Conversations in Colour - Session 4

This week we split the group and, as they were reluctant to stop what they were doing, we remained with the same groups throughout. 

We began by moving around the space to warm up and then, in silence, created stills of particular scenarios - a family picnic, a football match.  This is a technique I learnt from Jacob La Sam Rose as part of last year’s Shake The Dust Project and team work is key.  Although this activity was out of everyone’s comfort zone, the group rose to the challenge and, after a few chuckles, we moved on to creating tableaux inspired by their work from the previous week.  The idea was to bring our written words into the physical realm.  Some of the participants chose to set their Goa-inspired tableaux in a verdant part of Burley while others became pigeons, orange throwers, and an angry Ringo.   

Then the group were asked to take a photograph to complement a piece of their writing and add to its interpretation in some way.  This involved much discussion and experimentation.  They thought about their writing and the photographs they were to take in quite abstract and imaginative ways.  Some very interesting images were created, most of which you will have to wait for but here is one to whet your appetite.

In coming weeks we will return to the tableaux and look at how they might be used as starting points for a reading of the pieces.  But the next session will involve something quite different.

Meanwhile, the group upstairs were catching up with their linocuts, as they had less then 45 minutes last time to start their prints! Soon the second and third colours were printed and everyone was looking with amazement at the beautiful work that was emerging on the tables.

Several people asked whether they could take work home and told me that they feel quite tired after cutting and printing for couple of hours! They did not know that this is fitness training as well! A suitable slogan for reduction printing might be – good for mind, body and spirit!

Afterwards we took photos of our work, because one thing is for sure, next time with the next colour printed the prints will be totally different.

Becky Cherriman and Milena Dragic

Studio 3 - Projection

In our final week of this project we returned to Artlink to review the material from our last session in the theatre studio.  Although the studio session was a culmination of our developments working with the mobiles, we decided to continue to explore the OHP projection.  Simplifying the technology allowed us to return to ideas that the group could continue to use in their own practice. Howard spent quite some time playing with the OHP projection materials last time and we wanted to see if we could create the same effect back at ArtLink.  This time we decided to explore some of the found materials that we hadn’t yet had the time to pursue.

Elaine used a range of materials positioned onto the OHP glass to create a collaged scene.  What was really gripping was the fine hand drawn bird used with the other rough textured material.

It is fascinating in seeing the final image, but also exposing the technology, this creates a double readership of construction and outcome.  John also gave this a go by colouring over a transparent sheet; this was layered in the space using a suspended hanging bird to give a 3-dimensional quality.

Here John also layered his coloured transparency using found materials like the dried leaf above. Although subtle the movement of the bird added a nice time based element making this image less static.

Howard also explored some found materials again creating a sort of underwater collage. 

Carrie had a play keeping to the simplicity of the previous weeks using simple colours and shapes.  Here we kept moving the mobile to see how we could add movement.

Sadly, this completes our short series of workshops taking inspiration from the Nike Savvas exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. The main aims of the project were to explore movement and spatial design and the group have certainly engaged fantastically with these ideas. I was impressed with how willing the group were to try new ideas and trust the simplicity of a torch! The finial session allowed us to return to simple material and light that can create just as rich depth and lighting opportunities as the more complex theatre studio.  It has been a pleasure getting to know the group and I look forward to reading and seeing their future art practice – I have put a selection of images from the 4 sessions in a Flickr gallery below. 

http://www.flickr.com//photos/davidshearing/sets/72157633444905326/show/ 

David

OPEN DOOR – Textile Tales - Week 10

OPEN DOOR – Textile Tales - Week 10

A lovely start to the morning, the sun was out and everyone was in high spirits. Bryony and I had setup two stations, one for batik and the other one for felt making.  Having experimented with the different techniques in previous weeks, we were working towards our final piece – a wall hanging.

The participants continued working in large strips – concentrating on colour patterns and textures, some created fantastic landscapes inspired by some of the books, whilst others used their own imagination and created interesting pieces.

Yvonne who had enjoyed doing batik on silk wanted another go but this time experimenting with cotton.  Now that she was confident with this technique and the tools she was becoming an expert in her choice of colours and building different layers of colour.

Wendy had also shown a keen interest in Batik – her ideas were fantastic, she’d worked with silk as her top layer and then worked on cotton as her second layer, I liked how she was building her layers with different fabrics.

Amarjeet was working like a machine – she had produced so many pieces using batik, she really enjoyed the technique.

On the other table we had Dalip and Sharon working with felt, Dalip is very experimental and loves to have a go at anything; her experimental style with pre felt was amazing.  She created holes in the pre felt and then places fibre wool tops over to create her felt.  I think she was very pleased with the outcome.

Sharon on the other hand enjoyed experimenting with nuno onto muslin – the part where you have to throw the felt with some force so the fibres shrink and create a ruffled effect was her favourite, it reminded her of India and how the ladies wash their clothes in a similar way to get rid of the dirt.

OPEN DOOR with Shantona

SESSION 5

Once again we had a very good turnout, seems the word is spreading and more participants want to join.

The session started with an introduction to felt making,  Musarat demonstrated the different stages, placing the towel first, place mat, bubble wrap and then the pre-felt.  The layers were built with fibre tops placing them gently in a warp and weft arrangement. Later the soapy water was added over the fibre tops and gently rubbed together causing the fibres to interlink and bond together.

It was the first attempt at felt-making for most participants, we did extremely well as we all got into it and started to make our own felt flowers.  Rozi said we did very well too, Musarat & Rozi were pleased at how we all learnt the process very quickly.  Once we finished making the flowers we started to experiment with other shapes. There are some that did their initials, whilst others did butterflies and various other shapes.

The felt pieces will be worked back into with wire, buttons and embroidery to make them look pretty, and added in to the 3D art works.

OPEN DOOR – Textile Tales - Week 9

We are creating our final pieces, using all the techniques we have learnt during the project. We are making large wall hangings; combining felted sheep wool, wax with silk, cotton and paper, embellished with embroidery. The ideas are becoming bigger and more adventurous as our textile pieces are physically becoming wider and longer! As the colour dye and wax is applied with more confidence, playful experimenting is taking place and we are sharing ideas and anecdotes.

I’m always so impressed with how the ladies just give everything a go and congratulate each other on their ideas and approach. The ladies have commented how much happier they feel when they are here in the session. Wendy has noticed her hands shake less after the sessions, because she has stretched them and warmed them up. Amarjeet has started embroidering again, something she hasn’t done in years.

Wendy’s imagery is inspired by beautiful illustrations of wild flowers and plants. The illustrations are reminiscent of her botanical drawings she has brought in throughout the weeks to show us. We’ve been thinking about what words might compliment the imagery. Wendy used to write stories for children. She's bringing them in next week to read them to us.

Yvonne is looking at tropical landscapes in the books, which remind her of her hot Jamaica! She’s mixing up bright yellows, pinks and oranges brushio dyes. 

Amarjeet has an extremely steady hand and confidently uses the batik tools to make gorgeous detailed lines and marks on her silk.

Dalip, always excited to push the boundaries of any technique, is embracing ‘the cracking technique’. The cracking effect is fast becoming our favourite batik technique! You cover the entire fabric with wax and then you screw the fabric up into a tight ball and crumble up the wax into your hands allowing cracks to form. With a brush, you dab the ink into the nooks and crannies, then iron the wax out. The effects are stunning. We are beginning to see mountains, clouds, rock pools, wild plants, and serene swallows in our pieces. I feel like giving everybody a round of applause. So I do!

 Bryony

Conversations in Colour - Session 3

We played storytelling games, creating one - rather eccentric - scene in which The Beatles played a concert outside the Lyther Building with two football teams standing  by.  The pigeons pooing on their heads wasn't the only thing they were worried about. Paul McCartney was also concerned about the orange that had been picked from a huge crate of oranges with Jaffa emblazoned on the side and thrown at him. 

Our next scene was of an evening at the seaside in Goa. There, a woman sat atop a glorious hill drinking a cup of tea and watching the sun set while a cool breeze came in from the waves and fish broke the surface of the water.  On the beach, people in shacks served food to party-goers taking a break from dancing and the scene was lit further by candles and the rising moon. 

We were impressed by how well everyone remembered the details of what had been said before and how some people wound the words together to form the start of a beautiful story.

Then everyone wrote. The remit was to write something inspired by one of the scenes.  It could be what happened next or focussing in on a detail of the scene or whatever came to mind.  We had a few minutes for feedback at the end and people read out their work, which was a wonderful blend of lyrical language and storytelling.  I'm hoping that we will be able to post some of the results up here soon. In this part of the session conversations were certainly bursting with colour and there was much laughter, appreciation and applause.

After the short break, things continued just as well as we picked up the printing from last week. What was surprising was that colours from Goa seeped into the prints! They were bright, connecting us immediately to the colour and ornamentation of the Indian subcontinent. People found lino cutting relaxing and a couple of women took their block home to do a bit more, as they had not been present last week.

The room was crowded and I was worried that women might start accidentally printing each others’ clothes, but somehow everything went very harmoniously, and, other then one tiny cut finger, everything went really well.

There was lots of laughs and admiration of each others work, and plenty of friendly advice.  Next week we will finish our prints on paper and then start working on the textiles.

Milena Dragic and Becky Cherriman

OPEN DOOR with Shantona

Session 4

There was a real buzz in today’s session; we had a really big group, there were so many colours, materials for us to work with.

We continued making our flowers using wax paper and experimented with putting sequins in between the wax shavings.  This works very well when you put a few sparkles in but if you put lots it doesn’t bind together.  Once we ironed the wax paper and saw the colours melt and mix with one another, we cut out or shapes, some made flowers, others made butterflies and created various shapes.

We then decorated them by using buttons, beads, ribbon and sparkly bits. We built lots of layers by adding different materials

 “Once you start you don’t want to stop”

We all made lots, different size, shapes and colours – these pieces will be used towards a vase.  Next week we will be having a go at felt making, none of us have done it before.