Assignment Three – Process and Omissions

While I always took time to reflect on Dr. Rees' feedback following submission of assignments, I waited until I was finished with the main content of the course (so as not to fall behind on each subsequent section) to modify/refine the final assignments/papers I wrote upon completion of each section. Assignment Three (following the Visual…

Assignment Five: Reflection on Feedback

General Overall, I was satisfied with Dr. Rees’ feedback on my fifth and final assignment. I worked hard to apply her consistent feedback to pay closer attention to my final word count, and attempted to use images and simple, direct language to convey my main points. I was forced to leave aside many ideas and…

Assignment Five – Process and Omissions

For my fifth and final paper in the textiles section of this course, I chose to write about Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party, a large-scale, multi-media work of art/installation created between 1974-9. I have visited this work several times and am very moved by its scope and strength and ambition. It's not a perfect or…

Part Five – Learning Outcomes/Conclusion

The textiles section of this course was really interesting for me, and we covered a wide range of textile processes and applications. Following the submission of my final paper, it's time for me to think about my recent learning Can I demonstrate an awareness of a broad range of contemporary practice in the creative arts?…

Sally Mann at the National Gallery of Art

In late March, I had the opportunity to see the Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. I've been following Mann's work for several years off and on, but I find it incredibly beautiful and moving. It's been interesting to read about the different responses to the changing themes of her…

Peter Hujar at Morgan Library

I went to the Peter Hujar: Speed of Life exposition at the same time as I was working on the photography section of CAT 1. This was a post-humous retrospective of the artist's work; Hujar died young of AIDS-related complications. The following video was included on the Morgan Library & Museum's website, offering context for…

Assignment Four: Reflection on feedback

The feedback I received for Assignment Four seemed fair to me; I felt I did a good job of thinking about a piece of art that seemed important and powerful to me. She offered two main areas for improvement. As usual, I struggled a lot with the constraints of writing only 1,000 words, and was…

Project 4 – Enveloping the body

Exercise 1 Here, we were asked to select a fashion image and analyse the garment shown in terms of the qualities identified earlier in Project Four. We were further asked to consider a series of questions. I knew right away that I wanted to use this exercise as a pretext for re-examining the work of…

Project 4 – Enveloping the body

Notes and research Texture When we're thinking about fashion, texture offers a visual and tactile surface quality to garments Examples of textured fabrics include: tweed, velvet, corduroy, seersucker, velvet, different knits, etc. Texture can be determined by several factors: the kinds of fibres used, the design of the yarns in the fabric, the production techniques,…

Project 4 – Enveloping the body

Notes and research How textiles relate to the body Two primary concerns when developing textiles into wearable garments: what are their aesthetic and functional qualities? Cost, production possibilities, and ethical and sustainability concerns also need to be accounted for. Aesthetic considerations = "look and feel" within a specific intended context (for example, evening wear (function…