Sunday 7 February 2016

Practice Unit | Dash and Miller

During the Practice Unit, it has become even more clear the importance of engaging in live briefs and creating connections with current designers and companies. 

Collection of Dash and Miller fabrics - pinterest

I've always been hugely inspired by the work of Dash and Miller; since completing an informal interview with Juliet Bailey for my dissertation, it was fascinating to learn the story behind the business and have an insight into a successful woven design company. 

In order to develop my work further, I've chosen to continue with my source of initial inspiration from my previous project; I've been drawn to the colours in the environment at this time of year and want to discover nature's beauty and designs. There are so many intricate details and organic shapes which are often ignored, therefore I want to emphasise these in my work. 

Own images - initial research, photos to provide colour scheme, colour palette development



[left] Both images of my own, studying patterns found in nature [right] Coral photograph - Hila Kaminer, Collectif Textile
I've spent a lot of time conducting research and taking photographs, to give myself a wide variety of information to work from. By focusing on individual areas of the environment, I have discovered organic shapes and patterns, as well as textures, which I hope to portray through my own work. 
I've decided to restrain myself from putting sustainability as a priority in this project; I want to use this brief to learn new techniques and hone in on what areas of weave I particularly love. It is important I focus on my skills and develop a depth in the skills I want to continue into the future. For example, I especially want to experiment with extra weft, as it is a technique which I have previously admired and I think it will allow me to portray the patterns and depth of colour, through my designs. I also hope to explore print - whether screen or digital - as I was disappointed I wasn't able to do so for my last collection. 

I want to spend time looking into artists and designers, to not only seek inspiration, but also study which elements I particularly like about their work, so I can learn how to produce the samples which I envisage. In the past, there have always been particular parts of my samples which I haven't been pleased with, and I feel that by scrutinising other fabrics, I can learn the techniques I want. 

No comments:

Post a Comment