Dec. 2nd, 2020
Current work:
I have been reflecting on material relationships and the bigger picture of where my work is going. In my mid-term reflection, I noted that I had not put enough energy into my sketchbook development. I want to feel more solid in my visual and structural language. Keeping this in mind, I have done my best since then to lean on my sketchbook and journaling to help in my development and it has been a valuable tool in planning my work for this month’s critique and onwards:
Returning to drawing and collage is often a useful tool for me to continue ideation. It’s a place to externalize scattered or vague ideas of shapes that I am pulled to create into one place. While working with more focus on my development, I am creating my woven structures in samples to move towards a prototype as well as making a body of work.
Material and structure:
I have been working with scrap cotton, wool, and sunflower plant stems to make a woven piece that is intentionally stiff and not as soft or bendy as my previous work. Using the sunflower stems gave me a sense of how I can “build” with a warp and the circle of wrapped grape-vine has inspired me to think about how I can integrate the scale of shapes within the same object. The origin of the material is significant too. I harvested the stems from a patch of sunflowers my family planted for pollinators by our apartment. The stems were unfortunately uprooted recently by someone so their potential as an over-wintering site for bees and other insects seemed less likely.
Since receiving feedback in November, I have had the goal to try weaving with hard material- reeds, stems, branches, holes in wood, etc. I see this sample as another point on the branch of this exploration.
Challenges:
I have been determining structure that could work as a flexible but strong form through mainly plain-weave, spacing the hard weft materials with layers of weaving alternating in-between. I am continuing to look back on weaving techniques I have read about and worked with that can be used for off-loom (with basketry, etc.) and/or on-loom structures.
As I begin my second sample, I will attempt twining as my main structure to see how much flexibility it allows for with the sunflower stems, etc.
The act of limiting materials has been a noticeable challenge for me because I often gravitate to repurposing fabric in much of my work. I’ve been less focused on fibre content and more on building form, so attempting to bring together a focused structure and set of materials is an ongoing goal of mine. Wild bees have always been a good example for me through how they work with a limited use of materials to build effective structures.
As I have already written about (in my first blog post for seminar research reflecting on the Textile Symposium), I am interested in spatial and textile storytelling- using weaving and installation as a form of building. It is something I see proven in basketry and off-loom work, and it can complement loom-woven work too.
Tutor Exchange feedback:
I had the privilege to meet with two mentors who work at Sheridan in different studios!
Lindsay Montgomery (mainly ceramics)
She was excited by my focus on wild bees and shelters, claiming to love gardening!
Ideas from our discussion:
Consider the seasons!
Which materials are weatherproof? Which types of textiles work outside?
I am challenged by time because my project is aligning with the seasons. We are entering winter now, and so I can’t observe the same presence of the biodiversity of bees and plant life as I could in the summer. I want to embrace this and see what I can make regardless.
Maintenance
Taking apart nesting structures each year/season to help avoid the spread of disease, mites, parasites, and other issues within bee species who may nest in these structures.
This is an essential and responsible action as a human making and/or using an artificial habitat for bees and I believe it could become integral to my design. The objects could be taken apart, existing to be made different each season, and never just one outcome. The location of gardens and plants in the city can influence my object more, perhaps becoming both site and species-specific.
Community engagement
What needs does my project meet- for myself and my community?
How does community influence how my project looks and long-term of where I go with it from here?
Peter Fleming (furniture)
He understood and supported my concept in the context of our climate crisis and encouraged me to think about “whole” natural ingredients and materials alongside ancient techniques.
Ideas from our discussion:
Natural finishes for weatherproofing and strengthening
examples: pine tar, and other tree resins, beeswax, natural oils
biodegradable materials-
materials that are strong but used with the awareness of it breaking down- not existing solely to be preserved or last forever.
Vernacular/ primitive skills
There is power in bringing old knowledge into a contemporary context if done with care. I can make these objects with local materials while referencing ancient techniques often stemming from human survival (primarily basketry) to give me a solid foundation.
Examples he mentioned included: sisal rope-making in Mexico, Haida birch bark canoes, baskets, shelters; bee skeps in Europe; pine needle baskets.
I am open to this and should also consider how I would acknowledge the people behind these techniques, depending on what I make- Here’s a connected question I wrote back in the summer:
Where does my privilege and colonial action as a white settler play a role in my making as regards to the inspiration and techniques I choose?
Next steps:
I want to determine a prototype of my project that could be used mainly by wild, cavity nesting bees while being a sculptural form. It has been my intention from the beginning for the work I make to live outside. While it is unclear if that is possible during the colder months, I can eventually reimagine the objects as a series, and bring them into different settings in the spring and summer, after the school year.
Before or after final critique, I will get a sense of my objects in the landscape. I hope to bring them to High Park (Toronto) to take photos of the woven forms by wrapping around other structures and trees to give me insight of place and scale.
The size of a bee’s world pushes me to think about the importance of inner spaces for various species and what this can mean on the human scale, bringing awareness to their homes in a natural and urban landscape.
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