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!