The initial presentation by Frances Geesin on
her use of new materials and fibres was very thought provoking.
It forced me to question again my continuing use of wool.
I was particularly inspired by the idea of using fibres which
could be hardened in my sculptural pieces to enable them
to be self supporting. During the afternoon I made paper
and clay models to explore how I might do this. I also made
a paper model to investigate how I might turn my figurative
forms into more abstract ones.
The next day’s demonstration
by the Lace Knitters brought to mind an idea that I have
wanted to explore for some time - a lace pattern which
is constructed from images of moths and moth holes. I spoke
to one of the knitters, Kathleen Anderson, about this and
she was interested in trying it out if I could write her
a basic pattern. This is something for me to investigate
in the future. The idea of lace stayed with me and during
my time at Shetland College, one of the structures that
I
explored was lace and open-work.
To challenge my preoccupation
with wool I concentrated on the use of manmade fibres and,
because I usually work
with time consuming
knitted structures, I explored other more time efficient
ways of getting an open structure. These included knotting,
stitching,
bonding and melting and involved the use of unlikely materials
such as tin and household gloss paint. I also experimented
with the use of a soldering iron, something that I have
never worked
with before. I was very well supported during my technical
explorations by Alistair, one of the technicians.
Fair Isle
knitting, seen at the museum, inspired the use of the Heat
Transfer Press to print the image of Fair Isle
knitting
on
to knitted manmade fibres. This was another piece of equipment
that I had not had access to before and the results were
stunning. This is something that I will definitely
pursue in my own practice.
I am very excited by the possibilities that it offers for
putting photographic imagery on to knitting if I continue
to explore
manmade fibres.
The idea of producing abstract forms,
which challenge my current use of figurative forms, was persued
further
by
the exploration
of yarn. I was thinking about the yarn as an end in itself,
as opposed to being a material to be used within another
textile process. I was initially inspired by waste yarn
windings that
I found at Shetland College. I brought together this
everyday material with house hold gloss paint to make sculptural
objects which questioned the social, economic and aesthetic
value
of wool. Ideally I would have used high cost yarns such
as cashmere
in conjunction with the paint but this was not viable
within
the college. Wool is fundamental to the Shetland economy
and is internationally associated with the Islands.
All
these ideas will feed directly in to my studio practice and
I will be reaping the rewards for many years to come.
Allies
Day info 1
What?
Sculptures – an exploration of yarn as an end in itself
as opposed to a material to be used within a textile
process
Why?
To produce brave, risky work which challenges my
current use of figurative forms. To question
the value of materials
this
project brings everyday materials (wool and domestic
house paint) together, materials that have gender
associations.
How does this project revalue and/or
extend the traditional skills of Shetland?
I was initially inspired by waste yarn windings
found at Shetland College. The sculptural forms
question
the social,
economic
and aesthetic value of wool. Wool is fundamental
to the Shetland economy and is internationally
associated with
the islands.
Allies Day info 2
What?
Fabric samples – an exploration of Fair Isle and lace
using manmade fibres and experimental techniques.
Why?
To challenge my personal use of natural fibres
and order. To reinvent Fair Isle and lace
knitting – techniques that
I have always loved.
How does this project
revalue and/or extend the traditional
skills of Shetland?
It uses the traditional knitting skills
as initial inspiration and reinvents
the forms
that they
currently take. The
techniques employed are very simple and
cost effective. They could
easily be developed into products such
as the limited edition neckpieces.
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