Audacity and Light 'drawings'

This week we were visited by Ant Dickinson, a musician, sound designer and technologist, who created music for games, fashion films and art festivals, as well as other varied projects he works on.

 He introduced us to the Audacity and Pure data software, which we used to download sounds which related to our project. We then manipulated those sounds by overlaying them with others, reversing them, stretching them and changing the pitch or reverberation. 

My samples reminded me of segmented insects such as centipedes so I investigated insect noises. My pieces also took on an almost supernatural quality under UV light so I also researched sci-fi sounds that illustrated this which I could use in a sound and visual piece. I thought that the finished sound piece I designed represented my samples well.  I could develop my project further by creating a fashion film with my samples and incorporate the music.

This week I also began looking at artists who use light in their photographs to create light 'drawings'. By taking a photograph with a slow shutter speed and moving lights the resulting image creates an impression of movement. I created ‘accessory like’ pieces and dressed a model for the purpose of my experimentation. The model moved in such a way that when I photographed her using a UV light and a very slow shutter speed, the light sensitive samples in the resulting images created unexpected distorted shapes and patterns in some cases changing the appearance of the original piece quite dramatically. These colourful blurred images create a sense of movement and excitement, reminding me of the lights and images seen at a fairground. These photographs would be appropriate in a gallery setting, rendering the knitted fashion accessories to tools used for my photographic stills, they are my 'paintbrushes' for my photographic 'paintings'. 

Experimenting with UV light and Motion

 David Ogle talked to us about how he transforms simple materials by incorporating UV light and  I have subsequently researched other artists who have taken a similar approach. 

Fashion designer Craig Lawrence created a collection of knitted designs which were UV sensitive using optic fibres. The UV sensitive fibres gave the designs a futuristic quality, and created instant visual impact.

Fay Mccaul also creates UV sensitive knits for installations, wall coverings, and partitions. The knitted structures she creates have an eery supernatural quality and remind me of deep sea creatures and jelly fish.

Both of these designers combine modern, futuristic technology with the traditional process of knitting, which I think creates an interesting contrast and tension. In my own samples I sourced  materials that I thought would react under UV light and I also used UV paint to dip my knitted samples into and painted specific areas of the knitting that subsequently looked very different when exposed to UV light and created interesting patterns when in motion.I envision these samples as fashion accessories, as I think they fit well on the body and are complimented by the movement of the body. They also work well simply as knitted sculptures, however if I wanted them to be in this context I think I would create them on a larger scale for greater impact.

I have discovered the Intel 'Make it Wearable' project, which is an initiative to make technology wearable and personal and seamless to use. In my knitted neck sample I wove LED wire into the knit however I could develop this further using more advanced lighting technology, such as LED lights which respond to movement and therefore work in synergy with the wearer.  The video also illustrates what context my work could exist, pushing the boundaries between fashion and technology and how collaboration between the two can create the most innovative results. It shows how fashion and textiles have not yet caught up with the speed of technology, and there is space in the market for design that fuses the two.

Photocopy experiments

In these images I experimented photocopying my samples, moving them while they were photocopying to distort the image. The resulting images created interesting and unexpected shapes and colours, obscuring my original samples and I felt this process was a successful one. 

I particularly liked the way the metal elements of the samples distorted to create a metallic foil effect, which created interesting contrast with the knitted elements. I think these would create interesting prints as although they are flat pattern they have a very textural element to them. To progress this idea take it further I could print on acetate and experiment shining light through the print projecting interesting shapes and colours. 

These photocopies also provide me with inspiration for new samples. For example, the straws with crochet on them, multiplied and conjoined together in the photocopies, providing me with ideas on how to extend and scale up my samples. 

Experimenting with Light and Shadow

Following my experimentation with the shadows I could create using the Arduino technology combined with my knitted dome, I wanted to apply this idea to my samples. I had been to an exhibition of the work of Dale Chihuly in London, and was inspired by his blown glass sculptures that were transformed when light was shone through them. The sculptures are illuminated, becoming activated  with this inventive use of light, form and pattern. The lighting was an integral part of the sculptures, projecting mesmerising colours and patterns onto the wall.

By placing the torch in different positions against my samples I was able to create a variety of shadows, which created unexpected silhouettes and patterns. I shone the torch through my cylindrical samples and I think that the resulting photographs were the most successful. They created interesting patterns through the knit as well as strong silhouettes. This showed me how I can use light to manipulate and enhance my work. This is definitely something I will consider when creating my exhibition space.

Further Samples

I continued experimenting with traditional techniques including knit, crochet and weave to create further samples and I used low-tech and other unusual materials such as garden twine, plastic straws, rubber bands, metal wire, bin liner,  garden fencing and paper clips. 

I enjoyed the challenge of transforming these everyday items into pieces where the materials origin is hardly recognisable. As I create more samples, I can experiment with shape and form, and think about how the samples could adorn a body or stand alone as textile 'sculptures' or structures. 

By using photography I can consider in what ways I can animate the samples  and develop them further, incorporating light and motion. The forms of these samples suggest movement to me and by suspending them in different ways and in varied positions they would move in relation to these things. The straws, for example, would move in a spiral rotation if suspended from one end. I could attach them to a motor and record how they move, through film and still photographs. I could also use a wind source (fan) to effect this movement as well. I would also like to incorporate light into these samples, perhaps by combining LED wire or UV sensitive materials.

Arduino

This week David Boultbee talked to us about his work with the Bread Art Collective. Their installations incorporated light, technology and viewer interaction. The environment of their work was very important, as viewer interaction was integral to a lot of their installations. Like David Ogle, they used simple materials of lights but repeated them multiple times to create impact, for example placing hundreds of outdoor lights on a hill at night to mirror a star constellation.

He introduced us to Arduino technology, which could program LED lights to turn on and off according to our specifications. Using a laptop we plugged in a sun founder breadboard via USB, which connected to the LED lights, resistors and different coloured wires. I had little experience working with this type of technology, and found it difficult at first to understand. However, working in a team of two, we were able to work through the software together, brainstorming idea solutions, and it allowed us to draw from a greater pool of different experiences and knowledge. By the end of the session we had collaborated successfully and had mastered how to set the lights off on a pattern we had programmed ourselves. The effect we created was evocative of lights at a fairground. I then knitted a metal dome to surround the light, in order to create interesting shadows, which I captured in the photographs below.

David Ogle

David Ogle talked to us today about his often large scaled installations, which allowed the viewer to walk around them and experience them in quite an interactive way. I found it interesting how his use of quite simple materials such as fishing line used in combination with UV light resulted in installations with great impact. In one installation, he used a fan to create motion, which is a straightforward but very effective approach. He also talked about how he used repetition in his work, repeating structures made of very everyday materials, such as straws, to create impact. 

Following this lecture, we experimented with in groups of two. By brainstorming together we were able to create a plan for what we wanted to achieve and what elements of Ogle's work we would like to incorporate. The structures we created were made by connecting straws with metal cogs, and bolts threaded on, which incorporated Ogle's technique of repetition. 

I worked with Lois and we were both drawn to different materials, me to the rusty bolts and her the colourful straws. The combination of the two created an interesting contrast of texture and form. During the construction they were lying flat on the table and didn't have much impact, but when we changed their setting to the stairs they had more interesting structures and relationships between them. They looked like they were climbing the stairs, and if we had more time I would have like to created more, perhaps 15, to take it to a larger scale. If we had a UV light source and a dark room we could have transformed these samples in the same way Ogle did in his work, as these straws are receptive to UV light. I experimented further by incorporating these metal cogs and bolts into my samples, crocheting them on wire. I also pierced a ball of bin liner and rubber bands with old nails, which I then dipped in ink and used as a drawing tool. The group crit at the end of the session was helpful in discussing the strengths of our installation and how we could take it further, such as creating more to fill the stairs. Discussing the other installations, provided inspiration for ideas in my own work, such as using neon thread in samples. 

Initial experiments - Lo-tech materials

http://www.pinterest.com/gracechj/unit-x/

Looking to the colours and structures of the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I created some samples using lo-tech materials such as wire, straws, strummer line, birthday candles, pins and bin liner. Using crochet and knit techniques I created structures which I think evoked roller coasters. I like the contrast between the traditional knit and crochet techniques with the unconventional materials. Through the use of varied materials I was able to create a combination of different textures.  Photography allowed me to experiment with compositions and manipulate and record my samples in variety of different ways. 

Bellevue Archive

At the Bellevue archive I was drawn to the photographs of the performances with animals and their trainers and the decorative costumes which they wore, which I would like to research further. Each costume was designed to compliment the different performance which is why the minimal and exotic lion tamer's costume is so different to the dancers' long skirted costumes.

Blackpool Costumes

When looking at the costumes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I tried to capture the different textures and materials of the costumes in my photographs, such as the combination of metal with soft fabric. All these costumes were designed to have a big impact, as they were used in performances, therefore they had very striking and unusual shapes and silhouettes. These were created through the use of wire to give fabric form and shape, which is something I would like to experiment with in my own samples.