Unit X blog 1 – Whitworth Threads

Unit X – Whitworth Threads

During the first week we had introduced ourselves through speed dating and by taking in an A3 poster of previous projects.  This was because we all came from different courses, such as 3D design, as well as Textiles.  At the end we had to split ourselves into groups of four, and we were two students from Textiles in Practice with two 3D Design students.  For our pilot project we had to collaborate to produce a decorative or a functional object for a table. We had decided to make a fruit bowl with elements of wood, glass, printing and embroidery, but two people from my group decided to move to other options so there was only me and Matty.  Matty, who works with glass, made some coasters and I made a tablet mat.  If just the two of us had been together from the beginning, we would have thought more clearly about what we could have made by combining our skills.

the first project we were planning to do with Joe, Anisha, Matty and myself.

Matty Hall's work for the pilot project

My work for the pilot project

In the second week we’ve had another student in our group, Ioan Phillips, who works in wood.  We were given the task to analyse and compare the products sold at the Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth to understand the product range and price points as well as customer demographic.

I was really looking forward to the Whitworth Research Visit on Thursday the 14^th of March, but I had flu and couldn’t go.  However, the three of us have been to Manchester Art Gallery and The Whitworth to do retail analysis and to get inspiration from the gallery as well as the shops.  Both places sell similar products, but the Manchester Art Gallery sells more jewellery which is what my team and myself are interested in.  For the final piece for Unit X – Whitworth Threads, we are meant to collaborate to design and make a product suitable for the shop.

inspirational board

This is our inspirational board where we've added pictures from the two galleries as well as online based inspiration and we developed our colour theme from the images  

These are some of my inspirations for textile jewellery.

We have talked it through, and we all seem to be keen on jewellery making, combining wood, glass and fabric together or even taking form or colour and making individual jewellery pieces using our own speciality.  I am quite enthusiastic about this learning process because from my recent research there is a lot of potential for textile jewellery making. I think textile jewellery making would be really interesting for the Whitworth shop because the gallery specialises in textiles.

Whitworth Art Gallery

Manchester Art Gallery, Jewellery Collection  

Royal Exchange Theatre and Franny and Filer jewellery display 

I have done research on textile jewellery for inspiration as well as artist research which have been quite inspirational.  For example Tanvi Kant’s work which is based mainly in recycling where she takes her mother’s sarees and unpicks them to reuse. She explains the personal connection that comes from getting her contrasting raw materials this way.  I am interested in recycling and glad to have found another method for reusing unwanted materials .  Her use of colours seems to be rich and vibrant which is what I’ll be using.  She has designed necklaces and bracelets and I love the way she has found a style of fastening without adding another material.

Tanvi Kant

Rachel Darbourne went to Middlesex University, and finished  her degree in jewellery in 1994. She has since refined the techniques in textiles where she produces wearable jewellery pieces that are colourful and tactile, using “pre and post recycled materials in a unique way”.  Rachel’s work attracted me because of the use of colours and the style of construction. 

 Rachel Darbourne

 I went to Franny and Filer for more jewellery research and came upon Rachel Darbourne's work displayed in a glass cabinet and I think this is probably the way we'll display our work.

Rachel Darbourne, from Franny and Filer shop (Beech Road, Chorlton)

Another inspiring artist, Luis Acosta has been a textile and paper jewellery designer since 1996. He works from his home studio and is very well known internationally. He started off as a weaver and because of that his work represents patterns of repetition.  When he finds a form, he tends to enlarge and repeat it.  Shapes and colours are a big thing in his designs as I have observed. I was inspired by his repetitive style and use of shapes and colours.

Luis Acosta