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Category: Daily pandemic

Combination samples!

When I first heard combination my brain screamed print!! As I had been working on a print collection I thought this would be the perfect time to start incorporating my prints into my work!

Looking back at my previous samples I started creating a list of things i found successful:

  • Machine embroidery- I really enjoyed the way the ruffles just made the piece flow. This also was enhanced by the irregular shape of the samples- could I look at cutting and ruffling my prints the same way?
  • Knotting samples- I really loved the chaotic and fun energy of the knotting samples so I wanted to capture the mood in my combination. I also loved working on a much larger scale this paired with all the contrasting materials is a really fun tactile piece.
  • Knitting samples- I found that sewing my own yarns was very effective in capturing every one of the material qualities and sewing these together captured that.
  • Weave samples- I loved the exaggerated knots in the weave samples but i also really enjoyed the way each layer interacted with the other, it looks messy and chaotic but the contrast of materials is really playful and fun.

I started taking my print samples and ruffling these up using the machine. The prints soon became really irregular and abstracted but visually very interesting. I then took my tulle and started layering the print over as the contrasting materials was something i wanted to re-explore. I continued this process until i had lengths of my own yarn that were really interesting and eclectic.

Regarding data I used layers in relation to the yes votes so we have 5 layers in the first, 7 in the second and 4 in the last.

I started looking at how i could add these into samples- with knotting in mind i wondered if i could knot this around my large sample as the print could really make the large sample come to life.

I really love how this turned out, by adding in the print It really makes the viewer take a closer look at how the fabrics blend but also contrast with emotional marks.

For my second sample I looked at the same idea however wanted to incorporate the manipulated ruffled bag.

This sample becomes a world of symptoms. The layers show how how anxiety symptoms and corona symptoms become one, as an anxiety sufferer would have trouble distinguishing if it was corona. The emotional marks are almost my emotional response to corona which is manipulated as if the media is telling me how I should feel. All together it’s an exciting world of eclectic symptoms.

For my last sample I actually became inspired by my prints, I used the tape measures and sewed them to look like the crayon marks within my prints. The plastic bag is representation for the ink marks and the array of materials is the symptoms from corona and anxiety, this is a physical representation of my emotional response to covid 19 through my eyes as an anxiety sufferer.

Knotting sample exploration!

When I was given the brief for tying and knotting I instantly thought of macrame. I started looking and researching into macrame. I had done this technique before in college so I did have experience however looking at all the macrame pieces, I just felt they didn’t go with the feel of my project. I think the alternative materials could have worked however wouldn’t have achieved the same result. My second thought went directly to my previous weave samples where I looked at chunky knots. I thought could I replicate this? could I repeat this?

For my first sample I looked at the knots solely. I wanted this to be extremely chunky so I used a lot of material and just started tying them against a juxtaposing material,  I really really loved the mad contrast of materials but felt almost they were too spaced apart.

so going forward i wanted to tackle this in my next sample. My second sample I looked back to my embroidery samples which was all about ruffling with the sewing machine, as this was so successful I wanted to use this technique again. I started by cutting strips of each of the material and using my sewing machine to ruffle each of them. I also made sure to cut the fabric larger so the ruffles would be more exaggerated and it would fill more gaps, to create a loose world of tactile elements. I then in relation to my data looked at creating chunky knots, 80% = 8 knots. I wanted to look at the opacity of the materials, the purple tulle is regarding invisable symptoms, ones so transparent you wouldn’t know you had them i.e vertigo in relation to anxiety, the Patterned scarf fabric I thought really resembled fear using colour association and the pattern almost looks like spots of bacteria all over the scarf. knotting these together really helped convey how each symptom overlaps and becomes one much life the population now experiencing an anxiety patients mind.

I then wanted to go the opposite way thinking how would this sample look on a smaller scale? I started creating one layer, looking at thin strips of the pink bin bag, I knotted these all together as a base. I then went in with purple tulle, knotting each strip onto the knotted base. I wanted layers to be important within this sample as I looked at having 5 layers to link into my data. I then used the black patterned fabric and continued this process, looking at filling some of the gaps. I then decided to double the amount of pink tulle as I wanted the sample to be mostly pink in order to relate to the rest of my samples, I used longer bits and attached. What I really loved about the knotting samples was the movement, when you hold them up they have a loose nature so they are very fluent, I feel this works really well as it links to the movement and flow of my first embroidery samples, I wanted this feeling to be evident throughout the process.

 

 

Experimental knitting!

Knitting is a weak point foe me. as someone who struggles working in a repetitive manner its always been a struggle. I started however looking at easier methods of knitting. I came across a technique which was hand knitting using my fingers. I found this really interesting as ive always used knitting needles! I also wanted to incorporate my alternative materials as it was working really well with my project so far!

I started by cutting the plastic bags into strips, I wanted to recreate yarns so I used the sewing machine to sew the ends together. This gave me a really interesting yarn alternative. I also really enjoyed the opacity of the plastic bags, with knit being so structured it was nice to have a contrast with the material used. I stumbled across a page on youtube called Bean Creative, this page is all about knitting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3BEgP5s9Pg as a beginning knitter i found the instructions really easy to follow and was actually able to create a length!

After creating this length I wanted to challenge myself and try knitting on the knitting needles as someone with two left hands for knitting I knew I wanted a basic stitch, I didn’t want this too be too simple so I decided to keep going with the alternative materials however adding in more complex materials. In my previous samples I have been using pink tulle, bin bags, tape measures, shoe laces and also scarf material. However most of these materials werent flexible enough to knit with. I decided to cut strips of pink tulle, purple crispy tulle and bin bags and repeated the process of sewing the ends until I had a length long enough to knit with.

I think the sample is effective in the sense that its fun with a tactile element, the materials sucessfully link to the samples which strengthen my project. I also love the contrasting materials, it makes you just want to grab and play about with it!

Weave and sample breakdown!

My weave inspiration I looked at was Vanessa Van. Van uses alternative materials and waste fabric. My personal favourite was her weave using zips, she manipulated the end of the zips to create almost knots and it was this bulkiness that I really enjoyed. http://www.adropofwonderstudio.com/2016/01/weaving-with-alternative-materials/

The way the knotting sits at the bottom really stood out to me, it looks almost unintentional but at the same time really beautiful, I knew I wanted to include this within my weaves. I also really enjoyed the way she used heavy material in a way that it almost drapes effortlessly, I think combing this technique with alternative materials especially a contrast of materials would work really well.

This weave is the first one I created, as I felt my embroidery samples were effective with the machine ruffling I added this technique to the weave. In relation to my inspiration I knotted the ends of the weave, I feel this was particularly effective with the Ikea labels as the knot really stands out but captures the effortless feel like Vans did also. I wanted to use a range of materials so I looked at layering and stacking whilst being conscious of the thickness of materials. Having the contrast of the alternative materials i.e pink bin bags and Ikea carrier handles mixed and put against the delicate tulle and thin scarf was really effective, it appears interesting at sight however with a tactile element.

My second weave I wanted to add in another material, trying to be as sustainable and resourceful as possible I noticed I had a lot of tape measured around, looking at my data I immediately started to manipulate and ruffle the tape measure, I used my data to look at how many ruffles I needed to do i.e 80% = 8 ruffles. I added this into the weave and everything started to look wackier and a lot more fun. By having the different layers interact with each other it conveys how the anxiety symptoms and corona symptoms both melt into each other as if the layers are masking each other, never knowing if it’s corona symptoms or anxiety.

I feel the weaves are really tactile but also embody me. They have a lot of emotional impact linking to colour association. The erratic and bold colours compliment each  other whilst also drawing you to the samples. I want the viewer to feel the emotional connections to the samples as well as looking aesthetically at their bold and tactile nature.

 

Adding in some print!

As someone who loves print I feel it’s essential for me to involve this within this project. As my concept is emotional, I wanted to explore the art therapy concept further, as my colour palette evokes emotion based on colour association I wanted to take this forward with mark-making.

Looking at my previous prints I wanted to have the same expressiveness and fun feel. How could I involve mark-making and emotion?

I decided to physically start recording my emotions everyday. Looking at the colour association, I dedicated a colour to an emotion and everyday using mark making to record how I was feeling. This also was another way of gathering data especially since I do suffer from anxiety. By adding marks a day, it gives the print series a sense of mystery as you cant plan how it’s going to look. This relates heavily to the unpridictable nature of covid-19 and anxiety, anxiety suffers are constantly worrying about the future similarly to the public worrying about corona.

The example above was created during the mini lockdown of students. The blue evokes sadness, being alone in a flat for four days getting lonely, I decided to use windsor ink and a ruler, the ruler drags the blue almost as if Nicola is dragging out the lockdown and extending my sadness. I paired this with a crayon to give the piece some texture, the repetitive marks signify the sadness repeating itself over the course of the day. I decided to pair this with watered down lilac paint, this was covaying optimism, trying to stay hopeful with a mind full of negative thoughts. The paint being watered down creates a sense of worry, yes I’m optimistic but I’m still worrying for the future. I decided to have things overlapping to link to my samples, as the ruffles in the samples overlap so to does my emotions, constantly feeling the same emotions but also not quite knowing how to feel.

This in a visual recording of my emotions over a period of two days. You can see the difference of emotions I was feeling, The black being the stand out on day 1 meaning I had a lot of fear towards the rising number of covid patients. This again overlaps the pink and the purple as I was hopeful but above all fearful. I plan to everyday record how I’m feeling to create a stunning visual diary of an anxiety suffers mind.

 

 

 

Colour pallet using colour association!

When choosing a colour pallet I knew I wanted to look at emotion and colour association. As my project revolves around emotions I feel the best way to showcase this is through colour association using art therapy.

There is a huge range of information on colour association in which I just find completely fascinating. The article below goes into real depth about colour association which is worth a read:

Color Symbolism in Art Therapy

I wanted the viewer to have an emotional attachment to the textiles, I wanted them to evoke emotion:

Pink- I choose the colour pink to represent happiness. For me the colour pink is evident in everything I do and also how I present myself so for me it’s an empowering and personal colour, showcasing this in my textiles allows me to portray a little bit of myself and my journey with anxiety.

Black- When you think of black you think of fear which plays a huge role in Corona virus and anxiety. As my studies highlighted a whopping 90% of the public has a newly found fear, so black was a really important colour to have in my pallet.

White- the shade white has uncertainty attached to it. The pandemic screams uncertainty and an anxiety sufferer is constantly worrying about the uncertainty of the everything, again linking to the data I collected 65% said they were anxious or worried at the prospect of another lockdown.

Blue- The colour blue has healing properties but its also commonly associated with sadness. Living alone in my studio isolated from my family sadness has been a huge part of my lockdown. I also found that my studies showed that 90% of the population have experienced “down days” since lockdown started so conveying this through the colour blue was perfect.

Lilac- lilac is the colour of optimism, for me this is extremely important. Being an anxiety sufferer i always think the worst but having optimism settles my mind as i reassure myself thats its temporary.

All of these colours link to the data I have collected and also have a personal link with me. This is the perfect way to incorporate my sense of self and the publics emotional reaction into my project.

above is my print exploration sketchbook, exploring the colour association and also mixed media types.

 

so who’s an inspiration?

I really love the work of Molly Goddard. Molly Goddard is a London based designer who creates stunning bespoke garments using traditional hand pleating, smocking with tulle fabric. I fell in love with the way the fabric manipulates almost effortlessly.

What really stood out to me with Molly Goddard’s work was the repetitive overlapping. My concept is about overlapping and intertwining of the corona virus and anxiety disorder so using this technique would work perfectly. I also really loved the playfulness the opaque fabric conveyed. Taking this technique forward I wanted to focus on creating opaque layers however with a twist. I personally love using alternative materials as sustainability is a huge factor for me and my work. So combining the use of alternative materials and traditional fabric manipulation was a world in which I am dying to explore

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/i-d.vice.com/amp/en_au/article/3kgzgk/sarah-edwards-molly-goddard-dress-portrait-exhibition

I looked at “dress Portrait” Molly Goddard’s exhibition and fell in love with these photographs, the way the clusters of the dresses mixed with the texture of the almost bin bag textures was so stunning. I knew this was a perfect way to incorporate alternative materials. Whats also really intriguing about the photographs is the contrast of textures, you have the light airlessness of the thin plastic material and the clusters of hand manipulated tulle.

After looking i went on the hunt and I was able to find these completely stunning florescent pink bin bags in which were literally screaming to be manipulated!!

After collecting the data from my survey I used the number of percentage of yes votes in correlation to the amount of stitches i.e 60% = 6 stitch lines. I used the sewing machine and carefully and slowly started to hand ruffle the bin bags. I especially wanted to convey loads of chaotic lines, (seen mostly when held in the  sun) to convey the erratic nature of the way corona sweeps through the nation.

I plan to experiment this technique on a range of other fabric and possibly combine and contort these all together to make some really authentic, funky samples.

Daily pandemic- a little on my concept!

I plan to explore the subject matter “Data and Network” through an anxiety suffers mind. The idea behind this concept is our national lockdown due to Covids-19. As an anxiety suffer I have been live with fears about everyday life, I plan to compare this to the newly found fear of corona virus. I want to highlight that anxiety suffers live each day as if they were in a pandemic. Just like a data base is a “network of programming” an anxiety mindset is a “network of negative thoughts”.

As someone who has suffered generalised anxiety disorder for the upmost of 10 years now this project is something I am truly passionate about. Living with anxiety and its side effects isn’t the easiest but its not got me down!!  Anxiety isn’t just panic attacks and heavy breathing, theres so much more to it. Let’s start with Anxiety as a topic, you have two parts, anxiety and generalised anxiety disorder. Generalised anxiety disorder is a chronic illness, something that affects the way your brain works and how it processes information, it also comes with a list of side effects that arn’t well known:

  • trembling and shaking
  • full body aches, muscle fatigue
  • headaches
  • sickness
  • trouble sleeping
  • heart irregulations/palputations
  • excess sweating
  • eyesight problems
  • irregular breathing

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/symptoms/

I also want to look and compare this against the worlds latest problem the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has sparked a lot of new fears especially in people who have never experienced anxiety. The emotional impact on corona virus and the public has been huge. A mass number of global worry, fear and uncertainty has taken over. What I want to highlight is that a person suffering anxiety has lived and will continue to live everyday in this mindset. I have created an online survey and handed it to 40 people in the general public, with this comes tailored questions about the emotional impact of covid 19. With this data I will collect and analyse the results, this should give me the basis to start my sampling.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-798YXZ7P7

below are some of the graph results:

These examples above take anxiety symptoms like “compulsive thinking” and “worried or anxious thoughts” and are applied to the public living through a pandemic in which 60 or above said yes to meaning they are experiencing right now what an anxiety riddled patient feels like everyday.

After collecting the data from the survey, over 60% of the population are now suffering from anxiety symptoms relation to the recent corona virus pandemic. This proves my theory that people are living in an anxiety suffers world.

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