To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
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My practice continually explores creating and manipulating pattern- both in a 2D and 3D context. I like to experiment with a whole variety of techniques and to push their limitations through material choice, scale and combining with other ways to manipulate a surface.
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I am including the subject of mending and repair in this series of blog posts about traditional textile techniques used in contemporary ways because this practical and necessary skill from the past has been making a comeback in recent years. With the advent of recycling, upcycling and the slow textile movement there is a growing interest in extending the life of garments.
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Weaving is an ancient craft used over the centuries by many cultures to create fabric for the home and clothing. The method of creating structure by interlocking threads continues to be explored and developed by artists and designers a like. In this blog post in the series about how traditional textile techniques are being developed for contemporary sensibilities I will be giving you a taste of how weaving can be at the cutting edge of fashion, design and art.
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Knitting has come down the ages as a means to turn wool and other fibres into useable, usually domestic objects. Despite being a highly skilled activity knitting is most frequently seen as a handicraft and marginalised by the conventional art world into a feminine form of expression. As with crochet the technique has plastic abilities that allow the artist to express freely in 3 dimensions. In the hands of contemporary artists and practitioners both women and men are bringing knitting into galleries and to the forefront of artistic expression.
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If you are interested in using embroidery in your own creative practice I suggest you research widely, exploring the approaches of other contemporary practitioners. Be open-minded about the surfaces you stitch into, the places where embroidery can appear, the patterns and designs you create and what can be communicated through stitch.
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Labelled Like Luggage from Open College of the Arts on Vimeo. One of the sheer joys of working at the OCA is the the surprise of opening assessment parcels and seeing the student work, which previously has only been shared between the student and the tutor. (OK I admit I don’t open the parcels personally) […]
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