Presentations and Reflections
We shared our projects in the studio before they were displayed on the shelves.
There was a wide variety of responses to the brief. These included mask making, embroidery, incorporating leaves and other foliage into the design, creating a character and painting.
Some common themes across the group were the inspiration of nature and considerations about the environment. One of the sculptures- Virginia’s figure- appeared to be protecting the leaves it stood next to. Denise’s bag with leaves embedded in the plaster is a commentary on the importance of organic materials and the toxicity of plastic bags- as represented by her mesh bag, which she squashed flat several times while describing the message. Ash’s bags looked like they had emerged from the forest and she described how she had used real leaves to achieve the paint design on her plaster bag. Sarah mirrored her embroidery flower and butterfly with painted versions with the intention of creating child-like designs. I found the embroidery very effective against the mesh bag and was impressed by the intricate stitching and the choice of bold colours.
Another shared focus was the consideration of negative space and the shaping of the bags. The mesh bags in particular displayed empty space within but within that commonality, there was a wide array of shapes and twisting, some straight lines and others more curvy. It almost felt like playing with the shape of the air. It left me wondering what might be inside the empty spaces…maybe energy or magic or emotions or whatever the beholder imagines.
A unique solution that stood out to me was Heinsel’s pair of bags. She created an elegant handle on the mesh bag by wrapping yarn over and over. This gave the impression of a comfortable grip and I believe Heinsel was thinking about functionality to some extent in creating her piece. The second bag ended up not having the cut out but on closer observation, the slump in the plaster below the top edge ended up mirroring the contours of the handle. This gave the effect of the bags echoing each other.
It is always so interesting to observe each other’s work and hear about the origins of designs and development of techniques. I was inspired to consider exploring the use of embroidery in future designs. I really enjoy working with textiles, yarn and thread and enjoyed design and sewing the extra piece in my cornucopia bag. It’s great how we learn from each other and find inspiration in the sharing process