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Consumed: stilled lives - Ffotogallery
Get PDFConsumed: Stilled Lives plays with the traditional concept of still-life painting, which grew in popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Often featuring silver plates, ornate glassware and expensive foodstuffs such as shellfish and exotic fruit, still life paintings became a fashionable way for the Dutch and Flemish to illustrate their wealth. When interpreted using emblematic symbolism the paintings represent a conflicting relation with material wealth. In response to this reading Woolley produces still-life objects that suggest contradictory relationships to contemporary consumer culture. Drawing on both definitions of the term ‘consume’ (to ingest and to purchase) she uses food still-life photography to represent different characters and positions in relation to capitalist society. What we eat and how we eat are symbols of our wider consumer habits. We are what we consume
Friendship, discourse and belonging in the studio: the experiences of ‘non-traditional’ students in Design Higher Education
Get PDFThe national policies, operating within the United Kingdom, of widening participation for students exists within a competitive and uncertain higher education culture. The impact of this on those described as ‘second chance’ or ‘untraditional’ students who at the same time want to become designers needs to be examined. The paper analyses two narratives of continuity and discontinuity constructed by and between myself, and two post-Access to HE design students. They are people who have gained places on textile degrees with an Access to HE diploma, rather than the more conventional A ‘levels; they tend to be mature students with diverse social backgrounds (Hudson, 2009:25; Penketh and Goddard, 2008:316; Burke, 2002:81). The students were both studying textile design but at different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Textile designers are concerned with designing for surfaces and embellishments which could include wallpapers, fabrics for fashion or interiors, flooring, and packaging. These narratives were selected from a longitudinal study (2011-14) that sought to investigate the experiences of post-Access to HE students in art and design higher education. The participants were studying on a range of creative degree programmes in various institutional contexts. Narrative inquiry was used to show the ways in which students reflected on and took stock of their learning careers, (Clandinin and Connelly, 2004; Butler-Kisber, 2010).
The analysis of the narratives draws upon some of the notions concerned with phronesis (prudence or practical wisdom). Aristotle claimed that only a person of experience can practice practical wisdom, and a young person is unlikely to have extensive life experience, (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, Chapter 8). This discussion recounts some of the critical incidents within the stories where I have noticed evidence of phronesis or at some points the absence of wise judgement. It is suggested that within the context of higher education mature adults sometimes make poor decisions leading them to act in ways that continue their sufferings. This is because they do not always exercise their potential to act with prudence, (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, Chapter 5). It is argued that friendship and acting well in the interests of others is an important aspect of phronesis, (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, Chapter 11); where all students are supported to make good decisions about their education.
The design studio space (both in its physical and virtual form) is revealed to be a place where horizontal discourse takes place which enables acts of friendship between students (Broadhead, 2015). Through friendship and a sense of belonging students are able to continue with their studies even though they meet unexpected and difficult challenges. At the same time, the studio can also be an alienating space that confuses and frustrates some students, making them consider discontinuing their course
The norms: processes and production
Get PDFThe output is an artefact, a glow-in-the-dark artist book inspired intergenerationally by comics and picture books of the 1980s and an accompanying immersive environment. Research process: As part of world-building, this practice-based research used a multifaceted array of analogue media and digital technologies. Part of the practical application of the research involved the translation of the 2D story-comic book into a 3D immersive and interactive environment. The creation and production of the story book started with a rural setting and a reclamation of the artist’s childhood self. The book itself was planned through a series of thumbnails that were drawn up into the 16:9 formatted book and translated onto the screen. The narrative-like drawings developed and featured many creations from previously published underground kids’ comics. There are narratives within narratives, all based around childish things. The glow-in-the-dark element contributed to the immersive experience. Another strategy of this world-building introduced modelling clay characters and puppets. Research insights: The comic and 3D translation process contribute to conceptual thinking around world-building. Through this process, Simpson found that translating his comic book from 2D to 3D enabled a more accessible and interactive perspective, literally ‘stepping inside’ his world. Augmenting this show was a museological vitrine containing choice ephemera from Simpson’s 1980s childhood, giving viewers an insight into the origins of his ‘heavily-inked’ aesthetic, including select artists such as Tom Paterson of The Beano. It demonstrated how this style of illustration is rooted in forms of caricature, the grotesque and political satire. Dissemination: The project was disseminated by peer-reviewed exhibition at Leeds Arts University in 2018 including the following events: • Make a Monster workshop, Though Bubble Comic Art Festival (101 attendees) • Women World Builders forum (35 delegates) • Spot the Spooks, Light Night Leeds (500+ attendees) • Underground comics seminar (75 attendees)
Room 103
Get PDFA peer reviewed exhibition whereby artists were selected in response to their ability to illustrate or interrogate aspects of society that George Orwell would have recognised as being relevant to Orwellian themes. The exhibition was reported on in the George Orwell studies magazine and the works selected for exhibition were mentioned in the review by Glen Ibbotson. This exhibition allowed Barker to present aspects of practice that were more focused on the development of imagery that was designed to have a more ‘mythic’ presence. Images derived initially from conversations with people about society, were taken through a process of simplification through drawing and were then pushed back into the subconscious by losing and then rediscovering the image. The selected images were extracted from an iterative process that produced several drawings all related to the theme of surveillance. Working in charcoal on hand made paper also allowed the images to develop a more materially focused message, the deep blacks and rough surface texture suggestive of an almost animal or animist presence, these imaginative drawings being derived from drawings that were in their first manifestation objective drawings of rocks
The edge of the sea: complexity, layering and gesture as analogy and meaning
Get PDFThe output is a creative project, ‘The edge of the sea: complexity, layering and gesture as analogy and meaning’, comprising a body of work responding to rockpool formations and the translation of field drawings into print and sequential imagery. Research process: The project began with the Rachel Carson book The Edge of the Sea (1955), dealing with the complexities and balance of a transient ecosystem. The research processes focussed on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s singular, romantic idea of “All is Leaf”; that within the details of a phenomena we can bear witness to the whole. Mills uses drawing to explore whether an isolated shape, line, texture, open up the reading of an image to broader interpretation that the initial observation and how we can communicate something other, or something more, than what we are representing on the page. Research insights: The project found ways and means that image-making can be used to communicate the complex, transient, self-organising system of a rockpool and how the isolation of visual devices can help communicate those findings on a more analogous level. The research revealed that our perception of an element, a fraction of the whole, can help us understand wider context. The work led to insights into the communicative nature of mark-making, the process of translation of experience and the meaning of this particular ornamentation. Dissemination: The research was disseminated at Decriminalising Ornament: The Pleasures of Pattern, The Illustration Research Symposium, 17 – 18 November 2018 at Anglia Ruskin University
From the lounge
Get PDFThe output is an artefact, a book of short horror fiction commissioned by Deptford X Contemporary Art Festival 2018. Steans was nominated for the commission by a
panel of experts. Research process: Steans writes fiction as part of an intermedia and interdisciplinary art practice, and his ambition for 'From the Lounge' was threefold: (i) collect some of his writing from the last few years in an accessible package that would outlive the festival; (ii) directly represent his interest in genre horror; and (iii) explore the blurring of fiction and reality as artistic method, by writing around the conditions and context of Deptford, the festival, and the commission itself. Research insights: From the Lounge embodies conceptual themes and artistic methods that underpin Steans' practice-led research. Firstly, the book is an expression of 'realist horror' (Freeland 1995); a definition originally derived from film studies that is a key reference in Steans' doctoral research. Secondly, a blurring of fiction and reality is enacted by the book's folding of real-world referents into its fiction, and its fictionalisation of real-world contexts and locations; a strategy consonant with Burrows and O'Sullivan's concept of 'fictioning' (2017; 2019). Thirdly, it is simultaneously a work of contemporary art and of literature, a dual designation Steans attributes to the author-function (Foucault 1977) of the contemporary artist. Finally, the book typifies Steans' approach to genre by playfully evoking generalized reader expectations of experimental literature and horror, thus engaging in Frow's 'relational economy' (2015) of genres. Dissemination: Several stories collected in From the Lounge were adapted from prior public presentations/works at exhibitions/events, including: Mantel, Copperfield Gallery, London, 2018; MAMO 3: The Middle Ages in the Modern World, University of Manchester, 2017; Library Interventions: Moving Knowledge, Leeds Arts University, 2018; Radiophrenia Festival, Glasgow, 2016; Gruesome FX, Triangle Arts Association, Brooklyn, 2018
Music as a language: ‘Developing a rhythmic pedagogy’ & ‘rhythm and language: ‘spaces in time’ as phonology’
Get PDFResearch process: The notion that Music functions as a ‘Language’ is often stated but without clear comparison or application. This body of research seeks to make more explicit links between language and music, identifying intersections across the ontological objects of Language, Space, Rhythm and Time, considering how linguistic theory and modes of language acquisition could apply to rhythmic skill development and pedagogy. The point of departure is through an initial investigation as to whether Music is a Language, and by which definition. Drawing upon Mills and McPherson (2006), a critical comparison of current modes of language/musical skill acquisition is drawn, problem posing the potential for a review of modes of rhythmic pedagogy. Cantwell and Millard’s (1994) hierarchies of music/linguistic structures are used to justify the representation of Grebb’s (2013) ‘Rhythmic Alphabet’ as basic rhythmic units or ‘Rhythmic Phonemes’, organised in multiple ways, representing infinite rhythmic potential. These ‘Rhythmic Phonemes’ are used as building blocks for modes of perception, able to organise and communicate ‘Rhythm’ with respect for its ‘Space’ and ‘Time’ components. Pedagogy is, finally, informed by findings, disseminating at Music Education and Musical Language conference events. Research insights: Explorations of the links between language and rhythm can help develop an understanding of rhythm as ‘phonological constructions of ‘phonetic’ units, deployed across space and time as communicative action’. This understanding develops our ability, as musicians and educators, to perceive, organise and explain rhythmic material, impacting upon communications within performance and pedagogy disciplines. Dissemination: The work was disseminated at:
‘Developing a ‘Linguistic’ Rhythmic Pedagogy’, York Music Education Conference: Connections and Communications in Instrumental and Vocal Teaching, 26-27 June 2018. ‘Pedagogy of Rhythmic Language’, Music Education Solutions – Curriculum Music Conference, Walsall, 21 March 2019. ‘Rhythm and Language: ‘Spaces in Time’ as Phonology’, University of Birmingham, 14th May 2019
Mature students, transformation and transition
Get PDFThe purpose of this article is to argue for a transformative education that acknowledges and values the capacities of mature students; where higher education institutions reflect on their own assumptions and practices in order to become more inclusive and open to difference.
The stories told by Eliza, a mature student, are analysed through narrative inquiry; this approach uses narrative as a means of capturing and analysing experience. In this case, Eliza’s stories about transition and transformation were collected over three years. Eliza made the transition from her Access to HE course to a degree programme in textiles. She was crossing a boundary between further and higher education, a time which could impact positively or negatively on her future achievements. The conclusions drawn from this study are not easily turned into generalisations or ‘truths’ as they are contingent on the contexts in which the narratives were produced. Narrative is a representation of experience which is mediated by the social and cultural positions of the narrators and their audiences.
This study found that Eliza was confronted by many difficulties and misunderstandings around time management, pedagogy and assessment. Poor communication between Eliza and her tutors led to a growing frustration resulting in her considering leaving the course. Eliza’s institution sometimes seemed inflexible and was unable to respond effectively to her needs as a part-time student.
The implications for educators are that they should think about strategies for adapting to a diverse student body.
The previous experiences and backgrounds of ‘newcomers’ should be celebrated rather than being perceived as ‘issues’ that need to be fixed. In other words, when ‘non-traditional’ students move through the stages of their education, their learning contexts may also need to be transformed
The rustle of taffeta: the value of hapticity in research and reconstruction of an eighteenth-century sack-back dress
No full textAs a collector of historical fabrics, which I use to inspire my own textile designs, I am seduced both by the material, the look, the touch, and the hidden narrative and histories of these fabrics. The physical experience of making and re-making conjures these indelible histories from the fabric confines. Fragments of old cloth connect us to the past, while the haptic, corporeal exploration enables us to discover not only how things were made, but to appreciate their lived embodied histories. This chapter is material-focused research that communicates the “secrets” of cloth, which reveal its stories by using the sensations of touch and emotion
An analysis of 3D printed textile structures
No full text3D printing in Fashion is quite a significant innovation which came to realization as part of the zeitgeist of the 2000’s. This is a time where technological progress has moved fastest in the last 20 years than it has in the last 100. This exponential growth means that the world in which we live in is changing at a rapid rate and both design and materials will need to alter along with it. Focusing on the areas of technology, design and manufacturing this research aims to look at new textile structures with extensive research undertaken of existing 3D printed textiles and fashion. The main aim is the categorization of all existing 3D printed textile structures in fashion, in order to recognize their properties and benefits