Tuesday 15 July 2014

Summer Blog


So far this summer I have enjoyed Glastonbury, helping the third years with their degree show and exploring the National Railway Museum. 
I’m really glad I volunteered to help the third years with their large installation pieces. It was interesting to see their creative solutions to working on a large scale and even just talking with them about what experiences they’ve had on the course and what they were hoping to do once they graduated. 
For me, Glastonbury is an artistic experience in itself. The amount of design and creativity put into the amazing sets and costumes for the shows, as well as a bombardment of sculptural pieces and creative eco architecture, effectively makes it one of the biggest and most impressive gallery spaces in the country. Best of all is being immersed in a sea of tents which appears as an impressive composition all of its own. 
Glastonbury is also quite a good experience for me as a Textile artist because it has given me an opportunity to see a range of Designer/Makers selling their products, ask them about their experiences and how they got to where they are now. I also saw how artists used Glastonbury as a place to network and advertise themselves to a much broader audience. It also helped me consider the variety of textile careers that helped create all the textiles at the festival. The ribbon tower is my favorite example of an unusual use of textiles: 

Finally me and some family friends visited the National Railway Museum. This museum was quite prominent throughout my childhood, being the closest museum to my Primary School and there for a “go to” for school trips. On returning as an adult, I started to really notice the incredible detail and patterns on old carriages and station benches. I was also drawn to the old sign advertisements that came together to form a patchwork in my mind.