Evaluation

Engaging with research

The process of researching contemporary artists and designers has always played a major role in developing my work. I find taking inspiration from others a crucial step to being able to understand my own way of thinking and making. I began by researching contemporary practitioners that related to my work.

The abstraction of Xioa Li's work inspired me to be very experimental with the way I was knitting. Breaking away from the conventional colour stripes to exploring different compositions and placement. What inspired me most about Li's RCA collection was the use of pastel, ceramic-like colours that coincided well with the palette that I was working with. I then found it easier to choose which colours worked best with one another. The boldness and ambitiousness of the collection led me to think about new and exciting ways to utilise the techniques I'd been taught over the course of three weeks.

Considering my knit collection as a whole, I imagine the pieces being used as textiles in fashion. I would place them in the category of haute couture, one of a kind pieces that resemble the abstraction of fabric and the different possibilities that knit can offer.

Researching Ismini Samanidou's work supplied me with a wealth of ideas and inspiration. Her weaves were a useful source of information both visually and contextually. I found it helpful to look at her drawings and how she translates them into her weaves, it gave me more of an understanding of how my use of mark making can also be a basis for my weaves.

Chiyoko Tanaka is another weaver that appealed to me in terms of how she develops a concept in her weaving. She discusses the themes such as space, surface and the passing of time. I believe that my work relates to her way of producing a sample that contains a specific meaning. There is a purpose to every part of her weaves, that is what I was aiming for when I was producing my final collection. 

I believe that my final weaving collection fit into the category of one off exhibition pieces. They are concept driven pieces that are all unique in their own way. Each one contains a different meaning and considers themes such as time, memory and loss.