Reflection 24/09/19
Action plan:
- Acquire primary research from family background, interview with mum, find personal materials that I grew up around and am familiar too, don’t forget to represent the personal side of this project which is how I was effected by western culture growing up, and how I managed to grow out of it and be more like myself.
The most difficult thing was trying to acquire personal materials, as they were all at home. I was insufficient with working without them, so I just worked into my collages. I managed to get them on the second to last day of the project, meaning my time management was instantly in a bad place. However, I think with the little amount of time I had to do all my development, I did an alright job which successfully showed my cultural identity.
Through my peer's work, I noticed the attention to story telling, which I personally found difficult to create in my concept, as it was something I hadn't spoken about before. However, through the use of familiar materials and images, I feel that I could have experimented more with ways in which I could tell a story.
Reflection 23/09/19
I don’t think it was completely successful to just go online and pull research from there, especially on topics such as background and identity. This is because I wanted to have more primary research from my own background to begin with, which I don’t have instant access to, being away from home. I felt that the only type of research I could collect online was images for collages that express my theme.
I think my collage met the criteria of showing cultural background exceptionally well, especially alongside the mixed medias I used to compliment my images. It showed a sense of heritage, but it didn’t feel personal as it was all secondary research. My collages were more of a visual aesthetic, rather than visual story-telling. However, I did feel like my identity was reflected in the aesthetic.
Contextual Practice 25/09/19
Digital Textiles Critical Review
the material that my group got was Cypress Tree Yarn, which apparently had anti-bacterial, anti-mould and relaxing properties.
The wood of cypress was used in furniture to repel moths due to its aromatic odour, and cypress trees purify air. However I noticed little to no smell with the yarn itself. The features of Cypress yarn should be so strong that even mixed with 80-90% cotton, it is noticeable. From distillation of the leaves of Cypres trees, it is also possible to obtain an oil used in the pharmaceutical industry. Specific tests have confirmed the antibacterial efficiency of the yarn, performed by a qualified external laboratory. The bacteria it reduces is Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, with a reduction of the bacterial growth up to 60% and 85%.
My group decided on creating a relaxing face mask from the yarn, following its relaxing properties, and the fact that bacteria wouldn’t build up as quickly from constant use, such as other fabrics such as cotton. The smell could be an issue for the wearer, but when we smelt it we roughly agreed on there being a distant smell that was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, just a scent.
We decided for the mask to be woven, for the flattest texture, so comfort against the skin, and to lock as much of its anti-bacterial and relaxing property behind the fabric.
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