Re-Thinking Rag Rugs

This collection is inspired by the small details and colours in the West Coast of Canada’s natural environment, combined with Scandinavian weaving techniques and patterns. A major influence has been my long personal familiarity with the Swedish “trasmatta” (a flat woven rag rug) which is found in many Scandinavian households and is still a common way to up-cycle old textiles. With this personal connection and being aware of today’s relationship with things such as fast fashion, it was my goal to use only donated and secondhand materials or fabrics and yarns. This created a challenge of using colours and textures dependent on what I could source through industry (such as Wallace and Sewell providing wool selvedge from scarves they produce) family, friends, and donations.

The project split into two main outcomes: pieces created with ‘rags’ woven on a frame loom and other pieces woven with secondhand yarns on a table loom (which was donated to me by a local Swedish weaver). Throughout this collection I have been very interested in the natural aspects of weaving, from the inspiration provided by Nature to dyeing my own rags with plants and flowers found in my grandparent’s garden. To keep with the theme of recycling I stored the dye in bottles I collected from working in a pub. Alongside this work my ‘complimentary collection’ was created using British Wool and I am now developing this with 100% raw wool donated by a local farm on the West Coast of Scotland. I turned this raw wool into useable yarn myself. The whole collection showcases the potential of reusing secondhand materials and creating something with a new life.

Tipsudar is a textile designer from Thailand, the inspiration for most of her work originated from here in the form of drawing and photography. From this she experimented with different materials through print and constructed textiles focusing on surface texture. Tipsudar’s graduate collection was inspired by an exploration of architecture around Thailand. By exploring specific building structures, she considered how important the element of interaction was within her work and was intrigued as to how this could be achieved using printing techniques combined with embroidery on wallpaper in order to create three-dimensional wallcoverings.

The context of this collection also explores the idea of ‘Touch and Feel’, of interactive wallcovering, exploring textures on paper and material using different methods within printed textiles. It experiments with cutting, layering and manipulating materials to form new surfaces for wall decoration and upholstery fabric. Combining the use of contemporary and traditional techniques along with a creative use of new materials makes her work innovative and original.

Ruby has studied woven textile design here at GSA and whilst on exchange at Tama Art University in Tokyo. She has a varied set of skills which include jacquard weaving, passementerie and yarn dying, and is now looking to expand on these through multi-disciplinary collaboration and live projects. Her final year work explores scenery in motion, informed by her experiences of road trips. Drawn to the nostalgic sensations of watching the landscape pass by the car window as a distorted blur of colour and form, her designs are dreamy and experimental. She considers how the landscape is navigated, how the eye is drawn to signage and road markings; this imagery permeates her designs. She distorts the structures of her fabrics by using colour sequencing in the warp and weft, creating areas of clarity and obscurity. During lockdown Ruby has used the structures and yarns she had been developing in the studio, to create a collection of digital fabric simulations which can be viewed in full on her website.

I, as a graduating student at the Glasgow School of Art, would like to state my support for the Pause or Pay Campaign. To read the full manifesto visit https://www.pauseorpayuk.org

My 4th year started off with my initial primary research ‘places of fun’ I visited theme parks, arcades and light shows. Different colour gradients, shape and line were an occurring theme throughout my research photos that I decided to take forward into my drawing. I created some 3D drawings that then informed colour and further digital drawings that were created on Photoshop and illustrator. Some of these drawings were printed onto fabrics suitable for sportswear and visualised for women’s sports, swimwear and accessories.

Digital embroidery has completely revolutionised Anna’s design process. When the Merlin Pro digital embroidery machine was introduced into the department, she immediately saw the endless possibilities in terms of sheer scale, quality, and precision. She has collected geometric, linear, and architectural primary research photographs that can be translated seamlessly onto fabric using the digital machine. Anna always draws with ‘Merlin’ in mind and has to always take into consideration that even though she is ultimately in control of the machine, she must sometimes allow the machine to control her, which as a designer is an uncomfortable concept at first but Anna has welcomed the happy mistakes as it adds a layer of unpredictability to her work.

This project seeks to explore what can be done with tone and shadow through the refraction and
reflection of light through transparent materials, including found plastics and cut glass. Focusing on
achieving interesting patterns, Rosie used natural sunlight as a way to project light through her
transparent 3D drawings.
In response to her photographs, Rosie then explored fabric manipulation techniques, utilising sheer
materials of different weights and qualities. They are visualised for fashion and fashion accessories.

Informed by the historic uses of pots, how stories are told, and the way moments in time are documented through vase paintings. Chloë’s overall theme of practice is storytelling and narrative through illustrating the mundanity of everyday life in a whimsical and playful style. The focal point of her prints are cats, juxtaposed with colour and imagery retrieved directly from those found on typical British seaside holidays. The designs have historic connotations inspired by research into the use of ceramics, and 18th century ‘Toile de Jouy’, which coincide the notion of narrative.

My final year project is inspired by research trips to Italy and Portugal, the colourful island of Burano informing my colour palette whilst the tiles typical of Lisbon inspired my choice of pattern giving a strong yet free flow to my created pieces.
The prime inspiration for my work was the repurposing and reuse of once useful but now discarded items, such as old carrier bags, onion netting and old climbing ropes. These materials in conjunction with surplus Fairfield yarns enabled me to create colourful and structural weaves suitable for a variety of interior purposes.

Seeking to convey an atmosphere of aesthetic delicacy, Harriet’s practice approaches textile design from a Romantic perspective.

Focusing on layering subtleties of textures, colour and form through use of traditional and digital concepts of textile production, intricate print designs are juxtaposed with structures created through textile manipulation as the process of exploration becomes the focal point. Translating compositions of natural spaces, refined technical and material explorations are repeated and combined to create sculptural prints dictated by the practice of making.

Emma Jones is drawn to the confluence of visual stimuli of landscape and the less tangible emotional connections we associate with these landscapes. Her practice is rooted in creating embroidery to elevate our awareness of our surroundings, focusing on the sensory interactions of light and movement with texture, colour and form and how these visual elements can influence notions of memory and identity. Emma seeks to create a tangible textile translation of our experiences of place. With an interest in slow design principles and emotional design theories, she sees her designs being interpreted in couture garments, focusing on bespoke, sustainable textiles that hold a story for the wearer.

Isabelle’s final year project focuses on exploring the technical aspects of woven structure. With a key design strength of versatility, she has achieved a variety of textures, patterns and weights of cloth – from heavy padded upholstery fabrics with stitched elements, to mid-weight draperies with soft brushed mohair surfaces. Using a range of looms from Digital Jacquard, George Wood Dobby to Electronic Swiss Arms, her process stems heavily from research – active field research including both photography of the subject matter and contextual.

The exhibited work takes primary photographic inspiration from a research trip to Scotland’s Isle of Staffa and its Basalt columns, off the coast of the Isle of Mull. Comprised of the same geological formation as the likes of the Giant’s Causeway, the imagery captures key formal elements of linearity, abstraction, structure and texture. Each of which are drawn upon in the design development stages by exploring different angles of the original imagery.

As a decisive, organised and proactive individual who can be both creative and business minded, each design is considered and intended to be commercially viable. The project is summarised in a virtual visualisation flipbook, and as a photographic collaboration with a B&B.

Kathryn’s graduate collection has developed through the exploration of repeating forms and structures found within the clutter of markets, salvage yards and souvenir shops. Through her extensive use of alternative materials, including factory off-cuts, Kathryn applied a zero-waste methodology to her design process. By focusing on stacked, layered, and folded elements, her designs have progressed into tactile and light manipulating structures. The moveable and interchangeable forms have culminated in a versatile range of textiles for interior and lifestyle products.

Tipsukon is a textile designer specialising in printed textiles and mixed media. She grew up in Thailand and moved to live in Bushmills, Northern Ireland at the age of twelve with her family. Tipsukon has had an interest in textiles and a love for pattern as far back as she can remember. Her inspiration comes from her surroundings, day-to-day activities, people and travel. Her work is hugely inspired by the natural form, botanics and its rich colour.

In her graduate collection Tipsukon was initially influenced by her home location, both in Thailand and Northern Ireland. Throughout the collection she explores pattern, colour and texture inspired by wild flowers and her journey along the Causeway Coast. Tipsukon translates her primary, secondary and colour research through drawing, painting, mark-making and collage in order to create a printed textile collection which suitable for contemporary, home interiors.

Tipsukon took an innovative approach to her collection by incorporating Thai basket weaving techniques with printed designs using a range of natural and synthetic materials in order to create a collection which celebrates the culture of Thai crafts, and captures the feeling of home and her childhood memories.

Ryan’s graduate collection takes influence from all different places; travels through cities, neon signage, graffiti and street art. Ryan questions how we interact with these, how they affect our senses and how we see specific signs, symbols or patterns. Ryan enjoys working large scale when printing and designing as it gives him an idea of how to visualize his work. The idea behind his collection is to invoke a reaction out of the viewer. Whether it is positive or negative, Ryan wants his designs to be an assault on the senses just like his research.

The prints that are created are intended to be used for fashion garments, predominantly for lux sportswear, street style. Ryan’s love of vibrant colour and splashes of neon are captured within the prints with the aid of dye sublimation inks, textile vinyls and screen-printing pigments.

I, as a graduating student at the Glasgow School of Art, would like to state my support for the Pause or Pay Campaign. To read the full manifesto go to www.pauseorpayuk.org

Kelly’s final year collection focusses on creating sensory textiles based around photographs taken while visiting Los Angeles. These photographs have a strong theme of graphics and colour throughout, similar to the 1930’s travel posters that had given initial inspiration.

The main aim for Kelly’s collection is to target the mental and emotional well-being of others. Kelly hopes to improve these social issues through her use of synthetic colour, compositions and variety of textures present. These textiles will be designed for interior spaces to be used in situations such as therapy to leisure. These designs will be completed through hand, machine and digital embroidery techniques.

Emalie Dam Christensen’s work situates herself in the divide between traditional and innovative knitting practices. With an interest in sustainability, she aims to bridge the gap between informal crafts knowledge and future technical advancement, believing that one can inform the other. Through looking at archives and historical references, she projects a future approach to textiles based on emotional design theory and storytelling. Strik:t, a title that refers to Christensen’s Danish heritage, is a process-based enquiry with the outcome of a knitted texture library, where textures can be combined to compose a unique story.

My work is about exploring how to look at the everyday, things you could normally view as mundane or boring, in a way that’s exciting and inspiring. The project’s focus is documenting daily life in a way that is visually stimulating and considers responsible design by using second hand or readily available goods as far as possible. My inspiration for my textiles came from going outside and drawing from life in small portable sketchbooks, making quick observational and abstract drawings. I was later able to develop these drawings into tactile and sturdy textiles designed for unisex utilitarian wear.

A woven textile designer with his practice firmly rooted in science and innovation. 10 years working as a microbiologist means he approaches his work with the meticulous thinking and planning that a scientist would. Returning to education to pursue a career within Textiles has given him a wide range of skills, both creative and critical. Beginning at Edinburgh College, he completed his BTEC, then HND Textile design before continuing on to complete his BA(Hons) at Glasgow School of Art. Winning 8 awards en route has cemented his decision to change paths and arrive where he is at today.

Science plays a part in all of his work, approaching each brief or project as he would a scientific rationale; developing a hypothesis before researching, experimenting, analysing and proving (or disproving) the initial theory. His graduate collection was treated no differently. Textile Design and scientific studies sit hand in hand in a world where sustainability is key and fabric end use has to change. Jonny sought to explore the possibilities of woven textiles and push what the limits of a weaving loom were. Microscopically viewing tropical bugs and butterflies opened up a whole world of design, discovering colour and texture normally unseen by the human eye. Taking these microscopic images and enlarging them through large scale drawing, painting and use of CAD software, he brought texture back to a workable scale. Then exploring fabric density, structure and strength through considered use of materials and technique resulted in a strong body of samples which coherently sit beside his research. Taking all of this experimentation, he cited the work within a fashion context aimed at the higher end, couture use of textiles, successfully visualising his samples as contemporary garments. Having gained entry into the MDES Fashion Design programme at GSA, he plans to further develop his woven textiles practice, building on his skill set with the addition of fashion techniques.

After gathering research looking at pattern and textures found in the Argolic Gulf in Greece, Ella has explored the light and dark principle of design through drawing and collage and applied this same principle to develop ‘smock-like’ knitted structures.

Experimentation with how the concept of positive and negative space can transform her two-dimensional drawings into sculptural fabrics, she has created knitted structures which allow the textiles to stretch and contort around the curves of the body, bouncing and moving with life.
After coming off the machine, the fabric cinches in like a rib-structure, thus creating a heavy fabric that you want to wrap yourself in.

When these fabrics are interacted with, it triggers that ‘satisfying’ sensation in the same way those slime videos do!

A term spent living and studying in Kyoto has had a profound influence on my work as a designer. Photos taken in the streets, shrines and temples of the city were translated into detailed drawings and collages with a focus on repeat pattern. This led to experimentation with folded and pleated papers, informed by lanterns and origami, to consider how patterns change when manipulated and folded. The textile outcomes include digitally printed silk and bamboo with subtle pleat and fold illusions, and screen-printed cotton, hand-cut into geometric shapes, then bonded onto organza to create a three-dimensional effect. These are complimented with samples of Katazome, a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique, which has been used to create simplified patterns. The range of techniques used make this a versatile collection of textiles, suitable for clothing and lifestyle accessories.

“Rows of beige and grey houses, you just crave the colour, and I went for pink” – Billy Connolly

Articulating her love for finding colour, Rachel draws inspiration from vibrant cities, combining textures and marks from materials like concrete, metal and wood that have been manipulated by different people and aesthetics over time.

To emulate these qualities Rachel uses spray-painting and experimental printmaking methods to draw and explore shape and texture within mark making. Her designs are digitally and screen printed onto natural fabrics such as thick linens and cottons, for their superior tactility and durability. She embraces the balance and potential of digitally manipulating and layering her hand drawn marks and textures. Incorporating technology means there is no limit to what surface her prints can be put onto and allows them to hold the same playful and bright impact at any scale.

Teaching sewing and craft workshops alongside her time at art school solidifies her enthusiasm for the act of making and creating functional products that contribute to collaborative wellbeing.

Rachel designs her prints for interior and lifestyle accessories to put happiness and colour onto something tangible and useful every day.

Velvet designs and makes fashion artefacts in a playful approach to challenge how the body is viewed. She combines recycled materials and everyday objects in incongruous ways to enhance or distort the appearance of the wearer.

Velvet’s work is performative in the way it masks and transforms the body, stemming from her research into the carnivalesque. She gathers visual inspiration from her British/Irish heritage; craft and folkloric traditions such as the Wren boys and Mummers; and the DIY aesthetic from the 1980s and 90s club scenes in London. Furthermore, Velvet gathers inspiration from other artists and designers who also explore the themes of identity and queerness through fashion. This is then translated in her work with materials such as synthetic hair, beads and scrap materials.

Velvet uses hand embroidery and embellishment techniques such as beading directly onto fabric or on a bead loom, as well as metal work and resin casting. In combining these techniques Velvet creates bespoke sculptural textile pieces to adorn the body.