Finally ... The Final Show
Earlier this month, Lin posted some photos of our work as we went about putting together the Final Show for the course (strictly speaking, Bradford College calls them Summer Shows, but it is our final show, part of our final assessment, so we will be as awkward as we ever are, and call it by a different name!). The actual hanging of the show forms part of the assessment of one of the units, so you can understand why it can take up to the best part of a weekend to hang it. If you are organised like Lin, you have already mocked it up at home and can put it up in a matter of an hour or so, then tweak the fine details. If you are like me, however, it doesn't help having the dimensions but no idea of orientation and how visitors will approach the display - until I actually see all the physicality of the space I can't really start - it can take a bit longer. Add in the fact that I had some last minute changes to my collection and therefore the sketches of my planned layout - a cube footstool slip cover became an oak dining chair seat pad cover - and I was still sewing cushion covers at midnight, and you might have some idea of why I was still in college late on Sunday evening. Can I also take this opportunity to publically say thank you to Fiona? Due to family circumstances, she was not able to complete her work for the show, but she came along to the weekend and ran errands to shops if we were running short of supplies, tirelessly provided moral support, an extra hand when hanging shelves, a critical eye on positioning samples, boundless enthusiasm, and a plentiful supply of sweets. I for one certainly would have struggled to get everything done without her. However, when I finally left at 6:30 on Sunday, I was pretty happy with how I had hung my show - I just needed one of the lights to be repositioned.
You can imagine then, how people must have felt when we received an email to say that the torrential rain on the Monday had caused a leak in the Dyehouse Gallery and that the tutors had had to hastily remove everything to reduce the risk of water damage. On the Wednesday some fresh white shell boards arrived, as the College had realised hiring fresh in and moving the textiles work to the Café was the only way to go. Our tutors did an amazing job, rehanging everyone's work, but with the added complication of the layouts not necessarily being exactly the same dimensions or orientation as before. They worked tirelessly to complete it and I'm sure it must have been nerve-wracking.
The preview was buzzing and I took some photos but it wasn't easy to see all the work with all the guests milling around. I was back to steward the show on the Monday though, and it was much easier to get photos then.
Mine was flipped to fit with the footfall - one of the lampshades has been cut off of this photo but it was there, on the right, honest! My work was inspired by one of the West Windows in Manchester Cathedral. It is double weave in Shetland wool, with not repeat of the blocks or colour combinations across the full width of the warp.
Sue G's interiors collection was inspired by the Duddon Estuary and is also double weave although a complete contrast to mine! The colours are gorgeous and I love the fine scale pattern repeats.
Sally's knit interiors collection is inspired by the Peak District, specifically fungi. She was aiming to create something very different from the knitted interiors collections currently available, which often include fair isle patterns or very chunky cables. I'm in love with it because it's purple and green...
Lin's interiors collection is inspired by Dune House, a stunning holiday accommodation in Suffolk. It also pays homage to the rich textile heritage of Suffolk. The colours work so well together, and I love the way that she has combined other fabrics and hide in the cushions. It is a masterclass in how to achieve a high end product.
Margot's knit collection, inspired by the Tall Ships, features patterns reminiscent of rope cables and rigging and includes some intriguing wearable art pieces. I feel very lucky to have been able to commission a scarf like the one featured top left, in a fawn with a purple edging. I have a La Reine Margot original and feel very grown-up!
Sue C's work in inspired by Coniston Copper Mines in the Lake District. The rug is woven entirely in Herdwick, the sheep breed that has probably done more to shape the Lake District as we know it today than anything else. The cushions and throws are also woven in British wool and all the colours in the products were dyed by Sue herself. Like me, Sue is a firm believer in the fact that British wool can and should be used as much as possible. One just needs to select the product that will best suit the properties of the resulting yarn.
Julie's knitted interiors collection is inspired by street art in Leeds. It shows a glorious use of colour and I love the way she isolates simple shapes in her initial visual research and artwork and develops repeating patterns from them. I also like the way she used the same pattern in different colourways and with changing scale.
And now it is all over - the show has been taken down, the products packed away; for some of us, they've been taken home, for others, selected pieces have been packed up to go down to London on a van. So now, onwards.... to New Designers!
