PROCESS
P R O C E S S
DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SO FAR / 100 / (How does it look? What was the process? What materials / techniques are used? Are the crafted objects, big, heavy, soft to the touch, extremely delicate etc. Keep this description focused on describing what you can see when you look at your work)
The statement that I gave myself came to me in a process of making an example of pushing to the limits. Maybe I cannot say that I got the best example of pushed to the limit, but the result that I obtained was really inspiring me and making me wanting to do more with it. When working on the example I tried to combine as different featured materials as possible, so I started with hard and soft. The thing that I made myself as a goal was to make something hard to be soft- I chose to connect metal and foam in cross stitching. After discussions it was came to the idea that me as a product design student should reflect somehow on this practice, so I chose to create an object which in my opinion is the basic object of becoming an object designer. Now, though it looks a bit sketchy it anyway is functional and working in a way that I wanted, what was actually quite surprising me- hard foam sounds enough crazy for me.
WHAT MATERIALS/TOOLS/PROCESSES YOU ARE MOST INTERESTED IN AND WHY THAT IS THE CASE / 200 / (Focus on the things you have been making during this course)
As I said my goal is a new unexpected combination between two different materials. I started working aluminium sheets out of cans combining them with plastic foam. They both are quite elastic but since I made myself a statement to make stool out of this combination I needed it to become hard enough to be stable for sitting on it and sustain at least 80 kilos as average human weight. The reason why Iliked this combination was the characteristic that you get. It is some kind of the paradox, that as usual you imagine metal to be hard and heavy, also cold, not really attractive for sitting function, despite the fact that there already are many stools made out of metal. Why is it new that it is combined with the foam which gives softness and warmness. When making examples I used very basic stitching with crosses, but it was only okay for small example, so now my "stool" is chosen to be kind of weaved with strong 20 mm rope. I was and still am very interested in this process, making hard to be soft and opposite, it's because of thinking of functionality and working, for me at some point it's kind of math task, when you have numbers and correct answer but need to find the formula to count it.
THE CONTENT OF YOUR WORK FOR THIS COURSE / 200 / (Exploration of different techniques, the creation of a new tool, mastering of a specific process, expansion of your practice with new materials, a specific theme)
The content of my work is basically not a new techniques, I mainly used a needle and a thread, or a hole and a wire, but more combination of usual and not. Examples that I made was totally exploration and basically using different I would say exotic materials and fabrics. I let my imagination run free in the frame of materials that I decided that are attractive for me. It is something that is vivid, maybe not usual at least for me. What I really wanted to reach or to find is a combination between materials that gives not only function but also graphic aesthetics. I probably could say that I was looking for kind of rhythm with stitch, using color combinations and play of materials, which are nice and characterful to touch, push or crumble. Embroidery and sewing are the things that was always beautiful and interesting for me, since childhood. In spite of fact that stitching is serving us every day, embroidery is almost dead as craft or process in arts and design. What I tried is to make it somehow fresh to give a new look on it. It seems like no one see it beautiful or attractive anymore. What I thought that stitching could be more researched process in general which has lots of different techniques and may be interesting for many creators.
What THE BROADER CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL CONTEXT is of the technique/ craft/ process/ tool/ material you've focused on? How does it relate to how that technique/craft/ process/ tool/ material has been traditionally used? What MEANING IN CULTURE does your technique/ craft/ process/ tool/ material have? HOW DOES YOUR technique/ craft/ process / tool/ material RELATE TO THE WHAT WE'VE READ ABOUT IN MAKING IS CONNECTING? / 300 /
Talking about historical example that I made I was trying to repeat Local Americans style quillwork with Porcupine. I made it a bit in my way instead of using Porcupine spikes I used paper stripes, what also looks pretty similar, but not so smooth. I chose this craft just because of my internal intension and interests. Since young days I was very into wildlife, naturalism and American Indians for me looked like something big, like nation that has such knowledge and proximity to nature that were always attracting me. Researching about their quillwork and embroidery techniques I found out that they have it totally differ from ours. I tried one of the processes that were used the most and seemed to be more complicated too. It is considered to be traditional craft cause of the reason that nation was using it for many years developing it to make it sustainable. But I don't really see the relation with actual culture now, I even think that there is no such thing, the only connection I see that nowadays people are going back to the roots, nature, sustainability, naturally fashion design, which is the fastest to change are using some features, patterns, fabrics alike American Indians style. In the book "Making is Connecting" we were reading about reasons and explanations, why crafts are needed and how is it so different from arts and design since they were separated in late-twenties. Now I after all the process I understand the statements way much more. Why crafts is about mastering specific tool, technique or material, exploring it and enjoying the time spent with it, all the ways that went together. And then J. Ruskins ideas become more clear, why crafts are so special, not only visualized idea of creator or we can say master but also connection between viewer and someone's feelings (handwork).
How can the technique/craft/process/tool/material you've worked IMPACT YOUR PRACTICE? Do you now CONSIDER WORKING WITH DIFFERENT MATERIALS OR do you think the technique/craft/process/tool/material will allow you to EXPLORE NEW VISUAL LANGUAGES WITHIN YOUR PRACTICE? / 100 /
Talking in general I tried to link this practice to my study field as much as possible from the beginning. I was looking at the process as a research on new not common connection way. I made myself to be a goal the use of the stitching craft by making new shapes as furniture. My chosen technique is broadly weaving and stitching, by doing it between various fabrics and materials. My idea wasn' t to get the perfect shaped or aesthetic object, but more to master the process of making. Which leads to the statement that in future of my creation processes I would like to explore materials more, trying to push theyr limits and finding something that is maybe unexpected.
- CRAFT CONNECT IDEAS & MATERIALS.
- CRAFT CONNECTS PEOPLE.
- CRAFT IS ABOUT ENJOYING PROCESS ITSELF.
- CRAFT IS SENSITIVE.
- CRAFT IS ABOUT EXPRESSING.
- CRAFT IS NOT ABOUT PERFECTION.
- CRAFT IS TOO EXTENSIVE SO THE ONLY WAY TO UNDERSTAND IT IS TO TRY IT.
