Cutwork Body Installation

Focusing again at the slow, repetitive process of cutwork, I was interested to visualise their look once placed upon the body. Layering the pieces creates a lace-like finish to the sculptures; the beauty of lacework is something that I would like to develop in unit x, focusing more closely at the placement of the work on the body and producing samples accordingly. I feel that the pieces replicate the shore line well through their fragile shapes and overlapping patterns, similarly to the way that the movement of the waves leaves different marks each time the waters cross one another. I can see the relationship between these cutwork pieces and my ethos designs working well together: cutwork being more expressive and visual, where as my ethos designs portraying a much more delicate embroidered look. Thinking of ways in which I would be able to incorporate the two techniques together, I am going to experiment with cutting into my samples and layering them together, as a way of revealing new patterns, similarly to the approach that I used in my drawing stage.

Designer Research: Iris Van Herpen

'The water-dress symbolises for me the incomprehensible magic of the body... I often wonder if we will keep on wearing fabrics in the future, or if dressing will become something non-material, something that is visible, but not tangible or touchable'

Iris Van Herpen is a designer that I feel has always had a strong influential connection towards my work, more so now that I am beginning to research glass-work alongside my current practice brief. I feel that this collection can be used as inspiration for both the structural quality, incorporation of a shoreline form and material choices.The featured collection, entitled 'Rain', builds upon a previous concept of liquid clothing that Iris Van Herpen showed in her 'Crystallisation Collection' at London Fashion Week 2010. The aim is to create sculptural garments, based upon uncontrollable, ultimately unwearable materials, in this case, water.

Iris Van Herpen: http://www.irisvanherpen.com/

Working in the context of couture fashion, Van Herpen's brand is placed where I can see my own practice to fit into. Looking closely at this collection in particular, the limited colour appeals to myself, especially as my current practice has a transparent to white palette, relying solely on stitch and embellishment to bring interest into my samples. The attraction towards Van Herpen's pieces is the addition of embellishment through sculpture, instead of the usual of bead-work or embroidery etc. Taking these pieces into account, I feel that in my upcoming weeks in my glass workshops, I would like to learn how to create surfaces, using glass as the material, as well as using the form of the pieces for continuation of research and drawing for my own practice unit.

Glass Workshops: Introduction to Glass

Receiving an email from 3D Design tutor Kirsteen, offering the opportunity to work with glass for development within my own practice of Textiles in Practice, I have shown interest in learning this skill as a way to bring a new diverse element of material for my portfolio.

http://www.art.mmu.ac.uk/profile/kaubrey

Left: Pate De Verre by Slyvie Vandenhoucke: http://sylvievandenhoucke.com/; Middle: Annie Cattrell: http://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/annie-cattrell/, Right; Kirsteen Aubrey: http://www.art.mmu.ac.uk/profile/kaubrey

Today I attended an introductory presentation in order to learn about different aspects of glass (the different techniques and methods that can be achieved in our University facilities), meet Kirsteen, and to explore research into the material of glass, and designers' work. I have very little knowledge of glass, yet have always been interested in the qualities of the material. Aspects that Kirsteen is aiming to be explored during our time in glass-work include: process, material, time, environment and group dynamics, working with the techniques of molten glass, blown glass, lamp-work and flat glass; all of which sound extremely exciting, and I am already looking forward to beginning the methodology properly in the New Year, and ultimately, incorporating the best techniques into my own practice.