Tuesday 16th April - Proposal

First day back after easter and I finished typing up my proposal, which turned out to be harder than I had initially thought.

The skills knowledge and experience I have acquired on the course so far consist of textiles techniques I didn’t know about before, and now have in my own little way mastered. The course has shown me that textiles and surface design is what I want to do – it forced me in a way to open my mind and be slightly more carefree about my work so it has more of a flow rather than being rigid and restricted. I have learnt that lots of experimentation is the key to developing a personal visual vocabulary. I am planning on building upon what I have done so far exploring surface and pattern. This project will develop my skills and build upon my experience of the course so far by helping me to experiment, develop and problem solve.

The concepts I want to explore in this project are my personal identity, through my origin and cultural heritage. To inform this I intend to research Indian artists and designers, and create original work which will require primary sources taking inspiration from floral and fauna. The outcomes will be based on Indian fashion using the sari as a main source of inspiration which can be draped and manipulated into different positions to create different looks, enabling the design process to focus predominantly on the surface design and less on construction.

For influence, I have chosen  Indian fashion designers such as Manish Arora, Neeta Lulla, Manish Malhotra and also some textiles and surface design artists such as Marie Hansen, Drusilla Cole, Emantras. The primary research I am hoping to undertake to create my own designs is to photograph flowers, then, use a range of drawing techniques manipulating line and surface qualities to create my personal style. The origin of the sari is important to me and it’s significance in different cultures is also something I want to explore in my research.

I don’t want to be restrictive in my exploration of techniques, so as well as sticking to screen printing, I want to explore dry point, mono printing, relief printing, lino, woodcut and collograph. The print samples will be on papers and fabrics, so from there I will decide on the material being used. I am going to keep a clear crisp space, and wait until the exhibition is set up so I have an idea as to what it is going to look like. The materials and resources I have identified I do not have right now but are readily available.

I will evaluate my ideas, research and processes throughout the project by having regular tutorials and feedback from my pathway tutor, as well as having peer assessments. One important aspect is to assess and evaluate my work as I create it. There will always be issues and problems that arise along the way, and I will address these through my own evaluation and assessment, group critiques and tutor feedback. The progression of the project should allow me to explore the full potential of my ideas, personal identity, representing my origin and cultural heritage.