Overall I have found the self-led approach to Assignment 5 a consolidation of the methodology learnt throughout level 2/HE5 as a whole as I am now naturally working on a concept/practical response/critical reflection/refinement based plan but also am now bringing into that practice tools such as word association, mind maps, flow charts and such like.

Sustainable textiles are something I am very much interested in and want to do more research into going forward in my studies – in part this because of my  growing interest in veganism or at the very least a plant based diet/lifestyle but also simply because sustainability is a growing key and desperately needed sector of the textile industry due to the throw-away cheap fashion or even domestic textiles.  I do now firmly believe that it is not just sustainability that is now important but transparent trace-ability and the subsequent provenance of the manufacturing process.  Over the course as a whole I have come to realise sustainability and ecologically friendly can be two differing things but financial restrictions can mean that purchasing ecologically friendly cottons, peace silk or similar is not necessarily viable and so a balance needs to be found.  One way of going forward with this is recycling where necessary and for this particular Assignment I tried to purchase as little as possible – 1 metre of heavy and lightweight iron on Vilene, a small pack of Lutradur and also 1 additional sketchbook but I also used Tyvek and Lutradur left over from previous projects, recycled sketchbook pages and also searched through suitable fabrics although the majority were not used due to my somewhat narrow focus.

During the course of this assignment as a whole I have fought my Asperger’s quite considerably – Project 3 I felt like I was seeking safety and familiarity within my work due to personal circumstances that were threatening to overwhelm me.  However, in Project 4 my focus continued to be narrow and somewhat pig-headed in what I have wanted to explore  but I have felt much more confident  in taking risks including tearing apart neatly made EPP pieces (something which grates like nails on a blackboard to my logical mind!).

My concentration on creating masks is I feel the beginning of an exploration into dysfunctional garments with a narrative of chronic illness. I am aware that I am beginning to feel brave enough, if that is the right phrase, to confront my own history of cancer and health conditions more directly and this in essence is becoming therapeutic as I feel a mask of fear is being lifted.  Radiotherapy masks were a part of my first cancer treatment and these combined the fact people often describe wearing a mask in order to create a facade or face to the world that hides emotions or physical symptoms has been very much at the core of my reasoning, if not directly said.  I realise I am  ultimately wanting the masks to be interpreted by the viewers rather than having a written text explaining them and this is something I am much more aware of as my tutor gave me a pointer in Assignment 4 feedback stating “more exploration of ways to communicate ideas with and through the materials, rather than imposing them onto the work with accompanying text” – at the moment this is a weak area that I need to continue to work on and find ways of achieving.

I am not confident with this assignment on my sketchbook work – I am definitely a process-led practitioner and can see myself keeping a journal style sketchbook as opposed to actual sketchbook, which I am aware is not uncommon and I am subsequently taking a very much ‘what if’ and ‘how do I can achieve this’ approach as I work with the materials with only basic, diagrammatic style sketches and annotations in my actual sketchbook and this needs to change going forward into level 3 even if only for the purposes of the degree studies but with the hope that it can also provide me with the tools to be able to create designs/pieces of work that have the clarity I desire.  I also need to go back to the planning stage and use my resource file, make lists, mind maps or whatever is necessary to strengthen my projects – again this is a weak point.

Looking at my strengths – I feel in the latter part of this project I have felt more confident in creating a lesser quantity of samples but ones that I am happier with the results.  My somewhat logical mind has felt at times meant that the sampling has become padding rather than to explore ideas and hence one page of sketches looking at differing ways of distressing samples never made it to the fabric stage – I have wanted to concentrate on what is actually of direct use rather than working on samples which ultimately I know whether or not aesthetically they will fit in with my desired concept.  I do feel I have started to push the boundaries of my project but also now question  how much further I can take this particular concept? if I am to take it forward and push it further there is no question more layering, cutting back and distressing is going to be needed (thinking of the work of Sue Hotchkis) as well as creating or acquiring a stronger mask form and possibly in a larger than life scale would be beneficial.

Another strength has been my contextual research – I considered a large number of practitioners at the beginning but was able to narrow them down to a small group but by researching them all initially I gained an overall insight into where I wanted the project to go plus I created a back up list which could be referred back to if necessary …. time consuming yes, but helpful definitively.  I also surprisingly enjoyed the further researching into where creative ideas come from which in turn became a lively discussion with my fiance but ultimately has consolidated all the lessons of level 2 as a whole.

I recognise this was meant to be a 500 word reflection and is in fact 1000 but I am not going to edit it as I feel it is an honest review of this assignment as a whole and also has helped consolidate my reflective thoughts.

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

I feel more confident in my use of materials observational skills, visual awareness and compositional skills – my issue comes with design skills as I am naturally leaning towards process led but this is strengthening my observational and compositional skills as I am considering both the overall aesthetics and narratives when I am working and exploring my use of materials as I take into consideration my desired outcomes for the sample or resolved pieces.

Quality of outcome

Overall I am much happier with this area than I have been in previous assignments although I need to go back into my sketchbook and add either more contextual imagery or further annotations to improve the communication of ideas and the conceptualisation of my thoughts.  I feel more confident in applying my knowledge and certainly my discernment skills have dramatically improved – several pieces have nearly ended up in the bin as dead ends have been reached.  My presentation of my work needs looking at prior to assessment due largely to the fact that the mask samples do not necessarily work off the mask form itself – out of context I am not happy with the aesthetics and hence will need to consider carefully how to present them.

Demonstration of creativity

In Project 3 I did not feel I was being experimental or innovative enough as I was seeking a safe place within my art – external influences were overwhelming me but in Project 4 I felt I was able to concentrate more and hence produce more inventive samples.  Initial student feedback has said that these samples are totally different to my previous work and I feel my personal voice is developing as I continue to explore themes around the subject of decay and dilapidation – my concentration on giving voice to chronic illnesses is developing its own personal voice.

Context

This I feel is my strongest area without doubt and in truth the one I think I sometimes enjoy the most – research is something I have always enjoyed even if I go off at tangents and have to pull myself back from reading something very interesting but totally irrelevant to the subject!  I feel my reflective and critical thinking skills are continuing to improve although I do agree with my tutor’s feedback from Assignment 4 that I need to read more actual books in order to improve my academic language and appropriate terms and this is something that is being taken note of very seriously.