useful for my journeys project, I learned that translating drawings directly may not be the best way to create something visually pleasing, and how important it is to match colour correctly.

Small section of material sample that I feel works well on its own