So Happy To Be Back In The Textiles Zone, Working With New Art Foundation Students Creating Shadow Paintings

MAKE MORE NOISE

Processions June 2018

We have had the most amazing time working on this beauty!

Dorcas Casey, (who is an ex-Strode, Art team member of staff and also an ex-student) but now creates the most incredible sculpture and works from her studio in Bristol, amongst lots of other exciting ‘side-hustle’ projects such as this one. @beastsoftheuncanny

In collaboration with Somerset Art Works (SAW) partners and funded by the Arts Council, the banner project is a nationally co-ordinated, mass community artwork, initially designed by Artichoke as part of the centenary celebrations, promoting the importance of the female vote in 1918. 100 banners were created up and down the country.

Our banner was lovingly made by students, staff and also members of the community. We took our banner to London as part of the Processions celebrations in June and marched around the city, in the heat with thousands of other women. It was exhilarating and so great to be part of something so important to our heritage as women and also to celebrate what the Suffragettes and other women’s groups fought for so we could begin to build amore equal society.

Our banner received lots of praise, we were singled out across the press and made several headlines in the daily papers and on social media. Radio 6 Music singled us out and Dorcas was interviewed by Lauren Laverne, live on BBC radio, broadcast to millions.

A day to remember for ever and so great to be such a key part of this event. Our banner will also be on tour and exhibited around the UK with the 100 banners, it will be part of a publication and also included in a planned International Textiles Biennale in Lancashire in 2020.

Developing ideas for printing on fabrics. FAD Textiles workshop rotation 2. Great work so far.

Gestural marks, fluid and expressive. Enjoying overlaying inks and acrylics with potential to print scaled up marks?

FAD Textiles Workshop rotation 2. Getting into those shadow drawings agin with a new group. Striking silhouettes prepped and ready to take forward into print next week. 

Creative workspaces are important places of solace and wellbeing. It’s good to make a mess and see where it leads you, lose yourself in your imagination, creative play and material exploration is so freeing and so welcome on these sombre grey days in lockdown.

Get your ‘messy mojo’ on and see what happens and don’t tidy up for tea!

The title of this work is SQUIRM

I am keen to understand more about people’s phobias. This piece is an interactive piece that invites the audience to choose any number of separate components to touch, feel, explore through haptic investigation and ultimately construct in playful ways as sculptural forms.

The soft structure, almost cuddly textiles, play on our senses as the forms themselves are not inviting or cute but reminiscent of body parts, intestines or roots that might strangle, attack, harm or repulse us. Can something be beautifully ugly? Dangerously pretty? Enticingly revolting? I say, yes but I would like to know what you think.

Fantastic plastic! Curse or wonder material? 

Repurposing carrier bags and household plastics into colourful artwork.

Cultural Appropriation brief exploring Native Americans and Indian artefacts to inspire decorative cloth and screen printing on fabrics.

END OF YEAR SHOWCASE -Class of 2020

Congratulations Scarlet Crofts!

Scarlet developed her final Textiles collection as sustainable festival fashion. Recycling, repurposing and ultimately developing her own series of digital prints from her meticulously cut and stitched scalloped dress. Such a pity Glastonbury was cancelled this year, I’m sure Scarlet would have been rocking this outfit and turning heads at Pilton. 

The final image is from a ‘Live’ project with the British Red Cross Society, the class created various paper couture garments depicting iconic fashions throughout the 20th century, they were exhibited as window displays around Somerset shops. This one was exhibited in Crewkerne to great acclaim!

Credit to @catherinehydephotorgaphy for image 1.

Scarlet is seeking a creative employment as a GAP year and plans to apply for UCAS in 2021.

Mark making. Playing with inks, bleach, water, scratching, layers…..