To kick off the Locating unit we underwent a trip to Rochdale custom archive to gather visual inspiration and generate initial ideas. I found the archive quite bland and uninspiring, but as an 'out-ward facing' approach was important for this unit I used the research gathered in Rochdale as a starting point for further exploration of costume details and textiles. |
floral embroidery on dress, Rochdale archive, 2015 section taken from door frame, collage of influential figures, inspiration for jarred narratives and 'collaging' storylines, Rochdale 2015
To kick off the Locating unit we underwent a trip to Rochdale custom archive to gather visual inspiration and generate initial ideas. I found the archive quite bland and uninspiring, but as an 'out-ward facing' approach was important for this unit I used the research gathered in Rochdale as a starting point for further exploration of costume details and textiles. Following this I went about my own research in the beautiful Platt Hall archive where I became fascinated with a green, velvet gentlesmans' jacket from the 18th century. The Rococo style floral embroidery is obviously visually interesting, but the parallel velvet pile was what really interested me; the contrast in texture from the green velvet to the mustard and purple weave revealed below, and the fragility of the worn away areas of the jacket really inspired me. I'm very interested in the stories the jacket has to tell, and as narrative was a key aspect of my practice underpinned in the last unit, I'm key to build on my 'retelling' and 'appropriating' of narratives in this unit. This experience has highlighted the benefit of dealing with archives and objects in further developing my practice.
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| key point of interest - Rococo floral embroidery on green velvet jacket, Platt Hall, 2015 |
