3D Printing

Yesterday I got some hexagrammic pyramids 3D printed using the universities facilities. I was struggling for a while to try to create the files for them so I used the help of my sister who made the files on the appropriate programme for me! It was much quicker than spending more time struggling with it myself. I have never used 3D printing before so I was looking forward to seeing the finished pieces and I think they work very well. once finalised I will use these to embellish my samples and maybe even make a fabric out of them! They just need a little bit of tweaking. As they are printed in an off white plastic they need to be coloured in some way or possibly covered. I also need to develop them so that they can be easily attached together or to a fabric. Maybe create the file with holes through a section of the piece a little like a bead? This would allow me to sew them to my base fabrics.

Leutton Postle

Leutton Postle, various seasons. http://leuttonpostle.com

This week, Sam Leutton of 'Leutton Postle' came in to hold a lecture about their work and their practice. They are a knitwear brand who collaborate as a pair to design very modern and colourful collections that appear to be aimed at a younger audience but remain high end. They study and keep up to date with the latest trend forecasts however they also describe themselves as 'unlimited'. This means that although they look at trends and what is going on currently, they do not conform to what other people are doing. They attempt to create their own forecasts to create their collections. This is something I am interested in doing as I feel that a broad knowledge of current trends and happenings is very important however I also feel that this may hold the creative process back if adhered to completely.

Nets and 3D Leather Shapes

One line of enquiry that I wanted to explore was 3D embellishments for my samples. I started to look at different nets for making paper shapes with to give me ideas on how to create 3D leather shapes. The most interesting one I found was for a Hexagrammic pyramid. I then took this net to the laser cutter and used it to cut and score it into leather pieces. I was very pleased with the result, even the flat nets are interesting. Upon glueing them together I found that the thick nature of the fabric made it difficult and the shapes did not come out as sharp and clear as I wanted them to. Maybe I'll come back to these later on...

Iris Van Herpen

Iris Van Herpen, 'Voltage Haute Couture' http://www.irisvanherpen.com

Iris Van Herpen is another designer who is at the forefront of the area of design I would like to be involved in. She is a haute couture designer who collaborates with other creators to design very futuristic and sculptural clothing using state of the art technologies. I love how detailed the designs are and also how natural they look. In this collection Iris and her collaborators used mainly 3D printing. This is something I am striving to do within my own practice.

Neri Oxman

Neri Oxman, assorted works. http://web.media.mit.edu/~neri/site/index.html

Neri Oxman is a well known designer who uses biomimicry to create structural pieces which mimic natural forms. She uses new technologies such as 3D printing to create these amazing sculptures. I would also like to use new technologies such as this to create future forward fashion fabrics. I am currently looking into using 3D printing to create embellishments for my samples. Neri Oxman is working at the top of one of the fields I would like to be a part of when I leave university. 

Astronauts and Spacesuits

Through the development of my work, I have discovered a new pathway for my inspiration. Due to the geometric and structural aesthetics of my current samples, I have started to look at space travel and spacesuits to draw from. The main aspect that I am interested in is the form of the spacesuits and how the different elements fit together. Maybe my samples could fit together to create a suit? 
I also noticed that a few of the colours that I am using are also used a lot in the spacesuits I have come across.

Resolving the Base Fabric

After realising the separate leather pieces didn't tessellate well enough to create the base fabric that I wanted, I went back to the laser cutter and started to use the scoring option instead of cutting. This means that I can create the geometrically patterned base fabrics easily and more quickly. They also bend and move in a 3D manner if scored well enough. The only draw back with this method is that the base fabric can only be one colour. However, I can print other colours and 3D elements to the fabric through embellishment and embroidery.

Laser Cut Leather

After deciding not to use wooden pieces, I started to laser cut different leathers (colours all in my palette). Leather is a material that I was planning on using from the start and fits well with the aesthetics of my project as it can be tough and heavy in nature. For the past couple of days I have been using the various pieces of leather to create tessellated patterns with a view to translate them into fabric samples. These pieces will hopefully make a base fabric through attaching them together in a non obvious way. However, even though I like the patterns I have created with the leather, the shapes do not fit the same ratio and don't fit together properly, this means I can't repeat the patterns without the fabric having gaps. This is a problem that needs resolving. Back to the laser cutter!

Wooden Samples

Since laser cutting my wooden pieces, I have been trying to create structures and fabrics with them. This has presented many problems such as attachment methods. I decided that just simply glueing these pieces to a fabric is not working and is also too similar to Elisa Strozyk's 'wooden textiles'. Therefore I cut more pieces with holes in each corner in order to attach them together without a backing fabric. I tried using hoops but these were too obvious and seemed to take over the aesthetics of the sample. I eventually found that the best way to attach the pieces was sewing them together with invisible thread. However, even after finding a way to attach them together, I don't feel that the wood works aesthetically with my material and colour palette, therefore I won't be using it again and I will try to use more perspex and try to find other fabrics which fit the aesthetic I am trying to create. 

Elisa Strozyk

Elisa Strozyk, 'Wooden Textiles' http://www.elisastrozyk.de/seite/woodtex/woodentextiles.html

Elisa Strozyk is a German born product designer who has recently created a range of 'wooden textiles' for the home. The products are made from laser cut pieces of wood which are attached to a fabric. The separation of the wooden pieces allows the product to change it's structure and to become 3D whilst supporting itself. This is the kind of technique I could use in my own practice with a view to create a similar aesthetic for fashion fabrics.

Laser Cutting

                                                                               

                                                                                                                       

Given the geometric and structural nature of my ideas, this week I decided to use the laser cutter to create some clean edged pieces to start to play with to create structures and surfaces. Another reason for using this method is that it is a fairly new technique which I have never used before. I opted to use wood and perspex as they are both hard, structural materials that mimic my inspiration and concept. I like the quality of the mirrored perspex however the wood needs to be adjusted as wood brown is not in my colour palette. Enamelling the pieces may be the solution to this problem. I cut both triangles and hexagons as mentioned previously. My next job is to try to create a tessellating surface with the pieces I have cut. 

Geometric Patterns and 3D Forms

Honeycomb, http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Honeycomb.jpg

Whilst researching structures within nature and artifice, it has come to my attention that most are made up from very geometric forms. Many cross sections within architecture and biological structures (such as the Eiffel Tower) create triangular negative spaces. Therefore I have decided to use triangles to start to create more samples. Other structures such as the honeycomb are made up of hexagons and so I will also be using this shape in my samples.

Resin Cubes

I wanted to replicate the microstructure of salt in a 3D form to use as embellishments within my samples. The structure of salt is very cubic in nature so I decided to use resin set in cube moulds to create oversized beads. The great thing about resin is that you can set different objects/ structures inside it, so I began by trying out a few initial ideas (as seen in left picture). These included wooden structures (made from skewers), graph paper and paper structures. I think the graph paper worked quite well and gave the cubes a subtle interest. The paper structures and the wooden structures need some refining. I could use the laser cutter to create more interesting and clean cut structures. I also experimented with bright orange beads in one of the cubes which lead me to think about creating structure in the cubes with colour. The second lot of cubes I made are created using layers of various coloured resin (which relate to my colour palette). Although the technique is not perfected (there were a few problems that I came up against which need resolving), the outcome was brilliant! The colours are bright and fresh and I gained lots of positive feedback about them. Moving forward, I will try to refine the making process and use smaller and different shaped moulds to create interesting and relevant beads to include in my samples.

Colour

The colours I have selected for my design palette derive mainly from the architectural references within my project. For example the silvers and greys. The blues come from the idea of blue prints and graph paper. However the orange comes from a the more natural influences of my project such as wild flowers and honeycomb structures. I think the colours work well together, they're all bright and fresh. They also fit with the a/w1415 colour palette which I took note of at 'Premiere Vision 2013' in September.

Microstructure: Salt

Through my initial research I have discovered that the microstructure of salt is cubic in nature. I like the geometric forms that it creates and have started to draw from the zoomed in images I have found. I have decided to try to create these forms within a textiles context to maybe use as embellishments for my fabric samples. I also visited the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland over the summer and noted that the natural growth/ accumulation of the salt seemed to be in clusters and this is something that I want to try to emulate in my work as well.

Studio Workings

Getting early ideas and 'workings out' up onto a wall in the new studio space really helps to realise ideas together. It also helps to figure out which ideas work well together and which ideas are probably going to be dead ends. Another positive is that your ideas are exhibited for others to see and give constructive feedback on. It keeps the creative juices flowing and furthers ideas for everyone in the studio!

Context(s)

The main context of my work will be fabrics for fashion. My samples will be for the high end market and will be aimed at an audience of 18- 35 year old females. 

However, given the structural nature that I intend my samples to have, I will also be looking to translate my ideas into installation or sculpture as well.

Inspiration: Natural Structures Vs Architectural Structures

The initial inspiration for my personal project comes from the crossovers between structures in nature (microbiology) and structures in architecture. My concept was kickstarted when I took a wander in the Botanical Gardens, Krakow whilst on holiday. I came across a large greenhouse with a modernist architectural style and started to think about the contrasts between the outer structure and the natural living structures contained within it. This led me to think about biomimicry within design and how I could translate this subject in a textiles form. I therefore started to draw from microstructures and also structures that I have come across on my travels throughout the summer months. From this I am discovering that there are many similarities within the two structural areas.