Fabric

           I selected a teal striped piece of firm cloth that had a canvas-like feel to it. I chose this material because I was attracted to the color and pattern. It reminded me of denim in many ways as well. Perhaps because of the striped pattern on the material, I began by cutting and ripping the cloth into thin, long pieces. I was initially interested in breaking the material down to threads, but as I began working with it my focus shifted. I wanted to maintain some aspects of the attractive pattern, which would have been lost in the threads. I decided to cut the long pieces into short (1” - 2”) pieces, which had a childlike quality to them. They evoked a kind of macaroni, or game piece quality. I decided to stop here because I felt that this phase of the material had a great tactile quality that I did not want to eliminate with further deconstruction.

           This group project has been an entirely enjoyable experience. I feel the process and the resulting sculpture were both successful endeavors and would look forward to working with Carianna and Cate on any occasion.

           We began our process by discussing which artists from the lecture we were most interested in. We immediately all agreed that we liked the work of Nnenna Okore. From this point on, it was a very organic process wherein we were all operating in complete agreement. As we began to select materials, we were immediately attracted to the black tulle. As we slowly looked through the rest of the materials, we immediately agreed to stick to a limited palette and chose two black printed fabrics and a few types of gold and black string. We started creating a list of what words or ideas we found most inspiring:

  •            Nature
  •            Smoke
  •            Water
  •            Darkness
  •            Landscape
  •            Movement
  •            Cosmic
  •            Night
  •            Tulle – with objects inside it
  •            Hanging
  •            Spray Starch/Heat Gun?

           As we started working with the materials, we each had very different approaches. Carianna immediately started forming braided structures with the paisley material while Cate and I sat and examined our materials further. Eventually, I began creating meticulous, small sphere structures with the floral fabric, and Cate created small string sculptures with combinations of all the materials. Our pieces each had their own individuality, but also worked together quite well.

           We agreed that we wanted the piece to be a hanging structure with vine-like qualities, potentially wrapping around the wall. We were able to get quite a bit of work done during class, and then continued to work individually on our own time. We met the night before in order to ensure sufficient installation time. Our mutual cooperation continued during installation and we all took turns affixing certain parts and/or pieces to the wall. I believe we were all quite pleased with the final product of the sculpture, and I know that I certainly was.        

Works by Classmates:

Class Notes:

 

Contemporary Artist Inspiration:

 

Lesson Plan Ideas:

  • Using various fabric textures to create collages, potentially in the form of landscapes, masks, or sculpture
  • Bleaching or dying fabric to create different shapes and tones
  • Weaving exercises to explore color, texture, and pattern creation