Project Evaluation

My starting point for FMP was a desire to fuse textiles practices with sculptural materials such as ceramics and plaster. Within these guidelines, I have explored several new processes such as fabric casting and using combustibles within ceramics. A key theme in my project has been the boundaries between hard and soft, rigid and pliable, smooth and textured. The lines between freedom and control have also been crucial. I have been using plaster as a means of encasing textiles, allowing them to become solid forms, this process is very control limited, the materials decide the final form dependent on weight and stretch. Other processes such as hand knotting and arm knitting have been much more controlled because of a defined method of working.

I have refined my visual aims to achieve a very specific aesthetic focusing on organic form, natural material and diluted colour. I have tried to allow my forms to be created of their own will, and have allowed the fibrous nature of materials such as rope and woven surface texture of calico to show through as much as possible. My colour palette has been absolutely minimal, I chose to embrace the natural colours of my chosen materials avoiding adding any pigments to my work. I believe that this has developed as a core part of my personal aesthetic.

I have been very ambitious in my working practice, undertaking a number of lengthy processes, and have worked to a scale much larger than I have previously been used to. I have been invested in my processes as many of them only allowed one chance to get right, the result is a unique piece that can’t be replicated. At times my processes have felt performance-like because of this. I felt that it was important for me to push through my comfort zone in order to produce an exciting body of work worthy of an end of year show.

Several artists have influenced my work, including Eva Hesse, Jason Schneider and Alisa Dworsky. I feel that have taken inspiration from these artists work and used it to develop my own project resulting in work that is solely mine but has identifiable influences. I feel that my work has been successful as I have achieved the goals that I set out initially and have grown in confidence through practicing new skills. I have uncovered areas for further development in my ongoing work beyond Foundation, and have started exploring themes which I would like to continue with into degree level.

Heather Pickwell

Continuing my exploration of rope as a sculptural material, I have taken inspiration from the work of British artist Heather Pickwell. Below are some photographs from her degree show. Similarly to Susan Baellor-Snyder, this work is made out of rope of varying weights, constructed using knotting techniques and blanket stitches. Pickwell’s work is integrated into the space rather than simply hanging on a wall. I have referenced a number of artists who feature weight and hanging as a key element in their work, these rope sculptures also do this. I like the organic forms of Propagation, the way the rope seem to roll and ripple down from the ceiling, spilling onto the floor. This is a feeling I intend to create within my work.

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Jason Schneider

Jason Schneider is a furniture maker who uses corrugated cardboard and plaster to create innovative objects that double as sculpture. I am intrigued by his choice of materials and have fallen for his simple yet effective aesthetic. The colour palette is minimal allowing the materials to be the focus of the work. I have been exploring different sculptural techniques using plaster and his method really interests me. He builds the basic form using layers of corrugated cardboard and then pushes the plaster between the corrugations. This adds strength and weight to the object but also results in the white and brown grid like pattern on the surface. Most of the surfaces have been smoothed out but I particularly like Plaster Push, as the plaster has been left on the inside showing where it has been squeezed through. this extrusion process is something I intend to explore in my own work.

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Surface Tension

Surface Tension is an installation by artist Alisa Dworsky. Its subject is gravity and counterweights. The nets are made by a traditional lace making technique and are inspired by topographical drawings. The counterweights are used the raise the contour lines (nets) from the floor surface bringing the work into 3 dimensions. I am fascinated by the ideas behind this work and intend to bring some notion of weight and tension into my own work. I was drawn to this work because of the nets, a subject which is recurring throughout my project. The aesthetics of nets much like mesh really appeal to me and will no doubt crop up again throughout the development of my ideas.

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Rope sculpture

Using Susan Baellor-Snyder as my inspiration, I have begun to create some compositions using rope. I am focusing on using the rope as line and exploring the different shapes and forms created by hanging, overlapping and knotting. I invited fellow students to create a composition of their own and photographed the outcome as a starting place to be developed upon later. I am interested in exploring an interactive sculpture/form with a transitional nature as part of my final show.

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Slip Dipping

Today I did a few quick experiments with slip casting string of varying thicknesses, twine and some interestingly textured packaging. I used the the string to sample a number of distinctive knots. I also created shapes by wrapping and carefully arranging the string/twine, I then dipped these in casting slip, taking care to massage the slip into the fibres before letting the excess drain off and letting them dry.

Frances Wright & Leyla Folwell

Lauren Meyer

Anthony Foo

 

Fibre & Form

I have decided to use Fibre & Form as my working title for FMP, I feel that this encompasses the areas I want to focus on, without giving myself too many guidelines.

I knew that I wanted to respond to this project through sculpture but was unsure as to what that would actually look like. As a result of my research I have decided on a few avenues to explore. I will be looking at a fusion of textiles/fibres with sculptural mediums such as ceramics and plaster, focusing on dipping, saturating and casting. I am particularly focused on form and composition, I want my work to feel organic and effortless in these areas. I found a quote pertaining to the work of Eva Hesse which encompasses my intended aesthetic:

     she made work that hung, draped, dangled, looped, drooped, slumped, webbed, … spilled or just lay on the floor. (Glueck, 2017)

With this aesthetic in mind I have been considering the use of rope, string and hessian mesh. I will explore loose woven structures, knitting, crochet and knotting, with the specific intention for dipping these and controlling the composition and form as they dry. I will also explore the possibility for firing items dipped in slip resulting in intricate hollow structures.

Dana Barnes

Eva Hesse

Ruth Asawa

Anthony Foo

Annie Turner

Ernesto Neto

Quote taken from Bringing the Soul Into Minimalism: Eva Hesse. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/12/arts/design/12hess.html

Fabric casting

Today I experimented with fabric casting. I had never come across this technique before until one of my tutors suggested it to me, so I thought I should start by googling it. I found that it is a fairly new, innovative way to cast unconventional shapes for use in a number of different industries including architectural design.

Florian Schmid is a furniture designer who has used a similar technique to create practical and beautiful objects for the home. He produced a series of stools made from what he calls concrete canvas, which is basically fabric impregnated with cement. He accents the concrete with brightly coloured stitching along the folds of the forms. He says of the project:

“The Material combines the warm softness of the cloth and the stability of the cold concrete, but the finished surface keeps the soft appearance. The Project plays with a visual delusion that actually cloth can not give the strength to sit on.”

I really like this juxtaposition of soft and hard, smooth and textured, this is something I have explored previously and intend to develop upon further.

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I felt that fabric casting would be a useful process to explore given its wide-reaching sculptural possibilities. The basic process involves creating a mould, using fabric, into which you pour the casting material. I created a number of fabric ‘pockets’ which I would then fill with plaster.

As this was my first time experimenting with this technique, I didn’t put too much thought into the ‘pockets’ I was creating. I just wanted to get a feel for some of the possible shapes I could create. I used a sewing machine to stitch a few pockets, focusing on curved forms, but also wanted to explore how I could constrain the cast within a more simple rectangular shape.

Below are the pockets before I poured the plaster.

I started with the larger shape on the left, unfortunately the plaster mix was a bit thick and so I had to manually squeeze much of the plaster through the gaps leading to an irregular surface. I then mixed up some thinner plaster and this passed through the channels much easier.

Below are the casts at various stages of unwrapping.

 

Susan Baellor-Snyder

Susan Baellor-Snyder is a textile artist who uses natural manila rope to create ‘free-woven’ wall hung sculptures. I discovered her work on textileartist.org and was drawn to it because of the material. I like the tough nature of the rope, it sits between a soft textile, made from fibers, and something more rigid like wire, with the same pliable and mouldable nature. I also like the organic nature of the material, the colours and texture. Her compositions are very complex, she uses ropes and twines in different weights, for both structure and embellishment, making use of knotting techniques and functional and decorative stitches. I prefer a looser appearance with more in between spaces taking this into my own practice. Having read an interview with the artist, I really like her style of working. She says that the process is spontaneous ans intuitive, and the work just flows. This is a method of working that I intend to carry into my own practice.

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http://www.textileartist.org/susan-beallor-snyder-interview-manila-rope-sculptures/

 

Starting FMP

This week was the first week of the Final Major Project. After introducing the project with a presentation, it was up to us to find a starting point through research and contextual reference. I looked over a number of books including Sculpture Today (Collins, 2007) and Raw+Material=Art (Manco, 2012) before taking to the internet for inspiration. As usual Pinterest was my first stop.

My Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/abbie020896/

I knew that I wanted to create something sculptural, I also assumed that textiles would feature in some capacity. While researching I came across the work of Ruth Asawa, who creates large wire mesh sculptures, focusing on form and transparency. I was drawn to the fluid organic shapes and the way that her pieces hung seemingly without weight.

I also came across Susan Baellor-Snyder, an American artist who uses manila rope to make woven, tangled wall hangings. Alisa Dworsky creates installations using nets, focusing on tension and counterweight as a theme. Finally, Andrew Kudless who uses fabric casting as a sculptural technique. I also felt that Eva Hesse would be a relevant artist reference, specifically her textile based works.

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