Isabelle Murray

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.