Overall, I am really pleased with how my exhibition has turned out, I definitely feel it evokes emotion to me and will when my family members see it. I am very excited about the exhibition day, it’s my first time having this experience and I am looking forward to how it will all turn out.
When I was given my word ‘memory’, I was honestly overjoyed, because I instantly thought of my family and all the beautiful moments we’ve shared. It’s a really broad topic and I knew I wasn’t limited to just one idea or outcome.
For the first time, the research stage was actually really enjoyable for me because I got to dig through the family photo box after a very long time. Talking to my family members about the past and my childhood was really nice and also hearing about their childhood and how things were different for them compared to me in this day and age. As part of research, I am pleased we got to visit the Manchester galleries as I got to see the work of different artists and also how professionally their work is exhibited. One of my favourite Artists who’s work I saw is Idris Khan, his work is exceptional. It inspired me in thinking you can start of with something as small as a letter and produce work as amazing as his. For further contexual research, I have used Mandy Pattulo as my main inspiration, because her work is very personal and tells a story in each piece she produces. I love how she explores different materials, techniques and outcomes.
In developing my samples, I was being a little safe at first, only using paper and wallpaper but talking to tutors and exploring different techniques and materials helped me develop really strong pieces of work. This course has helped me overcome my fear of not touching a sewing machine. I hated sewing because I wasn’t used to it, but I was determined to practice and try something different. Overcoming this doubt has been great for me because I have been able to explore my hidden ability to produce really strong stitched pieces of work and without it I would’t have the fantastic work I have today, as most of my final outcomes and samples consist of stitch. I have learnt it is better to attempt something and get it wrong than not try at all.
Having feedback has helped me a lot, not only in this project but in general because it’s nice getting guidance and extra suggestions from other people sometimes. One thing I have realised about myself is that I panic too much which causes me to get flustered and upset, which is why I have learnt to ask for help when I don’t understand something rather than stay in confusion. Time management is another thing I need to work on, I feel I work too slow sometimes and there have been situations which have challenged me to work a little faster because there isn’t always enough time as we think there is. I have acknowledged I should deal with situations in a better manner as there has been situations where things haven’t gone according to plan, but that is reality and I have to accept it because in industry and University, there will always be situations that will challenge me but how I deal with it is important.
Setting up my own exhibition was a first for me but it was quite fun getting together and painting all the screens, however I got to see the reality of it and the expense of it all. Business costing has definitely opened my eyes as to how costy an exhibition and a project can be especially if I want to be a freelance designer.
I feel I have followed my concept pretty well but a few things have changed along the way such as including love heartbreak and friends. I think this happened because to me family is the most important and I wanted my project to be really close and personal to me. I wanted my work to evoke emotion and I feel I have achieved that. My final outcomes turned out better than expected and everything links together which I was afraid of not happening.
Compare to previous projects, I feel this is my strongest as I have been more dedicated and focused on it. My Primary research was strong from the start which I feel is important because it is the starting point of any project. I have definitely been more organised and focused by setting weekly goals and looking at my time table regularly which helped me accomplish more than I thought within a short amount of time. Having a blog has really benefited me, it is so easy to access anywhere. With my handwriting being difficult to read, this is perfect for me as it looks more professional and is easy to read.
Overall, I have really enjoyed the final major project, it has been a learning journey and a great experience and opportunity for me, especially to exhibit my work for everyone to see. I have learnt a lot about myself as a person as well as an artist, I have discovered where my strengths and weaknesses lie. My favourite process has to be screen printing and with time, my love for surface pattern has grown and I am excited to take all of my experience and knowledge further in University. Over the course of these two years, I have learnt to be more critical of my work and to also take constructive criticism from others. I have enjoyed producing garments which I have never done before, it is nice to try new things! I feel my final pieces are very strong and successful, and I have achieved a better outcome than I had in mind.
I discussed my ideas with my tutors and have come up with a rough idea of what I intend to include in my exhibition.
So far, I have a mannequin with my gloves on and I have many samples that I know can develop into something greater.
We came up with the idea of some sort of length draping in the background with my mannequin in front and another garment. I like my gloves and I think they would look really nice hanging as a collection along with some embroidery wheels and frames. I want to bring my theme to life and really get the vintage feel going. I want my exhibition to evoke emotion to everyone who see’s it especially my family members and friends. I am honestly really excited about setting up my exhibition because I have worked really hard for this moment and I want to make the most out of this opportunity. This is the first chance for me to set up an exhibition of my own in a professional manner.
I have started looking at exhibition set up and spaces, not just on the internet but in shop window displays because they always inspire me. I have noticed everything is always very clean, white and sleek. I don’t want the attention to be taken off my work so I want everything to be basic and clean.
I don’t really like using too much internet for ideas but when I do, I feel Pinterest is the best tool for it because you will find everything you are looking for! One image leads you to a dozen other related images and I like that!
1st June 2017
I came into college today and the screens are already going up for the exhibition. It has really helped me seeing these because now I know what scale I am working with and I can plan out where each of my pieces can go.
Today was actually fun, I think it’s the first time everyone actually worked together and accomplished something great. It has been good not to worry about anything and just enjoy myself after all the hard work. We all joined in and worked as a team which I think is really important because without everyone’s participation, I don’t think we would have completed everything. Everyone had their own little job, it was great. In industry there are going to be moments where we will be required to work together whether we get along with someone or not and you have to adapt to things like this and this was a great example of teamwork.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been given a screen and I wasn’t happy about it because I had high hopes and had planned everything I wanted. I feel having a screen looks more professional and more can be done with it, but that’s just how it had to be. I have learnt that sometimes circumstances change and you just have to adapt to them and always be prepared for changes to occur, because they do happen!
Nevertheless, I have been working on my exhibition this week and I think it’s coming together now. Because my exhibition is the first one you can see when you walk down the corridor, I want it to have a high impact and my job is to make it look as professional and attractive as possible.
I have hung my long lengths and dress up and have been working on my frames and embroidery wheels. I really liked how the embroidery wheel looked on my mannequin and I wanted more of them but hanging from the ceiling. I feel they look really effective and everything links together perfectly.
Arts Thread Available at: https://www.artsthread.com/ (Accessed: 22nd February 2017).
Buckman, Z. Every Curve. Available at: http://www.zoebuckman.com/art/every-curve-art/ (Accessed:28th February 2017).
Buckman, Z. EXHIBITIONS. Available at: http://www.zoebuckman.com/exhibitions/ (Accessed:28th May 2017).
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS Textiles Portfolio. Available at: http://www.arts.ac.uk/csm/courses/foundation/textiles-portfolio/ (Accessed: 12th March 2017).
Chorley, J. Available at: http://www.jessiechorleytheshop.com/ (Accessed 22nd February).
Cole, D. (2009) The Pattern Sourcebook. Laurence King.
Collier, J. Jennifer Collier. Available at: http://www.jennifercollier.co.uk/garments.htm (Accessed:3rd March 2017).
Gimnes, E. EDDA. Available at: http://www.edda-gimnes.com/illustrations/iettoqxilltl24xfaazb3lvg5af45n (Accessed:22nd February 2017).
Isaac, C. and Bowles, M. (2012) Digital Textile Design. Second Edition. Laurence King Publishing.
K,A. Ana K. Sisters (no date) Available at: http://anina-papirckalnica.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/sisters.html (Accessed: 13th May 2017).
K,A. Ana K. Playing with Scraps (no date) Available at: http://anina-papirckalnica.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/playing-with-scraps.html (Accessed:13th May 2017).
MANCHESTER 1824 The Universsity of Manchester The Whitworth. Avaialble at: http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/collection/ourcollection/ (Accessed:3rd March 2017).
Milner, R. ) Available at:
http://rosemary-milner.co.uk/collections/prints/products/miss-anne-kirk-1 (Accessed: 22nd February 2017).
OEKAKI Renaissance (no date) ARTIST PROFILE: MANDY PATTULO. Available at: https://www.toyotaoekakiworld.com/oekaki-world/artist-profile-mandy-pattullo/ (Accessed:22nd February 2017).
Pattulo, M. (no date) Mandy Pattulo. Available at: http://www.mandypattullo.co.uk (Accessed:14th February 2017).
Pattulo, M. THREAD AND THRIFT. Available at: http://threadandthrift.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-min=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2017-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50 (Accessed:27th February 2017).
Pinterest FMP-Memory. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/bluemuffin1994/fmp-memory/
Pinterest EXHIBITION IDEAS. Available at:https://uk.pinterest.com/bluemuffin1994/exhibition-ideas/
Pinterest clutterandcloth Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/clutterandcloth/
Tellier- Loumagne, F. (2008) The Art Of Felt. London, United Kingdom: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
TextileArtist.org (no dare) Memento Mori by Mandy Pattulo. Available at: http://www.textileartist.org/memento-mori-by-mandy-pattullo/ (Accessed:21st February 2017).
V&L Interview with Shelly Goldsmith. Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/interview-shelly-goldsmith-textiles-artist/ (Accessed: 22nd February 2017).
Vitoria Miro Idris Khan. Available at: https://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/14-idris-khan/ (Accessed: 1st March 2017).
This is the first time I have been introduced to business costing. At first I thought it was pointless, but then realised it’s only going to benefit me in the long run and that it is an important part of business especially if I want to be a freelance designer. I am happy that this is part of our brief as I will gain the experience in order to help me in my future career. Throughout this course, everything has always been available for me, free of charge and I have never had to worry about buying anything myself or using a certain machine, but in the future, if I want to hold my own business, I will need to think about the costs of everything in order to ensure I have enough budget to purchase everything.
I have constructed a series of outcomes that will be part of my exhibition, these include: 1 mannequin, 2 dresses, 2 wall hangings, a series of gloves and a selection of frames. My purpose was to take my them ‘memory’ and produce something that I have never done before. I wanted to follow my concept and tell a story of my life, the people I love and the memories I have created and remember. The pieces I have created all resemble something or someone close to me, as every piece has images of my family members. As well as artist research, my inspiration also comes from myself as I am a very emotional and loving person and I wanted to show this through my work. Even though a few of my pieces are garments, they are not pieces that can be worn or sold, as they are personal and more suitable for gallery/exhibition artwork.
Fabrics- £2.00 per metre £1.00 per half metre
Use of sewing machine-£10 per week- 3×10=£30
Use of Print room-£10 per day- 5×10=£50
Print screens-£30 a day-5×30=£150
Squeegee- £10 a day-5×10=£50
Specialist Knowledge Time-Gwyneth-£20per hour- 2×20=£40
Hourly Rate-£10
Painted Board x2- £5
Hire of screens- £20 per week – 20x 4- £80
Spotlights- £7
Fishing wire- £4
Total-£96
SPRING BANK HOLIDAY-WEEK OFF
Thaiyba Akbar 