I created a box using scrap wood to create a place to hang my pieces. I wanted a hook in the top to be able to hang these pieces from and have a sturdy piece that won't move around.
I worked on the hanging pieces and worked on adding more as I went along to see how I could continue to develop what I had already made.
I wanted to work with knitted items that I felt shared colours and went together like blues and greens. I felt like this collection was quite messy but showed the tautness of the knitted material when the ceramic pieces were hung from them. The knitted wire can act as a point of connection for two pieces of knitted material.
Using the i cords to create a pieces that could hold other textiles and ceramics showed me what my work could look like with space. I feel like it does make my work look disconnected and I can use my i cord in different ways more to attach ceramic pieces to knitted pieces rather than having as an interval between my ceramic pieces.
Seeing what two pieces could look like hanging from different points was really interesting and I really like how the strings hung down at different levels. I do feel like how the pieces are close to each other, however, this can sometimes block the views of different sides that I might otherwise want to highlight.
These are examples of how I built onto pieces that were already hung and how I added to them with other pieces. I also think this was a time where my brain was subconsciously trying to keep colours together. The hanging of the larger blue ceramic pieces pulled the knitting closer to the ground which I liked as the knitted textile looked different.
These are singular textiles where I have added ceramic pieces which has effected how they hung. I wanted to experiment with these two knitted textiles in particular as they are the thinnest yarns and therefore the ceramic have more of an effect on them. I really like how the mohair flows here as it looks like it's wrapping around the pieces and flows so well.
Here I am trying to add multiple textiles pieces of the same colour to see how the different shapes flow. I didn't like how disjointed it was, especially with the i cord in the middle being so small compared to the other pieces. This has prompted me to think about the next pieces I knit, can I knit different shapes? Can I utilise increase and decrease stitches to flow better between different size samples?
I really liked how the knitted holes came out in the casting, the stitches are visible and the holes will work well when assembling the pieces with wire and fibres. I want to knit into the big hole piece and see if I can knit upwards into another sample or see what happens when I knit across it. The cabled pieces that's half dipped in blue glaze did not come out how I liked because the stitches weren't visible, however, I would like to see what happens when it's cut into.
These are my porcelain pieces after coming out the kiln. Although the thinner piece was similar in texture on the edge of the crack to what a normal cast slip piece would be, the thicker piece was much more hollow and you could see more easily where the stitches would've been. I definitely felt like the porcelain pieces were more delicate and broke much more easily than my previous pieces when I used wet and dry paper to sand them a bit. That is why there are some smaller pieces that broke off during the process. When they are put through stoneware, it will be interesting to see how they come out. It might be that I need to create a second layer of porcelain in the future when casting the knitting.
Here I am utilising the ends of my knitting to attach the ceramic piece to the knitting. I liked the cross as it was able to show the edges of the ceramic piece/ Overall I like how the fabric attached itself to some of these pieces as it was changing the shape by being pushed against it. I do think that the points of the knitted fabric could be a little softer.
The use of the cabled 'half of a cup' create almost a waterfall effect for the bottom fabric. I wanted to emphasise this by putting a curved wire of beads to show the transition between each material. I also like how the mohair in between the blue yarn allows the fabric to bend, however I don't believe the flow is completely there within these assembled pieces.
Within these samples, I have used bigger pieces at the bottom to pull the fabric material down. The eight creates an interesting shape that can only be replicated by attaching these specific pieces onto the fabric. They also flow due to using one pieces of fabric.
Both these pieces combine a fabric piece with the pink mohair piece. I like experimenting with the pink mohair to see how it can be used to curve around the ceramic or overlap against another piece of fabric. I feel like both of these pieces show off the movement of the knitted material more than the previous samples and the use of wire and the ceramic pieces fit well.
I wanted to make the beads more prominent with the work so used the holes in one ceramic piece to create a 'peek-a-boo' effect which didn't really work due to the knitted material moving slightly when hung up, however could be a technique to use if I want to bring attention to a specific bead. For the second sample, beads were threaded onto my i-cord which I feel emphasised movement within the piece. AlthoughI thought the squareness o the knitted piece didn't fit, I likes how the i-cord overlapped and the bending of the cord was emphasised when put against the backdrop of knitting.
I experimented with hanging ceramic pieces from a ceramic piece. I liked how they could move, however I feel like an i-cord would be a better choice in order to emphasise the movement more as it's thicker and more noticeable. I didn't like how 2D the pieces were and thought spreading them out more would make the ceramic pieces easier to see.
The knitted holes mean that knitted material can be pulled through. I liked how the knitting fanned out and could hold some ceramic pieces, however, I think that the piece looks too square again and maybe manipulating it more would've made a better shape.
I really liked how this piece went. The scrunching of the cotton yarn and the hanging of mohair I feel showed movement and the pieces at either end were able to manipulate the mohair. The beads over just one of the pieces, but that were still separated out I think ended up giving more movement and if I was to take this one step further I might thread beads inside some of the creases to emphasise them.
Tutorial 7/11/24
I will start to think about how my material pieces can flow. Another way to connect could be through tufting and also see how my pieces can connect flat and then when suspended. Start to think about knitted objects and shape.
Repetition and patterns seem to come up a lot when I am assembling these pieces. I try to have an equal number of parts on either side of the textile, I try to keep different stitches together or I have pieces hanging together with subtle changes to the beads. I also find that I have kept to a colour pallet of blue, green and pink as these are yarns I have had anyway or have thought would go together. This has meant that the green glass beads I have added have fit well with all these colours and have had different effects.
Movement is also an interesting aspect of what I have suspended so far. When secured with metal wire the movement is minimal, compared to when secured with yarn as the movement is more fluid and the pieces spin more - which can make it quite difficult to photograph. I think that this could potentially be utilised and the movement of beads could be added to the piece. Movement within the ceramic pieces and the fibre pieces are important to me as well because when the knitted material presses against the ceramic I really like how it controls the textiles.
I'm starting to think that the inside of the ceramic can be used more as an embellishment rather than an integral part of the piece. During my experimentation I have found that there are times that I feel like the edge of the ceramic piece should be spotlighted and there are other times where the fold of the solid ceramic can aid the movement of the knitted fabric.