It started with the Rana Plaza fire and an image of a river which had been polluted by the textile industry in China!
B7 RESEARCH REPORT 2014
When I
watched the Panorama programme Dying for a Bargain and saw the images of
clothing labels after the Rana Plaza fire (BBC
Panarama, 2013) it made me reflect on my role as a textile designer who is
trying to work both ethically and sustainably. I was also aware of my
commitment as a Quaker to sustainability and ‘a concern
for the Earth and the well-being of all who dwell in it’ (Religious Society of Friends 2011) I decided to find out how the
fashion industry helps those who are committed to ethical practice and
sustainability and to support that commitment. The Panorama programme uncovered hidden facts which were
only revealed when clothes labels from well-known brands
were found amongst the rubble.
RIPU 2015
The people who made clothes of plant fibres 2,800 years ago didn’t limit themselves to using agricultural plants. Researchers think they were conscious users of wild plants too. Until recently it was assumed that the piece of cloth from Lusehøj was linen, made of cultivated flax.
New studies using polarised light microscope techniques and isotope analyses show the fabric to be woven from nettle fibres, probably stemming from Austria.
This means that wild plants, not just local but imported ones too, probably played a bigger part in clothes production than previously thought.
When the first chemical dye was discovered by William Perkin
in 1856 the skills and traditions of the natural dyer were threatened as well
as the environment. My report looked into historical evidence and considered the
importance of natural dyes as a factor in environmental and socio-economic
development for today’s practitioner. Advances in technology and science applied to archaeological
evidencing have had an impact on the ability to identify the fibre as well as the dye
source from finds. Geographical,
historical and literary references to natural dyeing in Morocco compared with
East Anglia indicate the relevance of dyeing in everyday life and identity
across continents. The Report informed the direction and
developed a deeper understanding of natural dyes within my practice.
The people who made clothes of plant fibres 2,800 years ago didn’t limit themselves to using agricultural plants. Researchers think they were conscious users of wild plants too. Until recently it was assumed that the piece of cloth from Lusehøj was linen, made of cultivated flax.
New studies using polarised light microscope techniques and isotope analyses show the fabric to be woven from nettle fibres, probably stemming from Austria.
This means that wild plants, not just local but imported ones too, probably played a bigger part in clothes production than previously thought.
ASU2 2015
Cultural imagery is the imagery that people within a culture have and use to interpret events. It is imagery that reinforces the narrative and beliefs of that culture.Researching techniques and tribal textiles.
HISTORY
OF TOOLS Cultural imagery is the imagery that people within a culture have and use to interpret events. It is imagery that reinforces the narrative and beliefs of that culture.Researching techniques and tribal textiles.
An important aspect of textile production is specialised know-how , which was needed from the Bronze Age and significantly from the Iron Age onwards, when particular methods of patterns and weave types appear. Also, trade was necessary to obtain imported dyestuffs.For Bronze and Iron Age textile production, a great deal of information about tools from archaeological excavations is available.
In Indonesia the main tools used for resist is the tjanting and the tjap. The metal cup holds the molten wax until tilted to draw the design. For Iranan Chinese a ladao is used which is also made from copper to hold the molton wax but has folds of metal instead of a cup with a spout.
So I made my own tools!
RESIST TECHNIQUES
SHIBORI -There
are an infinite number of ways one can bind, stitch, fold, twist, or compress cloth for
shibori, and each way results in very different patterns. Each method is used
to achieve a certain result, but each method is also used to work in harmony
with the type of cloth used. Therefore, the technique used in shibori depends
not only on the desired pattern, but the characteristics of the cloth being
dyed. Also, different techniques can be used in conjunction with one another to
achieve even more elaborate results.So I went on a workshop and experimented with resist techniques
SNU
This was the unit that really advanced my knowledge and understanding of natural dyes. It also made me realise that if I wanted to interpret a design, like textile practitioners who use chemical dyes and fine artists I needed a colour palette that I could replicate. Therefore by centring on one plant I could understand how to effect change AND to consider sustainability in energy use and collection of raw material. So I chose nettles!!!
It was vital that my records were explicit and could be replicated as any research has to be reputable if it is to be shared with other professionals. I visited Head of Biology at UEA to explore further research.
There were also interesting links with the previous unit as nettles have been used as a fibre and as a dye.
ASU1
'The context of this unit will be based on the scarf. I will be experimenting with design, form, colour, image and materials.'
So now moving away from samples I started to consider context and experimented with techniques form and technique.
MASTERS
The Field became the focus of my attention and I found out more about the history of the area things like the rows of pine trees which are signs of mans ability to control nature. The visual signs from the field made me become interested in the changes caused by nature eg snow
and man eg ploughing which made the field a subject for interpretation.
The Bishops Prize gave me the opportunity to try to convey a message through my work and develop my practice and the possibilities for the product. Although I used a recycled shawl I used layers of dye to interpret the layers of history that I had researched to interpret ' Hidden Blessings' focussing on the line .. and the meek shall inherit the earth. This experience especially when I was stewarding revealed the importance of 'the message' in my practice.
SEMIOTICS
Beyond the most basic definition, there is considerable variation amongst leading semioticians as to what semiotics involves. It is not only concerned with (intentional) communication but also with our ascription of significance to anything in the world. Semiotics has changed over time, since semioticians have sought to remedy weaknesses in early semiotic approaches. Even with the most basic semiotic terms there are multiple definitions. Consequently, anyone attempting semiotic analysis would be wise to make clear which definitions are being applied and, if a particular semiotician's approach is being adopted, what its source is.
Living in a world of increasingly visual signs, we need to learn that even the most 'realistic' signs are not what they appear to be. By making more explicit the codes by which signs are interpreted we may perform the valuable semiotic function of 'denaturalizing' signs. In defining realities signs serve ideological functions. Deconstructing and contesting the realities of signs can reveal whose realities are privileged and whose are suppressed. The study of signs is the study of the construction and maintenance of reality. To decline such a study is to leave to others the control of the world of meanings which we inhabit.
Also as a live guide at the British Art Show I have been asked to research Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin and interestingly their piece of work 'Dodo' is about the destruction of an untouched pristine piece of coastline in Mexico in the making of the film Catch-22. And related to the extinction of the Dodo purely because of the actions of man. My field has been touched by man and the signs are interesting to research and to record.
This Review has enabled me to clarify my practice which is not product based but is message based but may need to use the product to convey the message. Therefore the product will need to attract an audience and once captured it is important that the audience is held so that the message can be conveyed. This may be through labelling (which is where I started with my report into the importance of information held in the label!) or another form of publication. Or through workshops, displays and exhibitions.
Implications :
quality design and use of natural dyes
labelling and booklet that tell the story.
SEMIOTICS
Beyond the most basic definition, there is considerable variation amongst leading semioticians as to what semiotics involves. It is not only concerned with (intentional) communication but also with our ascription of significance to anything in the world. Semiotics has changed over time, since semioticians have sought to remedy weaknesses in early semiotic approaches. Even with the most basic semiotic terms there are multiple definitions. Consequently, anyone attempting semiotic analysis would be wise to make clear which definitions are being applied and, if a particular semiotician's approach is being adopted, what its source is.
Living in a world of increasingly visual signs, we need to learn that even the most 'realistic' signs are not what they appear to be. By making more explicit the codes by which signs are interpreted we may perform the valuable semiotic function of 'denaturalizing' signs. In defining realities signs serve ideological functions. Deconstructing and contesting the realities of signs can reveal whose realities are privileged and whose are suppressed. The study of signs is the study of the construction and maintenance of reality. To decline such a study is to leave to others the control of the world of meanings which we inhabit.
Also as a live guide at the British Art Show I have been asked to research Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin and interestingly their piece of work 'Dodo' is about the destruction of an untouched pristine piece of coastline in Mexico in the making of the film Catch-22. And related to the extinction of the Dodo purely because of the actions of man. My field has been touched by man and the signs are interesting to research and to record.
This Review has enabled me to clarify my practice which is not product based but is message based but may need to use the product to convey the message. Therefore the product will need to attract an audience and once captured it is important that the audience is held so that the message can be conveyed. This may be through labelling (which is where I started with my report into the importance of information held in the label!) or another form of publication. Or through workshops, displays and exhibitions.
Implications :
quality design and use of natural dyes
labelling and booklet that tell the story.
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