Final Major Project Week Three

Having evaluated my work so far I am encouraged to be further conscious of exploring and utilising the multiple processes I have learnt throughout this foundation.

As part of my constant self-evaluation process I have asked peers their reactions to my work and also find group crit meetings highly useful. I have taken their advice to create larger textile and tactile samples. I have done this by delving into trials of melting, gluing, painting, stitching, dying and other surface decorations and fabric manipulations.

Process documentation collage- Author's own

The textile samples I am creating aim to be fleshy, skin-like and grotesque but to also have a touch of beauty and intrigue. Each sample is a literal or conceptual translation of my research material. For example for one sample I took a docu-film research image of a dairy cows in poor conditions and manipulated the image using the flatbed scanner. I found this to be a succesful method in producing interesting textile ideas on paper. The process is prolific and when combined with melted, synthetic felt in a blood red tone, stitched and cut into, revealing negative space, makes for a highly inspiring textile design idea.

As well as taking advice to trial larger samples I was also encouraged to have more primary research. I jumped out of my comfort zone therefore and began photographing meat in plastic. I referenced my artist research into Alex Van Gelder when conducting this photography session. I was inspired by him in that I used a black background and vivid/ intense colour contrast. I have since explored multiple processes with the photographs taken; I have printed on photo paper, tracing paper, brown paper and acetate and have also melted, stitched, sealed and cut into the images. Some of the primary research shots will be useful for silhouette extraction.

Sketchbook page- Author's own

I am believe my use of stitching and layering, to mirror cow prints discovered via my initial research stages, has been succesful. I have sourced interesting velvet and neoprene samples that when combined create an engaging juxtaposition.

Sketchbook page- Author's own

I am pleased that I was encouraged to hold-off beginning my official 'design process' of black line sketching/ clothing design on A4, as this has prolonged my earliest stage; which is the rawest creatively. This has meant I am continually developing varied processes and design methods beyond the, sometimes restricting, process of fashion sketching.

Going forward I feel I am ready to begin the more solid translation of initial research into design development. I will work on the stand in paper, calico and colour, collage images as part of silhouette progression and commence contextualising this development on the female form.