Here is some further imagery on ways that I could look at my idea of “squishing into a gap” or “filling a deserted space”. Cracks are something which occur naturally over time due to weakness or when put under strain. This idea that something bulging out of the cracks like polystyrene and my textile samples would introduce protective qualities back into the space.Image Resource: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/salcedo-shibboleth-i-p20334

I discovered this museum after having a talk with tutor Katie; my idea of having small detailed textile samples squished into gaps on the wall reminded her of embellishments and decorative elements on buildings which led to Sir John Soane's Museum. This challenged my thinking of other ways to look at spaces as previously I only looked at modern architecture/art and negative spaces.

The artist said on his website: 'By placing the bodies in selected spots the interventions provoke a thinking process and produce irritation. Bodies in Urban Spaces invites the residents to walk their own city thus establishing a stronger relationship to their neighbourhood, district and town. The interventions are temporary without leaving any traces behind, but imprints in the eyewitnesses` memory.’ This last part of the quote really inspired me; as the artist considered all ways of his work from the photography to the publics reaction. This made me think about how I want people to consider my work and the feelings it gives them. My polystyrene pieces could be dotted around forgotten urban spaces with colours and textures inspired by the place therefore it would draw the spectators attention to spaces you would not have noticed before.

Image and Quote Resource: 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/jun/21/bodies-urban-spaces

Interested in space and how different installations/materials are arranged in space. For example the idea of suspension perhaps each textile sample would be hung up at different heights therefore the viewer would be shocked and slightly confused with the idea that they are floating. The image to the bottom right shows how samples could be grouped in an interesting way; textures have been carefully considered with shiny materials against matte against bumpy.

Image Credit: Patricia Williams

I was instantly attracted to this piece firstly for its title and secondly for the layers of shelves; with random ceramics layered upon top of each other. In a way these pieces are filling a gap really chaotically however there is control in the way the shelves are a simple flat surface. The meaning of the title, Cumulus, is an accumulation or also describes the cloud formation frequently seen in summertime. “The curving volumes of the milky-white vessels recall the cotton-wool puffiness of cumulus clouds”. This has made me want to re-think my title as I think its really clever how Cragg has found one word with two meanings that both relate to his installation piece.

Image and Quote: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/cragg-cumulus-t07792

Polystyrene is a material which protects objects and I have been using this a lot in my textile samples and inspiration from Rachel Whiteread. Looking at ways that polystyrene could be interpreted onto the body I looked at protective clothing for example helmets, shinpadsand armour. This jacket by the IsseyMiyake Design Studio and designer Martin RuezDe Azuais inspired by textile shelters and is made from an industrial knitting machine.

Mid week when developing my textile samples and looking at the properties of polystyrene for example protection; I started to try and develop this onto the body looking at shin pads and sportswear armour. However after talking with Patricia I found that I was limiting myself by trying to put these pieces on body when really they should just exist and be installations in an interesting space. This is something I have learnt that just because we are doing fashion it doesn’t mean I also have to have fashion related outcomes.

Image Resource: https://library-artstor-org.arts.idm.oclc.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822001804309

The Bruce Lacey Experience: Paintings, Sculptures, Installations, Performances, David Alan Mellor, Kings Cross Central Saint Martins library

I love the quote in this page of the book “creating art out of machines” something that you would never think of doing; in a way replacing its function of doing a job with a different purpose of being looked at. Researching into Bruce Lacey gave me confidence in my work that some pieces can just be there without pressuring myself to put my textile pieces onto the body. It interested me when he mentions in his video how his works just respond to what he is doing; for my own development I have just responded to my research and natural flow of working. Lacey also continues to talk about his metamorphosis throughout his life from careers to artwork maybe to suggest insecurities he once had.

"What I found fascinating talking to Bruce about his improvised music was that he could never play live. That’s because the way he makes music is very clearly defined and time consuming. There is no telling if and when The Muse will even appear, so playing live would always be impossible, especially when you consider the pressure an audience would put on such a personal interaction." The idea of Bruce Laceys work being personal is very clear in all his styles of work as his piece 'The Womaniser' was about his fantasised image of himself as a womaniser. Therefore he is really analysing everything about his life and memories maybe to bring some type of closure. 

Quote Image Resource: http://www.trunkrecords.com/turntable/bruce_lacey.shtml

“assembled figure reclining in a Victorian dentist's chair. The torso is an inflatable orange vinyl cylinder, which was somesort of floating, or life-saving, device. The legs are both metal artificial limbs. The Perspex head is filled with clippings from pornographic magazines. The face has a rubber mask, originally used in teaching mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which has perished considerably. A clear plastic stand for displaying bras in a shop sits on top of the torso to provide three pairs of breasts. Rubber gloves resting on each of the breasts are attached by wartime field-dressings to tubes through which air is provided by a pump driven by the motor of an old refrigerator. Every thirty seconds the gloves inflate and become erect, after which they deflate, vibrating as if fondling the breasts. The figure is clearly hermaphrodite, as the pipe for inflating the torso rises between the legs like an erect penis”

I find with these art installation pieces that there is really no point to them except that they are just interesting and slightly confusing to look at. I find it very inspiring how he used a variety of materials from rubber gloves and clear plastic tubing all relating back to his original concept which is important. I think I have got and used similar materials but on a smaller scale so this has helped me with ways of scaling up my work as this was some critique Patricia gave me today.

Quote and Image Resource: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lacey-the-womaniser-t07743

When doing research I noticed how many of the artists that interested me focused on space whether that was negative space or inverted space. This did not surprise me as I knew I wanted my textile pieces to fit into space. I found this book which shows tactile structures in relation to space. I loved how the artists had presented there pieces because I was instantly drawn to them; this is something I will have to think about and assess when presenting my final outcome at the exhibition.

Learning about Do Ho Suh and his work I found it surprising how interactive each piece was. The almost sheer coloured fabric re-created rooms from his different flats when moving country therefore acting as a walkway and making the audience feel safe. Maybe Do wanted to create this effect for the audience because that’s howhe felt in his own houses. The pieces make me think about fragibilityand the emotional connection we have to space. I have learnt from researching this artists that negative space work does not always have to be hung as you can see some pieces have been framed therefore strong folds and lines appear looking almost like a continuous line drawing. I would like to explore this idea of continuous line drawing in relation to negative space and the fact that all the drawings don’t have to be super accurate to represent an idea.

Image Resources:

https://www.timeout.com/london/art/do-ho-suh

 https://thespaces.com/do-ho-suh-victoria-miro-gallery-london/

“Roisin Johns intention of this work was to re-appropriate discarded materials and re-engineer desire. By challenging the perceptions and value of discarded materials, Johns has taken materials found in landfills, skips, and factory floors turning them into objects of desire. From re-engineered eggshell, to paper, to foam, leather & polystyrene, these second life materials took the form of a jewelrycollection, all originally sourced from her local dumpster” The ideas behind this work isvery similar to my idea and how I want to use an unwanted material like polystyrene packaging casts and create something with a similar function of protection but used in a different way.

Image Resource: http://www.detnk.com/node/141777

These pieces are one off works based around the theme of landscape and the human body. Natural organic objects form negative spaces inside a block of glass appearing as solid objects suspended in surrounding space.

Image Resource:

https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/directory/maker/max-jacquard/project/fertile-landscapes

In using the gallery space to cast his work, and in concentrating on its corners and edges, he doubles and inverts those parts of the architecture. Therefore you get to see negative space whole and positioned differently; instead of filling it in he’s just outlining the space. The materials he uses both contrast with the building's 'permanent' structure and foreshadow its eventual collapse. These works sit at the point between the rational and the chaotic impulses.

 Image Resource: https://www.celesteprize.com/info/idu:27960/

This video really helped me to understand Karla Blacks work and her meaning of using the materials she uses. Her view on materials is very open in a way that anything could work so there is no hierarchy in materials; eyeshadow can work just as well as treasure gold but has a different texture because its originally made for the skin. In a way I feel like Karla views materials as if they are a person she wants them to live forever with the potential off "paint never drying or plaster never setting". Her work she displays on the ground brings back memories from her childhood instead of being far away from the ground;  as an adult being encouraged to look around and see the work from another point of view.

“Usually made in response to the space where they will be shown, her works have ranged from delicate cellophane, paper and polythene hanging pieces suspended with ribbon or tape to large-scale floor-based environments made from plaster, chalk powder and soil. Her sculptures are often full of contradictions; they command an entire gallery space yet hover on the brink of collapse, and combine a fascination in raw, physical materials with an interest in psychoanalysis and language”

Still looking at space I enjoyed the way that Karla responded to it in a unique way by using the light and architecture of the spaces. Sometimes individual installation’s blurring into each other orientating the spectators.

Quote and Image Resource: 

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/karla-black

I was already aware of Rachel Whitereads work from online however; I wanted to find a book on her work to get some more unique images and I was really excited to also find some of her drawings. I love how the very block color shapes are overlapped with fine technical lines this is a technique I could develop into fashion illustration also.

“I cast the negative space of library shelves, there’s a lot of colour in there; it’s subtle colour, but it’s there.” 

“This installation is about where our legs go when we sit at a table. She said: ‘the first table I made in 1989 was to do with exchanging one’s personal space with that of the table, the physicality of how you sit when you have a table in front of you, how your legs behave, etc” This was an unique concept by looking at the negative spaces of furniture and how this furniture is designed to fit and accompany our bodies.  I also like how the artist has used a polystyrene core under the poured concrete to reduce the weight of the finished objects which links with the ideas of chaos and control. The chaos is underneath the concrete but it looks very calm and controlled on the front. This also connects with my thinking of polystyrene packaging which is a cast .

Image and Quote Resource: 

https://www.tate.org.uk/search?q=space+objects

As I was making my textile samples I found that weaving was a technique I kept going back to and this made it essential to research further into ways of adapting or adding interest to weaving.