Katie Nolan

Once I had begun to develop some idea of how I wanted my work to progress, I began working with fabric and finding ways to show my ideas through sampling. I began quite literally, looking at my drawings and beginning to draw on elements of those and looking at how I can reflect the use of line and collage and make it more textural and interesting. Despite liking the way this sample looks, I felt like it was too literal in terms of the composition and technique and was just a fabric copy of my drawing, which isn’t helping me develop my ideas. To resolve this feeling I had about my work I returned to my sketchbook and began drawing more, taking inspiration for different things I had looked at earlier in my project and filtering this back into my work as I felt all that work has been forgotten. I felt more inspired to work in fabric once I began drawing in this way, as well as allowing more of my initial research to come back into my work wh...

After my first feedback tutorial following summer, i decided to select pages/drawings out of my summer work and begin a new sketchbook as i felt a lot of the work was no longer important to the development of my project. i began the next stage of my project by going to the Whitworth Gallery to see the William Kentridge 'Thick Time' exhibition. One part in particular stood out to me, this was entitled "O Sentimental Machine". A room set up to replicate a Hotel Lobby, this installation made me recognise the significance of composition within a space, and how every object is specifically chosen, positioned and has now earned a home within this space. After drawing from this exhibition, i began to consider my own space or 'personal museum' that i have put together since moving back to uni. Looking at both the conscious and subconscious decisions that i have made regarding what items i decided to bring with me, where they belong, what they belong next to and ...

I began my summer project by going to various types of museums that hold collections. First the Horniman Museum in London, which was interesting as it held two different collections, one composed of stuffed animals and various organisms in test tubes. The other part of the Museum was ‘The World Gallery’ which contains “ Over 3,000 objects from around the world give you a glimpse into other ways of life and a greater understanding of other peoples, places and cultures. “ I found this collection of objects really interesting to draw, mainly because of how it was displayed. Regarding the first room of the museum, I found the groupings of organisms in tubes and jars etc. quite strange as it was like walking into a lab of some sort. I began focusing on the placing of objects and the relationship between them. Over summer, using the Horniman as my starting point, I visited different types of museums, one being Dorich House in Ki...