Assignment 4: Contextual Studies Part 2

Stage 2: In depth Study Analysis of Work:

Comfort Blanket, 2014 by Grayson Perry.

Comfort Blanket 2014 

Comfort Blanket 2.9 x 8 m tapestry created by Grayson Perry and woven with digital technology. The artwork is a jacquard woven tapestry in wool, silk, cotton, acrylic and polyester, with cotton warp.

This blanket is designed as part of an exhibition entitled ‘Who are You?’ at the National Portrait Gallery. Each of the works in the show is an image about the nature of identity. It is also a part of the art documentary for hit Channel 4 series with the same name. Grayson interviews various personalities for his research. Art turns into permit to access people’s lives, thoughts and feelings and Perry encompasses these in the form of an art object.

Comfort Blanket, is a portrait of Britain in the form of a giant banknote, full of things we love to hate about Britain. The things comfort us, what we think of being British. When Perry is concerned, you need to take it all in with a pinch of salt. Like many of his work, the narrative oscillates between earnestness and satire.

Perry is interested in the uneasy relationship between individual and society at the boundaries where both entities are at odds. What makes us who we are, how we express it, how nationality, gender, religious identities shift all the time and make the collage of life.

His graphic style is light hearted; his wording is thought provoking. Historically tapestries were woven scenes from Bible, telling stories of importance. Perry is telling our modern story in the medium of cloth. Is the comforting us or poking us? Not quite sure.

British Library 2014 by Yinka Shonibare.

 

British Library Installation 2014

‘British Library’ installation was commissioned by Brighton Festival in 2014.

It consists of hardback books covered with artists trademark Dutch wax printed cotton textile, and gold foiled names, five wooden chairs, five iPads, iPad stands, headphones, interactive application and antique wind-up clock. Its dimensions vary.

Yinka Shonibare’s site-specific installation explores the impact of immigration on all aspects of British culture and cultural identity. The installation at the Brighton Museum’s Old Reference Library becomes a repository for those, immigrants to this country, who made unique contributions to what we regard as ‘British’ culture. Filled with books colourfully bound in Dutch wax cloth, the gold embossed spines identify individuals such as T.S. Eliot, Henry James, Hans Holbein, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zaha Hadid, Mick Jagger, Darcey Bussell, George Frideric Handel, Hammasa Kohistani, Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher, Amartya Sena, Anish Kapoor and many more. 
 
Yinka Shonibare’s work makes the cultural influences of colonisation visible and explores the rich complexity of post-colonial cultures. The British Library asks us to evaluate our attitudes to immigration and immigrants. 

Shobibare uses three references effectively: the books as a symbol of knowledge and power, the Dutch cloth as a symbol of the influence of the colonization on African identity and the British Library as a symbol of powerful institution. By placing the names of on the books artists not only offers recognition, but also questions the complexity of cultural identity.

The Lucid Dress –2016 by Iris Van Herpen

Lucid Dress -Fall 2016 

The Lucid Dress is a part of Iris Van Herpen’s Autumn Winter 2016. Van Herpen is famous for producing sculptural haute couture using cutting edge technology.

The Lucid dress results from the designer’s continuous collaboration with the artist and architect Philip Beesley. The dress is made from transparent hexagonal laser-cut elements that are connected with translucent flexible tubes. This forms a bubble-like exoskeleton around the body.

Harpen says with Lucid collection she refers to a dreamlike state where the dreamer is part conscious of the dream and therefore is able to exert a some of control on what is happening. She expresses that her design process is like lucid dreams.

Van Herper uses technology in abundance. The look she creates are out worldly. She constantly pushes boundaries of the fabric manipulation. In this work she created geometric baubles, and voluminous silhouettes. It feels like she is making fabric and dress out of any material, other then fiber. The cozy soft feeling of ordinary fabric is not seen here. Still these new techniques are exciting and they open up new ways of making clothes.

Assignment 4: Contextual Studies

Project 2: Research

Stage 1: Research Six Artists/Designers of your choosing

I opted for more contemporary artists/ designers for this stage. My list is as follows:

Grayson Perry:

The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal

Perry addresses gender, sex, taste, democracy, and identity in his work. He uses pottery, tapestry (the lesser arts) and rubs it up to the serious art world and he is loved for it.  He is fun and his alter egos he dresses up as are fun too. He films his processes as a part of Channel4 TV series. He develops a relationship with subject matter, in all these series, interview them and produce work on reflection. Intriguing watch.

I like his wok because probably he is one of the rarest artists who questions masculinity and gender identity constantly. He is playful with it and forthcoming. His textile work, tapestries are majestic. They tell the story in archaic ways on cloth. Yet have a comic book feel, un-seriousness, and a joke.  He is very entertaining.

Yinka Shonibare (MBE):

Shinobare -Butterfly Kid 2015

Yinka Shonibare first came to widespread attention through his use of Dutch wax fabric, which he has used both as the ground of his paintings and to clothe his sculptures. This bright and distinctive fabric with bold patterns was originally produced in Dutch Indonesia. But no market was found for it, and subsequently is copied and produced by the English, who eventually sold it to West Africans, for whom it became a popular everyday item of clothing. It also, crucially, became a sign of African identity bot in Africa and, later, for Africans in England. A colonial invention, Dutch wax fabric offers itself as both a fake and yet “authentic” sign of Africanness, and Shonibare’s use of it in his paintings and sculptures accentuates a politics of (in)authenticity by simultaneously presenting both the ideal of an “authentic” identity and identity as a “fabrication.”

Shonibare is not a textile artist. He is a painter, sculpture and film maker. However his use of fabric in historical, and political context enlightens our understanding of significance of the fabric within our culture. He underlines fabric as a medium where all the political/economical/social discourse happens and is carried through. And he challenges that within his work.

His work is seriously political but is playful as well.

Iris Van Herpen

Fall 2016 Collection - Phantom Dress

Dutch fashion designer is known for her sculptural haute couture designs made with cutting edge technology. Her designs are futuristic and look out of this world. It is not uncommon that fashion designers push the boundaries of wearable fashion, but Iris Van Herpen raised the game to new heights. She sees fashion as art form, its then a commercial requirements are un important. And her designs reflect that. 

She states that within her practice, the centuries old couture craft (delicate handmade work) fuses with new techniques enabled by technological advances: 3D printed polymers, magnetic resin, or laser cut details. All these enable her to unique look, and accurate detail. Like Issey Miyake she is a part of the designer league who pioneer new ways of making clothes.

She is a exciting designer but is the technology dominating her work?

Severija Incirauskaite

I find Severija Incirauskaite’s work is subversive. The obvious contrast of materials she puts together suggests that. She creates and undeniably beautiful aesthetics, rusting metal stitched with delicate cotton threads. I can offer my own interpretations of it, as they are exciting objects and arouse many thoughts however with this contrast Incirauskaite explores the cultural soul-searching of her nation Lithuanian identity after joining the EU.

She is a contemporary artist, who makes cross stich pretty cool and arty. It is refreshing to see young artists using textiles to explore contemporary issues and coming up with stunning visual outcomes. Her work also appeared in Dismaland Bemusement Park event by Bansky in 2015.

Alice Kettle

Alice Kettle 

Kettle’s stitched works are huge and figurative. She is trained as a painter and started to work with stich later. She is known for using stitched area like blocks of colour, almost painting with big brush but with intricate small stiches. She celebrates the relationship with craft, material and process and tries to exploit the textures and effects made possible through the harnessing of a mechanical process to instinctive ends.

Caroline Bartlett

Caroline Barlett- Backwards and Forwards

I am drawn to research Caroline Bartlett because her work looks very subtle with emotional thread marks. She incorporates many techniques: printing (imprinting), manipulating, erasing, reworking. But the end result looks and feels very content and intended. Her work created in response to historical collections or places is inspiring. She says:

“As a maker and visual artist, I think through textiles, a material with enormous varied behavioral properties, deeply culturally encoded, and which embodies memory in its history and associations in mythology. Fabric invites touch and touch invites certain ways of knowing and remembering.”

Assignment 4 Contextual Studies Stage 1

Stage 1: Research 10 Artists and Designers:

I was looking forward to this assignment and I though it will be a breeze. However it proved to be more challenging then I anticipated. Part 1 requires researching 10 designers and artists who have an impact on textiles over the last century. The main resources are online. Almost all public figures have plenty of “popular” information on the Internet however getting to the more in-depth knowledge proved to be testing.  For this reason I visited UCA Farnham Campus Library in October. The library is smaller then I expected but have great collection of textile and fashion books. I couldn’t get any books out, because I am not a member. Later I learned that I could have become a member because the library is open to public. After a morning of searching their database, I found several books and articles that I can use.  I couldn’t photocopy most of the material because the copying machines were mainly designed to work with a library card, and kept logging me out. The staff advised me to photograph the pages I wanted. Apparently there is an app for turning the photograph pages into text. I followed their advice but soon I found that it is very difficult to reference these photographs. You cannot name or tag the information while you are taking the picture. I missed my Uni days where I had great resources at my disposal. I ended up buying two second-hand books as a last resort.

Researching the list of artist and designers, I soon found that the volume of information could be very distracting. I decided to keep it relevant to textiles and make notes about what attracts me about their work and practice. Even researching online you soon get a feel of the significance of the work, who writes or edits books about tem and which part of their work is more popular. I decided to write a small paragraph for each of them, list the bibliography of books, web and audiovisual material I found. I also used pintrest to pin lots of visual material: https://uk.pinterest.com/saadetpayne/

Here are my notes about the people I researched:

Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh (1864 - 1933):

Margaret Mackintosh - Print design

Margaret Macdonald was one of the most gifted and successful women artists in Scotland at the turn of the century. Her output was wide-ranging and including water colours, graphics, metalwork and textiles. She is a part of Glasgow Four group whose work were seen to be controversial and yet founded the modern architectural styles we recognize today. Although she is a remarkable artist herself she is always featured as the wife of Charles Rene Mackintosh. For their collaborative work the credit went to Charles Mackintosh mostly. Researching Margaret Mackintosh was a little frustrating in that sense. However Charles Mackintosh acknowledges that his wife’s contribution has been invaluable, saying he may be talented but it is Margaret is the genius one.

 Characteristic of Mackintosh styles:

·      plain white surfaces and furnishings 

·      restrained use of colour

·      long flowing lines

·      use of symbols, such as swirling roses, based on nature

·      patterns based on geometric shapes, such as the square

·      extreme attention to detail

·      consideration for the design of all elements to work together: the interiors, fittings, furniture and exteriors

·      exaggerated forms, such as can be found in his high-back chairs

·      clear typography

Leon Bakst (1866-1924):

Leon Bakst -Scheherazade

Russian painter and scene and costume designer. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly colored sets and costumes. His sketches show the costumes on dancers in motion. He was designing the costumes with the moves and, poses in mind. Fluid, colorful and erotic costumes, very different from the classic style before him.

Bakst's gorgeous color combinations were a leading feature in the appearance of Ballet Russes productions. Bakst's work became the sensation of art galleries and a dominant influence in the fashion world at the time. He was the most distinguished artist that the theater had at the time.

Ethel Mairet (1872 -1952)

Ethel Mairet (1872-1952) was an exceptional weaver and dyer, whose influence can still be felt today. She was a member of the small but vigorous crafts community in Ditchling, where she established an influential weaving workshop at Gospels, alongside Eric Gill, Edward Johnston and Douglas Pepler. Mairet was teaching weaving at the Brighton School of Art, exhibiting her work widely, publishing a number of books and articles and producing what she referred to as ‘textile portfolios’ with accompanying pamphlets to support teaching.

She has also been an important teacher to and collaborator with other well-known hand-weavers such as Mary Barker, Peter Collingwood, and Marianne Straub.

Anni Albers (1899 - 1994):

Anni Albers - Design for Weaving

 Bauhaus design duo: Anni and Joseph Alberts. Pioneers of 20^th century modernism.

Anni Albers weaving design bear clear signs of Bauhaus school. Clear lines, shapes and colors. Simple but purposeful and functional. I am intrigued by her designs and in future would like to look into her work in detail. Her articles about weaving, working with material and design principals are on my reading list.

Lucienne Day (1917 - 2010):

Lucien Day - Print Design

Iconic mid century design duo: Lucienne and Robin Day. Their home textiles products defined the era from 1950s to 1990s. She was instrumental springing British textile design onto international stage. Her influence can till be seen in mainstream products today.

Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930 -)

Red Abakan

I found Abakanowicz work very emotional. It is subtlety political too. Her response to her own restrictions/oppression under first nazi Germany and the effects of socialist Russia is powerful. Considering the political turmoil of today’s world her work is very relevant today too. She pulls us between collective and individual. Headless sculptured gathered in crowd and yet each of them is individual. The scale of her sculptures needs to be noted. The scale amplifies the feeling they evoke I think. The scale, maybe, could be her response to the restrictions she was imposed upon. The more oppression, the bigger the scale.

Her concept of fiber as a universal structure that forms each and every one of us is interesting (from tree leaves to our nervous system). Fiber crates form or texture, cast in other material.  Her work helped textile to be accepted as an art form. Some of her figures reminded me of Alberto Giacometti, whom I love. I also found her drawings very powerful too. Strong lines expressed with force.

She writes many of the books about her too. She likes to control her message maybe.

Zandra Rhodes (1940 -)

Zandra Rhodes - Sketches

Strong, bold, colorful. Her designs are eye popping. She was the queen of print in 1960 to 1980s. Her prints are characterised as uniquely calligraphic. She produces floating garments, and she cuts her garments considering prints where print defines the shape of the garment as much as the cut. However looking at her later collections her silhouette stayed same. Looking at her signs I remember my mum’s clothes. Like Lucienne Day, she defined a whole era, and their influence was everywhere.

Zandra Rhodes founded Fashion and Textile Museum in 2003 and is living above the museum. She recently teamed up with UCA and created the “Zandra Rhodes Digital Study Collection” in which she shares her sketches, previous work, tutorials, and videos in which she talks about her work and process. These are bite size information however they provide insights to her work as much as practical advice for fashion students. 

Recently she designed costumes for opera and in the Opera setting I think her designs came alive.

Judy Chicago (1939- )

Judy Chicago - Birth Series

A revolutionary Feminist Artist. She is stronger in her rhetoric and yet subtle in her visual imagery when compared to Tracy Emin or Ghada  Amer, for example. Her work is more symbolic, but within that symbolism powerful too. She works with female body, playing on its representations. I think her work refers to a more collective experience of femininity rather then a personal one (eg Emin). Her work has a strong aim and conviction. She is a successful woman artist, tutor, social activist, rebellion and a feminist. She founded The Flower Project, supporting projects for feminist artists. She doesn’t stich herself however her textile work is remarkable. Again using a much “female” medium to represent female issues (birth), which didn’t appear in mainstream art world. She says: “Textile and needle craft is used to tame femininity. How fantastic it would be to use it to rebel – to tell your story”. Best resource for a quick research is her own website. I loved the video recourses. She is witty, frank, and funny.  

Issey Miyake (1938 - ):

 

Miyake 2016 Fall Collection

Japanese Fashion Designer. Innovation, innovation, innovation.

He is known his innovation in manipulating fabric. The design stage starts from the very beginning of crafting fabric and transforming it through stages to (steam folding, baking, etc) to crate folds and into clothes.

·      Sharp forms, yet very fluid. Almost in all photographs, the bodies wearing clothes are in movement.

·      Minimalistic sharp look yet very fluid.

·      Intriguing designs.

·      Colorful

·      Futuristic look (yet inspired by nature)

·      Developing new techniques.

·      The process is as important as the results. The process is a construction.

·      Unbound by pre-existing framework, free ideas, curiosity, research, experimentation…. Product…

It all starts with a single thread………..

Tracey Emin (1963 -):

 

Tracey Emin - Quilt

Very famous British artist. There are so many articles books and video interviews about her. She is well written, researched, and exhibited. In fact too many of them. Check Wikipedia page for variety of references online, for example.

She is a part of 1990s Young British Artists movement. She has a celebrity status among art lovers. Her work is very controversial (work about sex, rape, abortion)

Her work is autobiographical. She says her art is about emotion. She puts herself at the center of her work. It is a very common female artist strategy to put ‘herself’ in ‘her work’ as a subject matter. Her work is associated with words like: Intimate, vulnerability.

She used quilting in her early work, and some machine embroidery. Her use of textile is very subversive: using cloth as a medium to shout out her experience. Graffiti on a cloth. Not an easy read either. Far cry from nurturing feminine craft.

She came to fame with her installation: The Bed.

Emin is full of feminist promise (does she deliver on that?) Is her work relatable? Is it and open expression of female experience? She is definitely one of the most accomplished female artist. And she helped elevate textile to fine art.