Evaluation

My starting point for this brief was 'Urban influences'; the visual research if gathered focused on the zoomed in textures of road surfaces and grates. The visuals I had gathered were limiting the possibilities for creating a body of diverse work. I found my concept in some of the drawings of grids and developed the 'Structured and Organic' concept into broadening out into looking at pattern formations in architecture. Photography and photoShop have been my main source of visual research because I was interested in the layering and revealing effects. These tools also allowed me to distort and create patterns within the pictures of buildings. I used these images as my main colour palette source.  

Throughout this project I struggled with yarn choices and a colour theme. If I wasn't the texture it was getting proportions of colours right. It became an obstacle with my creative processes which was holding up the amount of samples I was producing. I removed the colours that were becoming a problem and concentrated on reflecting my concept of distorted patterns through my knitting technique with out the distraction of garish colours. I was then able to create a range of structures based on the architectural research I had done. 

The context I would most like my work to fit into is interiors. I would like my knitting samples to be a starting point for creating furniture like statement piece chairs. However for this project the yarns I have worked with fit into a more fashion based context. I would like to develop my work to further in man made materials and bendable metals to make my collection more viable for a furniture design context. I also need to work on a much larger scale to create an idea of how a knitted structure would translate into furniture design because the scale of the structure would affect the design of the knitting.

Claire Anne O'Brien's knitted furniture is my inspiration for large scale knitting however I would consider using heavy duty plastics and metal to create modern fluid looking structures in furniture a like the designs V Dekka and Jean Marie Massaud's furniture. I would need to collaborate with people from different genres of design, however this is where I imagine my designs being developed for in the future.

V Dekka Table

My concept progressed with my project to broaden the creative outcomes. My concept was clearly 'structured and organic' when I started my visual research but then progressed to being 'distorted patterns' when I translated these drawing into knitting. I decided that combining both concepts towards the end of the project would be interesting especially affect the influence of Antoni Gaudì's architecture, which introduced the fluid looser style of my drawings into my knitting which created a clear contrast of 'structured and Organic' in the samples. 

Week Seven

I re looked over Barbara Rae's paintings because of the way some of her painting have a colourful wash over parts of them that reveal areas of the painting from beneath the wash. I wanted the translucent layered effect to be resembled into my knitting. 

I evaluated my collection of final samples and realised that they were all predominantly dark. I felt that the collection needed more diversity so I designed one to completely contrast the rest of the collection. I combined a heavier vibrant green yarn with a much lighter yarn in a navy blue. By using my punchcard the sample gave a very linear composition a like the Zaha Hadid inspired drawing I drew. It also has a transparent layered affect that also complemented my concept of distorted patterns. 

I decided to incorporate some of the much heavier yarns in with the lighter lace style knitting I had created. The combination of the punchcard and chenille yarns gave a very distorted look which contrasted the more graphic look of the crisper yarns. 

Week Six

Now that I had found a collection of yarns that conveyed a sturdy knit structure, I decided to incorporate some of the yarns that I had discarded in the past, due to the mottled affect they created when combined without smooth yarns.  I used moments of theses yarns in my structures to make the samples less flat and to build a better correspondence between the yarns and my drawings. I wanted to focus on some of the transparent qualities that my drawings and photographs have. These qualities give a subtle layered affect with small moments of the textured yarns give. Also the textured yarns contrast the heavy wool yarns I've used, like the contrast in line qualities in my drawings. 

 

I utilised the punchcard design by combining it with the bond down loops that the partial knit technique created. I wanted to elaborate on the distorted pattern concept; the punchcard design links well with the geometric structures I had plain knitted so combining the techniques created a three dimensional interpretation of the pattern. The effect of this relates well too some of the loose qualities I show in my drawing.
In the same sample I rotated the knit so that both the back and front sides of the punch card are visible. I found that the loose lines the build up the pattern are a reference to my build up line composition drawings. This also changes the pattern and makes it seem as though the pattern is unraveling away. I like the organic nature to this sample. Though I feel the punchcard would translate strongly in the smooth yarns and the right way up to show its graphical qualities.

I introduced a tape yarn into my collection because it a sturdyer yarn that holds its linear shape well. This yarn dominated the pattern on the back of the punchcard which really exhibited the pattern clearly on that side. In contrast it looked subtle on the front. I mixed the composition around so that there is a moment of the reverse on the right side of the sample.

Week Five

This week I decided that I wanted to focus solely on the structure of my knitting. I removed all the colours that where detracting from the focus of the structure and used 4 ply wool yarn because of its heavy but smooth in texture; which I feel resembles structures best. I combined partial knit with hooking up so that the rolls that the hook up create would make more of a secure structure to the knit. 
I have become interested in how the partial knit affects the structural affect of the knitting. I found that when the knit was knitted in columns then attached together with a hooking up roll the columns adopt a different formation that again reflects a more bold structure. I am considering only lightly steaming these samples so that I don't detract from the affect.

 

 

I have looked at furniture designers for inspiration as to how structures can be used as the main design instead of just purposeful. 'Heaven' by Jean Maries Massaud Emu, is a steel framed table that is composed of the same diamond shapes just in different proportions. I have varied the scale of my collums to create more depth within my knitted structures. I feel that with different material choices for example man made materials that hold a shape, I could create large scale frames to be used in a furniture design context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I experimented further by knitting the same structure on hold to see the affect the longer knitted columns had on the shorter pieces. The loops that these created gave a more fluid look to the sample which I feel relates to some of my looser drawings. 

 

 

 

I looked at Antoni Gaudì's architecture because I felt that the loopy formations in my samples were mildly similar to some of his structures. His architectural structures resemble the skeletal form which could be an interesting way of creating patterns from this subject. Perhaps the pillars and posts that hold a building together are a virtual skeleton. The loops in my knit that are suppressed and bond down resemble the vertebrae of a spine. 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Four

From my photoshop practice I created layered imagery to compose an image that focused on the structures of the business school. I chose colours that compliment each other to dominate the image but I left a moment of vivid yellows and greens to make a point of focus. 

 My yarn choices were not reflecting the imagery I have been working from. This is mainly because I had been using textured yarns that are mucky colours, whereas the photoshop images are crisp vivid colours. The shapes in the imagery are geometric, so a smoother yarn would provide a better translation between this imagery and my work. I also need to reflect the compositions and proportions of a vibrant colour through the knit samples. The interruptions of the vibrant colour had been too formulaic in my samples, which didn't resemble the perspective in the spacing of the lines from my source imagery. 

 I made some yarn samples to match the qualities of the photos. I introduced three vibrant colours to break up the denseness of the dark blues. I found that I need to really focus on proportions of colours because that affects how well the colours compliment each other. They can also not work well directly next to each other although they work as a collection. I found that the yellow I chose looked garish with the shade of blue I had used.  

 To translate some of these vivid colours into my knitting, I looked at Ross Lovegrove's Renault car design. I am interested in the relation between the organic structures and textiles on the seats, with the contrast of hard and soft. This linked to one of my earlier concepts, and encouraged me to combine the punchcard patterns with the knitted structures. I chose to do this because I could control the view points by disclosing and revealing parts of the pattern view through use of multiple layers.The colours harmonise then interrupt each other with a vibrant intersections, which are similar to the lines of yellow in my photoshop photographs.

Week Three

I experimented with combining textured yarns with formulaic patterns to see if they would create a gravel affect to relate to the imagery I was taking creative information from. In doing this I found that by rotating with yarn I had in the main part of the carriage I could distort the pattern. The textured yarns blend into each other than emphasises that affect.

After starting my knit samples I realised that there is a developing theme of interrupted patterns with in sketch practise and my samples. I feel this is building on the concept of the 'structured and organic'. I had been struggling to build a collection of visuals to base my knitting on because the 'structure and Organic' are broad terms. However, with the idea of creating these formulaic patterns I decided to look at architecture.  I took photographs of modern buildings and staircase structures. which I then manipulated on Photoshop to recreate the patterns and colours in a way that would be beneficial to my knitting. I found the structures inspiring in the buildings because of the layers and patterns they created, this lead me to start an experimental approach to my knitting. I found that the techniques I had learnt from knitting a sock influenced my practise so I decided to create layers of shape onto another knitted sample. I then took the sample further by recasting the knitting on to the knitting machine to divide the dark yarns with strips of brighter colours to relate the colour theme to my photoshop edits. 

Zaha Hadid's Drawings interest me as they are very linear and basic. I am interested in the way she indicates moments of interest by how dense the black block it but also the way she hasn't drawn everything as though she has left that for the viewer to comprehend.

 

My interpretation of the Negative space on a sky line

Week Two

My concept of layers within urban Tarmac has a limited range of ideas that could fuel a whole project so I have expanded on to looking at the grids and grates on the roads. I researched the Boyle family, their zoomed in photographs of road markings that emphasise mondain surface textures make interesting compositions that include photos of geometric and organic shapes. The drawing I have made based on the Boyle Family research have a payed down paint surface with geometric shapes layered over it. 

BOYLE FAMILY ART WORK

I decided to created rubbings from the grids and overlaid the rubbings which was a helpful practice to refocus on composition awareness. I experimented with using the pin tuck foot to draw with the sewing machine. I then painted over the embroidery to highlight the raised drawings. I did this because I had been placing random grounds down on my paper to create a textured surface to work onto. The sewing machine method meant that I could pick up elements of the composition that interested me the most.  From looking at the grids I realised that there is another concept developing in my visuals which is 'organic and structure'. This became apparent because the majority of the drawing and photographs have a distinct contrast between the organic and structure. I realise now that I need to broaden my visual research and branch away from just looking at the pavements. 

 I based my colour palette on the photo shop edited images. I wanted the mondain subjects to look lively and more interesting than they usually appear. 

Week one

I have chosen the 'Urban influences' brief to base my visual research on. My concept is to focus on the pavement and the roads. I am going to explore the layers of patchy Tamarac with exposed cobbles relieved from the bottom layer. I also want to look and the cracked road paint/ signs and grates that are placed around theses things. I have started my drawings and paintings with a large element of texture that I have created by printing painted surfaces onto the grounds of my drawing before I start. 

Negative points about starting in this way are that some of my drawings and background dominated which makes them appear flat with no compositional depth. To retract from that I have researched Barbara Rae's style of painting where she introduces collage into her vibrant paintings. I looked at the way she composes her paintings in colour proportions and texture proportions. The paintings I had started are in my A4 sketch book which limited the gestural style that I was aiming to achieve. So I have expanded to a larger sketchbook and onto paper.