Something for the City

Emma Lynas — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 03:58:51 +0000

This project required first year BA textile design structure students to draw inspiration from Melbourne’s CBD in order to create a series of visual / tactile interpretations and more conceptual ‘things’ to stimulate the sensory city experience. Work by Lauren Stringini and Emma Shepherd can be seen below.

Centre of Attention

“I wish to be the centre of attention in the laneway of Centre Place” – Lauren Stringini

: Concept illustrations and photograph of Centre Place by Lauren Stringini.

Like many of Melbourne’s city laneways, Centre Place is a popular tourist attraction. Decorated with ever changing street art and filled with the rich, comforting smell of fresh coffee, Centre Place is the place to be.

This jacket is a representation of the structural skills and design knowledge acquired over the semester in Textile Design Studio Structure. “Design is understood as a means of responding to human need” (Erlhoff & Marshall, 2008) – this jacket appeals to my search for self-actualization through the creation of a unique personal aesthetic.

: A plush tactile collar consisting of various sized hand made pom poms and three layers of knitted, fringed and tasselled textiles – all hand stitched onto a second hand jacket.

Self-actualization is positioned fifth on Maslow’s hierarchy of need and refers to a person’s need to achieve self-fulfilment and personal growth, and often translates into an aesthetic form. This aesthetic defies the modernist view of ornamentation as vulgar and unnecessary (Erlhoff & Marshall, 2008). The deliberate gradation of colour aims to disrupt the train of thought of onlookers, whilst tassels, fringing, tubular knitting and pom poms evoke a need to touch – ensuring a second glance from passers by.

: Lauren Stringini wearing her fabulous jacket in Melbourne’s Centre Place.

Erlhoff M. & Marshall T. (eds.). (2008) Design Dictionary.: Perspectives on Design Terminology., Basel, Birkhäuser.

Uplifted

By Emma Shepherd

: Top left Liane Rossler, bottom left Ernesto Netto. Photograph of Cathedral Arcade and concept sketch by Emma Shepherd.

Inspired by Ernesto Netto and Liane Rossler, the work employs a combination of traditional and non-traditional materials and techniques.

: Materials and processes – from top left; loom weaving, laser cut mirrored disks, assembling, colour palette development, making moulded tissue paper vessels.

Suspended by hand woven tubes, these translucent vessels encourage pause and reflection. Melbourne’s Cathedral Arcade under the Nicholas building is a place of detailed ornamentation. But how many of us take the time to look, appreciate and admire this iconic piece of local architecture? Positioned slightly above waist height, the hand made vessels encourage people to peer in and view the beauty of the led light ceiling reflected in the mirrored disks.

: Photoshop simulation in situ at Cathedral Arcade by Emma Shepherd.

Both project are on display at RMIT Brunswick (at the entrance of building 513) until the 20th of December 2016.

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World record attempt – ACS Pom pom challenge

RMIT — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Regular readers of our blog would be aware that we love a bit of craft here at BATD, especially when it involves a pom pom, and our friends at Australian Country Spinners have come up with the biggest pom pom project ever!

2010 Alumnus Rachel Black is the Design & Marketing Assistant at ACS, and has shared with us the details of their World Record Attempt – to make the longest pom pom garland:

“…2013 is a special year for Australian Country Spinners – it is the year that the woollen mill in Wangaratta celebrates its 90^thyear of production. To celebrate this milestone we will be writing ourselves into the Guinness Book of World Records with a brand new category – longest pom pom garland.

As the proud manufacturer of many leading hand knitting brands including Patons, Cleckheaton, Shepherd and Panda, Australian Country Spinners distributes to over one thousand retailers across Australia and New Zealand from the Wangaratta facility. Australian Country Spinners today employs almost 100 people at the Mill at Wangaratta and at the head office in Melbourne.

We will be celebrating 90 years of the textile industry in Wangaratta: 90 years of jobs and 90 years of using Australian wool to create beautiful yarn for Australia and overseas.

The World Record Attempt

To celebrate our birthday year, we are aiming to craft 90 metres of garland, which is expected to use over 4000 pom poms! The birthday festivities will include the final pom poms being added to the garland, culminating in the triumphant unveiling at the mill site on August 31, 2013…”

Image courtesy of Australian Country Spinners

What you need to know:

Get cracking! make as many pom poms as you can and send them in to ACS between 25 July to 30 August 2013 via post:

Pom Pom Garland World Record

PO Box 7276

Melbourne

Victoria

3004

The pom poms are made using any colour of yarn and two circles of cardboard or a plastic pom pom making device. The finished pom poms will be collected at a central point in Melbourne and the garland will be pieced together by hand.

Never made a pom pom? – follow the link to download instructions on how to make you own pompom.

World Record Attempt: 31 August 2013

We’ll be busily crafting our own contribution to the attempt – follow ACS on Facebook and check in with our own BATD Facebook page and the blog to see the results!

The post World record attempt – ACS Pom pom challenge appeared first on RMIT.

RMIT » Pom poms

Something for the City

Centre of Attention

Erlhoff M. & Marshall T. (eds.). (2008) Design Dictionary.: Perspectives on Design Terminology., Basel, Birkhäuser.

Uplifted

World record attempt – ACS Pom pom challenge