Cordelia Gibbs: Print and Meaning; The Ephemeron

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Print and Meaning; The Ephemeron

2nd Year Textiles group project “Print and Meaning”: repeat printing with new ideas, pushing the technique.

Semester 2/2012

Projects Synopsis

We can go through life not noticing the beauty of nature and how it changes with each season. When we focus on a leaf for instance, we can see the ephemeral forms that happen in its change from growth to decay. Art can help us to become more aware and more conscious of the beauty of nature. By looking at our representations, the viewer will not only be able to see the beauty in nature, but also the value and importance that may have previously been missed.

‘Ephemeral’ uses patterns and textures to capture the changing state of the leaf. The skeletal intricacies of the leaf have be magnified and made a focus of the cloth to add value to this ordinary object and attract the viewer’s attention to its changing beauty. In reflecting the various stages of growth and decay of the leaf, we are preserving the ephemeron in a permanent state. The cloth remains in this form whilst the real leaf continues to change and decay.

Through a form of shibori wrapping and tying we added a texture to the cloth that could be hidden or highlighted by our print and added extra depth. As a group we were interested in different interpretations and representations of the leaf so it was important that each group member form their motifs in an individual way. The motifs have been worked back into the lengths to speak of growth and create dimension.

The first length of cloth stays true to the original colourway of the leaf in quite a literal interpretation. The second length uses a completely different colourway to show the skeletal pattern of the leaf in an unconventional way. This allows us to show the intricate vein pattern and a breakdown of the pattern across the cloth without the obvious reading of a leaf.