I am having my usual period of doubt and inability to decide where to go with my creative ideas. Whilst I have been thinking about making a garment with the idea of depicting damage in a creative way to communicate both fragility and strength, I am now wondering if this is correct direction.
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| Man's shirt block, Japanese paper and thread |
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| Man's shirt block, leather and thread |
The pattern for the free machine embroidery comes from earlier photos of items around my home that have been damaged and need repairing, a role that Carl once filled and now are left as a reminder that he is not here. This has a possibility and is something to explore, maybe take one of his shirts apart, use as a pattern and re make with similar materials as can be seen in these images. I will try and take more photographs of damage and perhaps make a series.
Whilst I do want to to use my sewing machine in this work, I may consider taking it off in a different direction - instead of creating a new garment I might reclaim an old one as inspired by these images of Shelly Goldsmith's work.
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| Revealing Evidence, Shelly Goldsmith |
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| Inner Storm, Shelly Goldsmith |
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| Ball and Collar, Shelly Goldsmith, 2012 |
Goldsmith is amongst the foremost textile artists working in the UK at the present time. Her work is a metaphor for life, exploring psychological states, emotions and memories associated with human fragility and loss. In the above images reclaimed clothing has been used to explore these feelings and experiences. Her work also allows us the viewer to consider their own relationship with the world that we inhabit and the residues that we leave behind. How can my work help me to explore my own relationship with damage and repair? How far do I need to go? Do I need to repair it or can I just accept the different form that it is now taking?
So should I think about pushing the idea of a garment in a different direction - rather than a well constructed garment made with damaged fabrics, should I try to use a reclaimed garment, deconstruct and then delicately repair. Or should I strip it back further and choose poignant parts and incorporate text from the stories of damage and repair.
