trackies

chavs are in fashion! Courtney MC has been inspired by sportswear, particularly the kind stereotypically worn by chavs and the lower working class. I love the mix of the classic sportswear garments and the imagery, especially the pitbull ones.

http://courtneymc.com/

Wishes in the park

Unit X has lead me to doing installation art for the first time. Seeing as I have been inspired by wish trees I was intrigued to see what would happen if I put some of the wishes I collected in All Saints Park. This whole project has been a social experiment.

And what a response! My main aim to go to the park was to photograph my wishes outside however members of the public couldn't help but be curious as to what I was doing.

As human beings we like to be part of something. We like to be connected to the world around us.

These two girls couldn't help but be nosy and read the wishes. They are asked if they could write their own wishes but unfortunately I had no spare tags on me, despite this, their genuine interest in the project still left me with a sense of achievement. 

These two students had just come back from the Students Union bar, where they had just written me a wish and placed it inside the box I left there! I am thrilled that people among the Oxford Road area are recognising my project.

This wish was created by a child and probably sums up a majority of the public's wishes!

Unfortunately being only 5'3 I had to have some help putting them on the branches! 

If I wasn't using the wishes to put on my wire installation at Hotspur House I think I may have left them in the park. I might consider this when the exhibition goes down, as the trees looked much  more attractive with a splash of colour and the public could read them until the writing fades.

Talking Heads

I've picked out 3 textile artists who work in a very similar way, they all involve peoples heads, and embroidery.

 I'm interested in some of the stitch work involved, and would like to incorporate something similar with my digital prints.

Maurizio Anzeri

Stacey Page

Laura McKeller

Bye Bye Blackboard for Madeleine

Cornelia Parker 

Text on blackboards. This is a different way of using text but I love the white lines on the black surface and how you are forced to write and draw marks in a particular way with this media.

Albert Einstein

Bobby Robson 

Blackboards were wiped after use: they were meant for immediate communication, not for record. Even as they were being used, their messages were continuously revised, erased and renewed. But when Einstein came to Oxford in 1931, he was already an international celebrity. After one of his lectures a blackboard was preserved and has become a kind of relic. It is the most famous object in this Museum.
This exhibition marks the centenary of the Special Theory of Relativity by inviting a number of

well-known people in Britain today to chalk on blackboards the same size as Einstein’s. All these guest blackboards have been prepared in the early months of 2005. The result is an exhibition about science, art, celebrity and nostalgia. The blackboard is fast disappearing from meetings, classes and lectures: ‘bye-bye blackboard’.

Museum of the History of Science
University of Oxford
16 April — 18 September 2005

Georgia Russell

Beautiful book art!

Textiles, Technology and a Magical Future

In my research into laser etched fabrics I came across the textile artist Kate Goldsworthy. She developed many processes for up cycling, renovating and inventing textiles for fashion and interior use.

Kate Goldsworthy is a Senior Lecturer for the Textile Futures masters programme at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. An independent designer and researcher specialising in new finishing technologies, materials R&D and design for sustainability. Kate is currently completing a practice based PhD project exploring emerging technologies, to reinvent ‘digital finishing processes' for recyclable materials.

Science has been linked to textile art for centuries, looms, spinning machines, dyes, synthetic and natural fibres and too much to list. I got to thinking about how our group have all in some way, touched on science and technology in our work and how what could be dry formula and complex theories can be transformed into art that can be; spiritual, decorative, opulent, forms in space, words or sounds.

Developing the concept of sound as art, I found an interesting blog.
 http://textileresearchdiary.wordpress.com/author/yasmin1m/page/2/ One of the posts was the making of a commercial for digital printing inks. Using sound to explode colour and filming it in motion. The picture snips I have posted are nothing compared to seeing the moving colours. Think psycadelic lava lamps! Ignore the big sell, watch the process of creating an advert, and how sound can produce colour in space. We are near the end of the blogging task and it is making me sad.

http://vimeo.com/14955603

Exhibition

Hi  if you guys could get back to me about your planned spaces for exhibition before or on Monday morning, Martina is wanting everyone's plans, so to organise space. 
I'm not sure if we have a briefing on Monday, but we should get together anyway to sort out names etc. Hope everyone is getting on OK, and not crawling around the floor in a panic.




A quote to keep you going....Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
                                           Dr Seuss                                                                                     

Pick and Mix Art

Judy Dwyer, dangerous dolls and dogs

Hetty van Boekhout batik and collage

Jane Arkwright acrylic paint

Peter Layton /Simon Moss, crystal streams

Glass artists

Yuk Kan Yeung, oxide on porcelain

These artists are all featured in a book by Carolyn Genders, Pattern, Colour and Form. Its good to look at when I need a creative "push". I hope my Unit X work has some of the same qualities in it.

Matt Stokes

I like how artist Matt Stokes uses words and text in his work, alongside photography and other mediums. I think the large blocks of writing are interesting, the audience might not necessarily read the entire thing, but it has impact. I also like this particular exhibition space, with the mix of work on the walls and on desks and tables. This could give us some ideas for our own spaces...!
http://www.mattcstokes.com/

Karen Nicol

http://www.karennicol.com/pages/lace.html

I have followed her career over the years. I could post millions of images of her work, its all so good. I can not explain what I like about her work, its just everything that an artist aspires to. Her website is worth a visit if you have time in between working towards the end of X.

How To:Tie Dye

Hey Girls just in case you want to have a little fun this weekend tie dying, heres a good video I found on youtube for tie dye virgins! Excuse the unattractive man. If you mute him you can pretty much watch how to do it. :)

Colour Catchers

http://www.theraggedpriest.com/

I recently purchased a cropped jumper from this brand The Ragged Priest. I was attracted to their bold pastel colours mixed with studs to give the clothes more edge. I really like the pastel colours at the minute but find them quite boring on there own,  so adding something to them could really sharpen them up a bit like it has these clothing range. If I have time I may try doing some of my own tie dying. I am currently in the print room and I have been using these similar colours. They are lush! Check out the links girl!

Jazmin Berakha

I'm so in love with the beautiful embroidery of Jazmin Berakha from Argentina. 

She specialises in portraits of women in frozen moments of unexplained  contemplation, existing in a  multi-patterned world. 

Group Name..?

During the tutorials earlier Nigel said we need to have a group name that links all our work together. Although our outcomes are very different, a theme of communication is reoccuring in some of our work. Does anyone have any suggests? It's more difficult than it sounds, however one of the groups have named themselves processes, as they all produce work in that way.

(I don't like posting a blog without a picture so hope you all appreciate this random picture of David MEOWIE! )

Spaces for Exhibition

Hi guys, I hope you found the note I left for you today re exhibition spaces, have you all managed to work out where you would like to go, and passed it onto the reps? let me know if you want me to help sort anything.

Sequins for Louise

Louise these are the buildings I was telling you about today, by artist Theresa Himmer, her art work made entirely of sequins. 

She is based in Reykjavik in Iceland, adds a bit of sparkle to an otherwise grey landscape!