Thursday 24 September 2015

From Fashioning Paper to Wabi Sabi

Fashioning Paper


Students have been busy over the last week or so, using paper to create garments, utilising all the paper engineering skills they've developed through their studio practice. 

There are now lots of detailed and intriguing paper structures dotted around our lovely studio!

Jake's fringed corset 
Hannah's armour-like shoulder and arm piece
Alex's spiky sleeves
Serena's gorgeous shift dress, decorated with napkins
Poppy, punching holes into her layered skirt

Lucy working on her floaty skirt that uses many paper weights for an interesting kinetic effect
The beginning of Carla's bow tie which attaches to a chest piece
Natassja's bodice, using loads of found papers. 
Chelsea's underwear masterpiece!


Since then, it's all gone a bit WABI SABI:


"Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete". It is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence, specifically impermanence, the other two being suffering and emptiness or absence of self-nature." - for more info, click here

Working in the wabi-sabi style has really broadened visual understanding in the studio and we've gone from working only with white, to bursts of colour. 

The following images were taken after a working with Foundation Leader Letitia Thompson, who specialises in painting as her personal and professional art practice.

Chelsea and Hanna's work looks incredible together
Chelsea's multi-tonal paint study
Sara's sculptural paint study
Poppy's colour burst
Some unintentional but interesting compositions have appeared since we began wabi-sabi studies!
Wabi-sabi tape pile
Alex's masterpiece, carefully being looked after by the floor
WINNING POST!

Natassja's favourite of her wabi-sabi paint studies
Natassja's not-so-favourite of her wabi-sabi paint studies

Textiles and fashion tutors Rachel and Jo have been encouraging exploration of drawing with/in fabrics. Using the freehand emroidery technique on sewing machines and hand stitches, the workse below are the "in progress" shots.


Natassja recreated and layered up fabric leaves
Charlotte's background, developing a brickwork scene
Alex's gorgeous machine stitching
Chelsea's shoes in stitching, wabi-sabi style!

Sculpture work

Below, tutor Martin Fowler is delivering his specialism of sculpture and Fine Art, to instigate playing with clay as a medium, following the wabi-sabi aesthetics.



Follow our instagram account for more regular photos of the work we are making!



Tuesday 15 September 2015

Exploring Paper

... into the deep end with Letitia's intense making brief: 

"Make 50 paper samples. 
  • must be 5x5cms 
  • must be white/neutral in colour only
  • should include a variety of papers (different weights, textures etc)
  • no computer generated imagery allowed
  • can use white paint
  • must experiment with texture"
Cue lots of stitching, folding, painting, binding, scratching, pricking, gluing, cutting and burning:







All this experimenting with the possibilities of paper helped out with the 10 maquettes required to accompany the growing piles of 50 samples:





Onto a "drawing with paper" task presented by tutor, Martin Fowler:

"Go find an object from outside and recreate it, using paper"







Through the week various tutors have been encouraging everyone to use their paper explorations as inspiration and a source of further work. 

Using large scale drawing and painting techniques, as well as basic lighting and photography skills, the group have been decorating the studio walls with some interesting artworks:

















Why not follow our Instagram account for regular updates and progress of the students' work? Find us @metanoia.jlc.art