Luke Irwin

Luke Irwin is a textiles designer notable for the manufacture of hand-made bespoke rugs, aiming to give the customer complete control of the colour, texture, size & weave of their rug, ensuring that the finished product will suit its intended context. Each rug is hand-knotted maintaining traditional techniques from Nepal and India and each stage of the manufacture is carried out by skilled craftsmen, the drafting, casting, weaving, washing and hand finishing and because of this each rug can take between 12 to 18 weeks to complete. 

The fact that he strives to maintain traditional techniques, sets him apart from other designers as they try to incorporate new technologies and put their own twist on a traditional process. He also goes against the idea of mass production, allowing each customer to have complete control of the design of each rug, giving each rug individuality and providing a personal service to his customers.

Source:http://www.lukeirwin.com/about-us/

Market Report Topics

There are a few different topics that I've been thinking about looking more into to write about for the report after looking at these different artists and processes:

• Is there a market for processes such as ikat weaving in contemporary interiors/fashion?
• The impact that traditional textile techniques have had on contemporary trends and style
• Colour theory traditions that have survived/impacted modern style
• Impact of colour on moods and atmosphere 

I think I need to collect more information around traditional processes and use of colour historically and in a contemporary sense, so that I have a clearer idea of the area I want to look at in more depth.
 

Madeline Weinrib

Madeline Weinrib is known for her vibrant use of colour and Fabric designs which she is able to bring into a contemporary context for interiors. All her ikat fabrics are hand-dyed and woven in Central Asia, showing a loyalty to the original techniques used to create these extraordinary patterns

Astrid Krogh

Astrid Krogh's work in particular shows how the ikat process has developed through generations and into new technologies. The video shows a 'light tapestry' made of paper yarn with organic patterns created in optic fibres, and refers to the ikat weaving technique, which she has interpreted by using light as an imaginary dye. The light creates its own patterns and shapes, making gradual transitions between colourways and giving the textile life and movement. Her work is a great example of how the methods of ikat are still used in contemporary textiles and how the patterns are being reinvented using developing technology.

 

A close up of the patterns creating on the optic fibres by the constant transition of light 

Source: http://www.nothingintosomething.com/blog/ikat-light-tapestries-by-astrid-krogh

 

Gunta Stolzl

 

 

I wanted to include Gunta Stozl's work because of her unique drawing style, which is especially useful for transferring imagery into weave and fabric patterns. Her work is largely influenced by her experience in the Bauhaus and the artists associated with this movement, such as Wassilly Kandinsky & Paul Klee, as you can see elements of their style has come through into her work. Another element of her work that particularly appealed to me is her use of colour and proportions, used specifically to portray the landscapes that inspired her over her career. Her style of mark making and use of colour has inspired me to look at my imagery in a different way and be able to transfer the arrangements of colour into a woven or knitted piece.

 

I found these ikat inspired pieces for interiors, which made me realise how the pattern has influenced different contexts of design as well as being used in print and stitch, seen in my own bed linen! (see below)

Ikat process

Design transferred onto threads

Parts to not be dyed are bound tightly with plastic

Thread is dyed, air dried, then some areas are untied to be dyed again

Ties removed from the dyed thread

I wanted to look at the preparation process for ikat and that in itself is quite beautiful and interesting before it is even woven, and involves many skills from different people often in different villages.

Images showing the binding and dyeing process of ikat in Bali, Indonesia
Source http://iweb.tntech.edu/cventura/ikat.htm
 

Ptolemy Mann

Ptolemy Mann's work first stuck my eye because of her bold use of colour and unusual combinations of colour. She is a woven textile designer known for her use and knowledge of colour. All of her textile work is hand dyed in her signature ikat style and hand woven on a 'Dobby' loom, then stretched over frames and placed within public, corporate and domestic spaces. Her textile installations are created with their intended location in mind, using surrounding colours and scenery to directly inform the colours and form of the piece. Her understanding of colour theory enables her to create pieces that suit its context and evoke particular feelings from the viewers. For example her collaborations with architects and interior designers as a colour consultant means she has had to develop colour palettes for buildings such as hospitals. For inspiration for the hospital's exterior facade she used the surrounding scenery, leading her to use blues and greens to help connect the building to its location. The colours are also used for practicality as well as for aesthetics, as the colours are blended to gradually guide people to a certain building section, e.g. one of the towers was green, so surrounding buildings will have more green on them building up to the tower to lead people towards it. This shows that Mann uses colour as a tool as well as for decoration particularly in terms of psychological well-being in health care environments as she's interested in the way that colours can impact people's health and mood. An example of this occurred in a US hospital where many visitors felt unwell after spending time there due to a specific shade of lavender that was used throughout the decoration of the hospital. After the eye has had a concentrated burst of a single colour the optic nerve triggers an image of the complementary opposite colour, which in the lavender's case triggered an image of the colours of vomit and bile which caused people to feel unwell. Mann's aim is to create areas of optimism within these buildings by using colours that trigger good moods and health.

Mann's practice of stretching fabric over a frame originated in her studies at the Royal College of Art which tutors thought would diminish the fabric's drape and fluidity but in fact led Mann to explore the architectural aspect of textiles and consequently to collaborations with architects, where she has applied her knowledge of colour and texture to places and projects where textiles were not used at all.

Source http://www.ptolemymann.com/art_statement.php
http://www.ptolemymann.com/design_statement.php

Looking at Ptolemy Mann's work has opened my eyes to the concept of colour theory and how much of an impact it can have on your work and the reactions from viewers. I think I'd like to look at colour theory in more detail, and how it's used in textiles now and historically in different cultures and the meanings and feelings it can evoke.

I'd been interested in the process of ikat and the amazing patterns created by it but hadn't realised the amount of time and effort that goes into the ikat process; binding the warp or weft, dyeing it, dressing the loom then having the adjust the yarns as it is woven to create the desired pattern.