BETHAN

Week 1 & 2:
My working title is 'Paper Manipulation'. I am experimenting with paper folding and weaving to produce paper sculptures. I started the project having looked at Papermatrix, Matt Shlian, and Richard Sweeney.

06.03.13 - When I was discussing my project with Joe Hartley, he gave  me some artists and designers to look at who have studied paper folding/origami, and incorporated these techniques into their work, such as Issey Miyake and Lazerian. He also gave me further ideas of what I should be experimenting with e.g. starched fabric, tracing paper, turning the testers into vessels etc. After researching Issey Miyake, I also came across Jun Mitani.

07.03.13 - I produced some more testers, focusing on making them larger scale i.e. more repetitions in the pattern. I also started a log of what I'm discovering about paper

Week 3:
This week I have been producing more testers on a larger scale, and in other materials. 

Tracing paper: 

I also attempted my own Papermatrix-inspired patterns but found it a lot harder than I thought it would be. I experimented with different shades of white card, trying out a newly released Papermatrix pattern.    Joe Hartley brought me some images of similar work to look at for next week.

Week Four
18.03.13 -  Joe was in, so I discussed the things he had brought in for me on Thursday. He had created this felt bag which unfolds from 2D to 3D.

We also discussed the need to find a purpose for my testers. When a friend saw the Papermatrix dome I had produced, she put it on her head over her bun like a hat. I think that my work may be perfect for wearable sculptural objects. I discussed this with Elle and she too liked the idea. She suggested I look at Nora Fok and Kirstin Dunn. Over Easter, I want to test more materials - starched fabric, waxed fabric, aluminium, cutting paper up and stitching it together etc. I need to consider scale and what an appropriate size would be for the objects.

19.03.13 - I got some muslin fabric out of the store, and cut geometric triangles out of cardboard. I then arranged them in a pattern and glued them onto the fabric. This makes it sturdy yet flexible. I also looked at "Patten Magic" and "Pattern Magic 2"  by Tomoko Nakamichi.

Easter: I have been producing more testers over the break - I starched a few different kinds of fabric and then with the help of an iron, folded them the same way I have been with paper and card. I think its been quite successful even with complicated patterns. I also waxed some muslin fabric and using a pin, etched folding lines into it. The wax layer is uneven which makes an interesting effect when held up to the light. I want to do a few more testers with this.

Week Five:
17.04.13: - This week I have been working on a large scale version of my fabric and cardboard mix. I have also been practising 'Glide Reflection' again to perfect it, making the edges crisper. I user black paper to see the contrast. We had a peer review this week which went well - I had a lot of positive comments, which was a confidence booster. I am continuing with the idea of wearable sculptural objects.

Week 6:
23.04.13: - This week, I finished off the fabric and cardboard mix, and I photographed it.

I also experimented with some shiny fabric I bought at a local shop. It was hard to iron and needed interfacing to help it hold its shape, but I really like it.

I also started to experiment with leather - I used a lino cutter to score lines in, but am struggling to work out how to make it hold its' shape.

24.04.13: -  I finished off a large-scale fabric/cardboard mix, and photographed it in situ.

I then asked a friend to model it for me, and pinned it to her, seeing it as a wearable object:



I felt that this was really successful, and a very strong piece of work. After discussing it with my tutor, I decided I liked this work more than my original idea of making multiple objects that could be attached to the body, using the various methods that I had experimented with.

Week Seven:-

Over the weekend, I thought a bit more about what I want to make, and what I feel my strongest ideas are. Following on from the end of week six, I started to make another fabric/carboard mix, this time varying the triangle size.

30.04.13: - Finished the 2nd piece by the end of the day. But I struggled whilst assembling it, as it wasn't completely accurate. For the actual piece, I will lasercut thin ply so that it a) looks good on both sides and b) is more precise and therefore easier to piece together.

01.05.13:- I have produced a triangular geometric Illustrator to be lasercut, but it might be good to do one of the 'Glide Reflection' pattern. This one could be stuck onto silver fabric as a contrast...

Week Eight:-
We're working from home this week, but I need my work lasercut. Unfortunately, the queue is long so it still hasn't been done.

09.05.13:- Produced a tester for the geometric triangles on the shiny fabric.

Week Nine: - Picked up my lasercut ply - a lot of pieces!! Prepped my fabric and organized triangles, but had a set back when the PVA I was using was a bit too strong and stuck fabric to the mdf board underneath. Had to prise triangles off carefully, wash fabric and start again...

Second attempt went well and didn't take me too long to finish. Have only done one lasercut piece so the tester above is now slightly irrelevant.

Struggled to get eyelets in so will have to do this at Uni with an eyelet tool.

 Week Ten:- Final Week

Inserted 3 small eyelets into work; one at either end and another in the centre.

Set up my exhibition - 4 hooks in the wall to hang final piece, some testers attached to the wall, and photographs of it being worn. I also created a photo animation of it being modelled:

My Exhibition: