Final evaluation : SAMPLING

Initially, I began the project with a pre-existing image of the type of work that I was going to produce, this made it hard to develop my work in the first couple of weeks of the project as In my head the work I was producing was what I liked doing. However, as I was shown more processes, began to think more critically about my work and took more influence from my drawings I became less precious about retaining my desired style, and became more focused on experimenting with material and process. This change in the way I approach my work has definitely aided the development of my studio work and has opened me up to far more than I expected.

My initial ‘100 Objects’ sketchbook was fairly small and didn’t provoke much inspiration in terms of translating my drawings into textiles. It soon became clear that in order to take my work further I needed stronger inspiration, which wasn’t coming from my sketchbook. I began working on loose A2 sheets, this different way of working immediately made me excited and I used this to direct the way I would sample, treating fabric no different than I do paper. This really loosened my way of thinking and how I translated my ideas into samples.

As well as finding a new process to creating work, I also benefitted from being in a group with others, and having work up on the walls continually, and seeing how much it was changing week by week made me primarily realise that it’s okay if your work is changing week by week, as initially I thought I had a ‘style’ and that that was the only type of work I felt comfortable producing. I also realised the importance of taking fabric through a process, rather than just using one or two techniques on top of existing fabric and considering it finished, and also being brave enough to keep work simple sometimes, not over working the sample. Overall I think working in such a creative environment really gave me the confidence to experiment within my own work.

Photos below show the progression of my work from week one, mid way through and at the end of the project. Showing the process of simplifying and up scaling my work, and beginning to use more processes within my samples without loosing the simplicity.