Materiality

Today was our last timetabled session in uni where we were introduced to the materials we can use, and also a chance for us all to present our manifesto to the other groups. Photographed below is our manifesto.

Creating Sensations Manifesto

I feel our presentation went very well. In producing our manifesto we we're keen to make it as clear and concise as possible in order to put our ideas forward without any room for confusion. At this point I am confident that we will work efficiently as a group as we are all keen to produce something that really shows/ relates back to what we have written in our manifesto.

On returning to our base room after lunch we could take a look at the materials we were being supplied with to potentially be used in what we were creating. I am aware in myself that just because they have been set out for us to use, this does not mean to use as many as possible. I feel we need to be careful and selective with what we choose to start working with. Good group communication will aid us in being decisive over materials.

Introduced to the Sustainable Materials

As a group we have decided to do some research into the ideas we talked about in our manifesto for us to come back after Easter and discuss what we want to produce.

Inspirer Series - Tilleke Schwarz

The talk by Tilleke Schwarz I didn't find as relevant to the project I am currently working on as some of  the others I had attended, however as an embroidery student I recognised that his opportunity could be helpful for future reference. I loved hearing about where she finds her inspiration for each of her pieces, and I also liked learning about the different techniques she uses.

I found it interesting that she doesn't do any sketch book work before producing each final piece. She collects things such as paper cutting and objects that she likes or finds interesting and uses these to influence her work or copies them directly onto the material she's using. I found this fascinating as it is a method completely different to the way I would usually start my own work; but looking at her final pieces it shows her method is successful. It is something that I would potentially like to experiment with in my own work at some point, whether it's in my own personal projects or with my university driven projects.

She also added that most of the things she includes in her work are things that she likes. She explained that is why cats appear quite often.

Photographed below are a couple of images of Tilleke's work in whole and close up sections.

'I have known them all - 1992'

'Into the woods - 2002'

'Into the woods - 2002' (close up section)

'Deer - 2007' (close up section)

The work she produces consists primarily of cross-stitch and hand stitching. She explained to us that due to the embroidery techniques she uses, her pieces are often then priced quite high. However, her pieces are created mainly for pleasure rather than as a way of income.

I am mesmerized by some of the intricate stitching on her work, and the patience she has in finishing each one to her standard; especially in the areas of intense hand stitching.

Manifestos

This morning we regrouped as a class to discuss manifestos and their importance.

Before this, we looked back at the discussions we had last week about design. As individuals we decided which underlying theme we wanted to associate our work with over the course of the project. I decided that I wanted to move away from the ideas my group had initially come up with and join the 'creating sensations' group. I felt I could relate better to the ideas that had been discussed here.

Ideas Wall

Having joined a new group, we went round and discussed what ideas/thoughts we had regarding the rooftop space and the creating sensations theme. This enabled us to see if we were all on the same page and if not we could divide the group. As it stands, we have a main group of 7 and 4 sub groups; these sub groups all tie in with the creating sensations theme but have shown an interest in producing something different from the main group.

As a whole, we sat down and discussed specifically what our main aims were with this idea, keeping in mind producing a group manifesto. These included:

• creating an experience for the audience
• sensual installations - all 5 senses considered to evoke feelings
• relaxation theme
• the use of colour to enrich the senses
• the purpose being an escape from the city centre
• something unique that responds to the rooftop space
• being sustainable in what we create

We then were given the time to go away and research manifestos in any form that we were attracted to. I found that the ones that spoke the loudest to me were short and simple with a strong message. Below are two examples of manifestos I found.

I found this activity to be very useful in helping me to understand our next task; which was to write our own in our groups. Having already discussed our main aims collectively we are one step ahead in producing our own manifesto. Over the course of this week we will put these ideas together to construct our manifesto ready for presenting on Tuesday.

Inspirer Series - Susie MacMurray

After collecting as a group this morning, I attended Susie MacMurray's talk about her site specific installations past and present. When reading the information we were provided with about each of the artists/curators that were coming to give talks, Susie MacMurray's was the one I was most excited to go to.

After listening to her talk, I discovered her way of working was very relevant to the ideas we have been given in our brief this unit. She works with a multitude of different materials, ranging from chain mail, gold wire, shells and hair nets, through to balloons and washing up gloves. I particularly liked her installation from 2006 called 'Shells'. This was one of her site specific installations, located in the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester using the staircase space. She used the history of the building to begin designing. The house was commissioned by a a young wine-merchant and his wife, who lovingly appointed it and appreciated it, but failed to replicate this love in their marriage who split just after the house was finished and so it was sold. She worked with the sensuality and history of the area. Using 20,000 prised open mussel shells symbolising a brittle exterior, housing either hollow emptiness or a tender and vulnerable inner; a scene set for the emotional history of the location. These were then  each stuffed with a deep burnt-red scrap of silk velvet which was symbolic of the wealth in their relationship.  These links between the history of the house and the area are what I love about this particular installation.

'Shell'

Another one of her site specific installations also interested me. 'Echo'which she also created in 2006, was an installation that consisted of 10,000 hairnets containing strands of used violin bow-hair and located in the the decommissioned church St. Mary's in Castlegate, York. 'Echo' was a response to St. Mary's as a vessel for the traces of profound contemplation, sound, memory and human faith.

I love the subtle connection between her installation and the history of the building; and the way now, those used violin bow-hairs hang silently in the delicate hair nets.

'Echo'

Inspirer Series - Eoin Dara

This was the second in a series of talks that have been organised over the next couple of weeks for us to get an insight into the alternative ways of working other than our own practice.

I found the talk taken today by Eoin Dara very interesting. He is a Belfast based curator and has been involved in many different organisations where he has collaborated with other artists/curators. His installations that I was most interested in was were, his 'Billboard Bunting' which he collaborated with Martin Boyle to create, and the collaborative curatorial endeavors between Kim McAleese and himself in 'Satis House'.

Billboard Bunting
This installation was part of the Household Festival 2012 (a curatorial collective that encourages audiences to re-negotiate how they view and interact with art in urban and domestic spaces), curated collaboratively by Eoin Dara and Martin Boyle. His work on this involved using a mundane object and deconstructing and reconstructing it; much like the ideas I have been looking at in my current reinterpret, redesign, reimagine: rooftops unit x project. The inspiration behind the bunting idea stemmed from the historically divided areas of Ireland represented by flags between Catholics, Republicans and Protestants. The historical link behind the Billboard Bunting is what I found most interesting about it. I like that there is a deeper meaning behind what they had created.

The installation was constructed and rehung down an alleyway in Belfast. I like the engagement with the audience/public that is enabled by the location; being exhibited in a different way to a gallery environment, so giving the public the opportunity to interact with it. This too is one of the ideas we are beginning to look at this unit; the interaction with the public on a rooftop space.

Billboard Bunting - Eoin Dara and Martin Boyle

Satis House
Satis House is an alternative gallery for contemporary art in a domestic space. They adopted the name from the decaying stately home inhabited by Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. It has been the first of many collaborative curatorial endeavors that they wish to undertake together.

The space is transfigured on a monthly basis under their curatorial direction, working with emerging as well as established artists, inviting them to respond directly to the unique environment. In this way, it is involved in the household festival which works with site specific projects to get the audience to respond to the work installed. This idea interested me when looking at the brief for my chosen unit x project. Looking at the specific rooftop site that we will be designing for, and how our audience will respond. This spurred me to research the installations from here past and present in search of inspiration.

Satis House, Inaugural Exhibition

Unit X launch - Blue Sky Thinking

Reinterpret, Reinvent, Reimagine - Rooftops

Today was the launch of our final unit of second year. For this years Unit X I have chosen the Blue Sky Thinking - Reinterpret, Reinvent, Reimagine: Rooftops project. When I chose this a couple of weeks ago I was initially excited about challenging myself with something I'm not familiar with and outside my comfort zone. In the past some of my work has involved industrial materials, although I have never used these to create something functional, or that would be used to transform a specific space.

Initially we were split into groups with a couple of people from different courses in each. We were asked to define 'what is design?' My group came up with a list of words that we thought answered this question; looking at the key themes of:

• Everyday
• Sustainability
• Imagination/Creativity

'What is design?'

Other groups focused on the ideas of:

• Creating Sensations - design that makes you feel something
• Futuristic Design - things that haven't been seen before
• Product as the Design - looking at purpose before the aesthetics/challenging the development of everyday objects.

This unconference enabled us to start thinking about potential ideas for this unit. This way of working is very different to the way I am used to on the Textiles course, however I found it refreshing not being introduced to the materials in the early stages of the unit. It is a method of working I would potentially like to refer to in the future.