Everything is comparative. Students at uni complain bitterly about he cost of digital printing at UH.
Fabric for the digital printer is priced at 1.8 x cost price from the wholesalers, and every print job has to have a half metre wind-on cost. My fabrics vary between £7.70 for poplin to £30 for hemp ramie, or £36 for silk satin, per metre. Add to this the cost of the digital inks, for which I have had to pay between 48p - £2.56 per metre. Students have to steam and wash the fabrics themselves, and iron them.
Then I looked at the University of East London Fabpad website. This is a business run by students at UEL as a commercial print bureau. Their prices are similar to UH for fabrics, but have a £30 per metre print cost (!), plus 20%VAT if you are not a UEL student!!! Fabpad steam, washes and irons the fabric for the customer. Fabpad lists mostly high end fabrics for customers to select from. But then, if you were paying £30 per metre to print it, you would probably feel spending £7.70 for poplin to be unjustifiable, and be more likely to target high end fabrics.
Pricing polocies then state you add in your design costs, and double the whole amount to calculate the final costs.
When Lucy asked me how much I would sell my red poplin for, I said about £50 per metre, thinking this was a price at the high end of "reasonable". However this is inadequate once you enter the commercial digital print world. £50 per metre would be cost price without design costs or profit. Hmm! Need to rework the costings.
However, today I had a lovely day making my dress for our Private View. I had bought a 1950s original dress pattern, in a size 16. Oh dear, oh dear! British women have changed shape since the 1950s! I had to adapt the bodice - another 6" on the waist (yes, really), and another 3" in depth from shoulder to waist. I added 1.5" at the armhole, and another 1.5" at midrib level. So far I have made the bodice, attacheded the skirt and faced the neckline. I tried on the dress, and I was delighted that my considerable alterations had worked, and the pattern fitted! Tomorrow I need to insert the zip, sleeves and hem.
Wednesday 30 April 2014
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Policy and Politics
I have struggled with one of my tutors stating my work is very political. I have never seen it this way, merely that my work is about recognising the work of under-valued and under-recognised groups.
However I had a conversation with Val Inns at uni yesterday, which gave me a different insight. I have spent a lot of time working out how to apply various policies at work, particularly equality policies. Provided I agree with a particular policy (!), I put a lot of thought into how behaviour (mine and others') demonstrates compliance or otherwise with a policy. Val made the point that this is what politics is all about! I had never thought of this before. I had viewed Party Politics with considerable disdain, because of all the posturing and weasel words spouted by elected politicians and party leaders. As policy defines what is to be achieved and strategy defines how it is to be executed, I have a lot of experience in defining and applying strategy. So given I am clear about what the purpose of my work is, and the reasoning behind it, my work must be political. Perhaps I interpreted my tutor's statement as saying he took a different political stance to me!
Yesterday I printed some linen fabric as a repeat pattern. I had all my hand drawn images, and Lisa thought it would make a lovely apron. So we printed a metre. It came out very well, although not to my taste. I think the beige ground fabric makes it look like a vintage fabric, and I am not aiming to create a product for that market. I liked the bright red cotton poplin repeat print that I made, as it is more contemporary retro, and I am happy to target that market.
However I had a conversation with Val Inns at uni yesterday, which gave me a different insight. I have spent a lot of time working out how to apply various policies at work, particularly equality policies. Provided I agree with a particular policy (!), I put a lot of thought into how behaviour (mine and others') demonstrates compliance or otherwise with a policy. Val made the point that this is what politics is all about! I had never thought of this before. I had viewed Party Politics with considerable disdain, because of all the posturing and weasel words spouted by elected politicians and party leaders. As policy defines what is to be achieved and strategy defines how it is to be executed, I have a lot of experience in defining and applying strategy. So given I am clear about what the purpose of my work is, and the reasoning behind it, my work must be political. Perhaps I interpreted my tutor's statement as saying he took a different political stance to me!
Yesterday I printed some linen fabric as a repeat pattern. I had all my hand drawn images, and Lisa thought it would make a lovely apron. So we printed a metre. It came out very well, although not to my taste. I think the beige ground fabric makes it look like a vintage fabric, and I am not aiming to create a product for that market. I liked the bright red cotton poplin repeat print that I made, as it is more contemporary retro, and I am happy to target that market.
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| Repeat print fabric after steaming |
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| Close up of the pastry cutters |
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| And my favourite jug |
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| My favourite drawing of my Mother's worn wooden spoon. |
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| One pattern repeat of the steamed fabric |
Response to Progress Review Form
Knowledge and Understanding
I have developed a broad knowledge and understanding of the art textile field by research at V&A (Embroidery and Tapestry class), Fashion & Textile Museum (Artist Textiles exhibition and others), and Warners Textile Archive. I have also investigated into the portrayal of women in art in the last century at National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery, British Library and other art establishments.
I have found the integration of concept into the finished object to be difficult, particularly to achieve the quality of finish across a wide range of making techniques. Some potential applications of my ideas have been conceptualised but not worked, due to my lack of practical skills to create the object that links with the concept. I have enjoyed the thinking that "My Mother's Work" has engendered and have discovered that my thinking and reasoning skills are stronger than my making and finishing skills.
The integration of the intention to the object has a major impact on my professional practice in the contemporary arts arena. As "My Mother's Work" has a strong link to equality policies relating to gender, age and ethnicity, a key market for my ideas is any exhibiting organisation that receives funding from Government and is required to demonstrate how they target and celebrate various under-represented groups. Additionally for my degree show, my concept has been applied to art objects, but could be developed for commercial repeat pattern fabric (fashion and upholstery). I have used "My Mother's Work" imagery for professional promotion by creating fabric to wear at the Private View and New Designers exhibition to associate me with my artistic product.
Skills, Attributes and Conceptual Skills
I have linked the under-recognised skills of women, with a personal interpretation of a commonly held experience, and applied this concept to a variety of domestic objects that resonate with the subject.
I have thought extensively and broadly about the traditional role of women, and sought to identify how they are represented in the fine art and contemporary applied art fields. I have looked at fine art work, read widely, visited exhibitions, museums and galleries, to inform my view, then applied my findings to my artwork and a selection of pertinent objects.
While taking ownership of my work, I have found it ponderously slow to analyse what goes well/badly, but have maintained motivation, and sought feedback. It was easy to identify the concept; narrow the theme to women, their under-valued skills and contributions and my Mother's kitchen implements. I found it difficult to identify how to portray the theme; to narrow down to one artistic style, (creating form by cross hatching), and to have the confidence to run with creating artworks that recognised and celebrated the skills of women.
Practical Skills
I have experimented with emerging media (digital textile print, Photoshop) and traditional techniques (hand and machine embroidery, knit, dressmaking), and to link tradition and innovation with a concept.
Development and refinement of making has been demonstrated by the selecting of different fabrics and edges (jam covers); innovative use of non-standard, uncoated fabric on the digital printer (roller towels); and creating an appropriate shape and stripes via the use of photoshop (tea towels), each of which were combined with a hand intervention. Less experimentation has been implemented when a classical object was desired (coat lining) or where high skill levels were already possessed (knit), as a contemporary message was embedded within the traditional technique.
Transferable Skills
I have worked steadily and persistently to the deadlines. I made best use of time by changing between projects when conceptual or creative obstacles impeded progress, and blending research visits with intense periods of making.
I actively seek out new information and experiences and constantly question and listen to people who are different to me. This enriches my life, by demonstrating there are many right answers, and many right ways of expressing a concept. I have constantly questioned what goes well/badly at every stage of the making process. I conclude that my thinking is more refined than my making, although I have discovered the impact of the parasympathetic nervous system when handling fabrics considerably aids my ability to reflect and then draw conclusions. Once I have completed my analysis I am able to argue my case articulately and sum up with one pithy statement. I have shared my analysis and feedback skills with the student group.
I am a confident communicator using formal presentations, informal seminars, and casual conversations. I can write in a manner appropriate for the audience, using correct grammar and punctuation. I have delivered presentations to business audiences, student seminar groups and the Tapestry and Embroidery class at the V&A and the Women's Interfaith Network. I contribute to other student's work by considering and giving feedback during seminars. I draw a lot, both in classes and at exhibitions to embed my observations into memories.
I have used information from journals and articles on Studynet, books, museums, exhibitions and galleries. I am constantly curious and enjoy speculative visits and outings to seek out people whose experiences have been different to mine. I listen to a lot of people talking knowledgeably about their subject, via lectures (Tate, National Portrait Gallery, V&A) and at exhibitions (Spirit of Womanhood exhibition; Knit & Stitch).
I have been persistent in the pursuit of my studies. I have built an extensive network of contacts by attending various events. I always talk to the organisers and tutors, to express appreciation of their efforts, and ensure management know of their staffs' successes!
I have developed a broad knowledge and understanding of the art textile field by research at V&A (Embroidery and Tapestry class), Fashion & Textile Museum (Artist Textiles exhibition and others), and Warners Textile Archive. I have also investigated into the portrayal of women in art in the last century at National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery, British Library and other art establishments.
I have found the integration of concept into the finished object to be difficult, particularly to achieve the quality of finish across a wide range of making techniques. Some potential applications of my ideas have been conceptualised but not worked, due to my lack of practical skills to create the object that links with the concept. I have enjoyed the thinking that "My Mother's Work" has engendered and have discovered that my thinking and reasoning skills are stronger than my making and finishing skills.
The integration of the intention to the object has a major impact on my professional practice in the contemporary arts arena. As "My Mother's Work" has a strong link to equality policies relating to gender, age and ethnicity, a key market for my ideas is any exhibiting organisation that receives funding from Government and is required to demonstrate how they target and celebrate various under-represented groups. Additionally for my degree show, my concept has been applied to art objects, but could be developed for commercial repeat pattern fabric (fashion and upholstery). I have used "My Mother's Work" imagery for professional promotion by creating fabric to wear at the Private View and New Designers exhibition to associate me with my artistic product.
Skills, Attributes and Conceptual Skills
I have linked the under-recognised skills of women, with a personal interpretation of a commonly held experience, and applied this concept to a variety of domestic objects that resonate with the subject.
I have thought extensively and broadly about the traditional role of women, and sought to identify how they are represented in the fine art and contemporary applied art fields. I have looked at fine art work, read widely, visited exhibitions, museums and galleries, to inform my view, then applied my findings to my artwork and a selection of pertinent objects.
While taking ownership of my work, I have found it ponderously slow to analyse what goes well/badly, but have maintained motivation, and sought feedback. It was easy to identify the concept; narrow the theme to women, their under-valued skills and contributions and my Mother's kitchen implements. I found it difficult to identify how to portray the theme; to narrow down to one artistic style, (creating form by cross hatching), and to have the confidence to run with creating artworks that recognised and celebrated the skills of women.
Practical Skills
I have experimented with emerging media (digital textile print, Photoshop) and traditional techniques (hand and machine embroidery, knit, dressmaking), and to link tradition and innovation with a concept.
Development and refinement of making has been demonstrated by the selecting of different fabrics and edges (jam covers); innovative use of non-standard, uncoated fabric on the digital printer (roller towels); and creating an appropriate shape and stripes via the use of photoshop (tea towels), each of which were combined with a hand intervention. Less experimentation has been implemented when a classical object was desired (coat lining) or where high skill levels were already possessed (knit), as a contemporary message was embedded within the traditional technique.
Transferable Skills
I have worked steadily and persistently to the deadlines. I made best use of time by changing between projects when conceptual or creative obstacles impeded progress, and blending research visits with intense periods of making.
I actively seek out new information and experiences and constantly question and listen to people who are different to me. This enriches my life, by demonstrating there are many right answers, and many right ways of expressing a concept. I have constantly questioned what goes well/badly at every stage of the making process. I conclude that my thinking is more refined than my making, although I have discovered the impact of the parasympathetic nervous system when handling fabrics considerably aids my ability to reflect and then draw conclusions. Once I have completed my analysis I am able to argue my case articulately and sum up with one pithy statement. I have shared my analysis and feedback skills with the student group.
I am a confident communicator using formal presentations, informal seminars, and casual conversations. I can write in a manner appropriate for the audience, using correct grammar and punctuation. I have delivered presentations to business audiences, student seminar groups and the Tapestry and Embroidery class at the V&A and the Women's Interfaith Network. I contribute to other student's work by considering and giving feedback during seminars. I draw a lot, both in classes and at exhibitions to embed my observations into memories.
I have used information from journals and articles on Studynet, books, museums, exhibitions and galleries. I am constantly curious and enjoy speculative visits and outings to seek out people whose experiences have been different to mine. I listen to a lot of people talking knowledgeably about their subject, via lectures (Tate, National Portrait Gallery, V&A) and at exhibitions (Spirit of Womanhood exhibition; Knit & Stitch).
I have been persistent in the pursuit of my studies. I have built an extensive network of contacts by attending various events. I always talk to the organisers and tutors, to express appreciation of their efforts, and ensure management know of their staffs' successes!
Sunday 27 April 2014
Wrapping up things for the Professional Portfolio
2 year Personal Development Plan
June -October 2014. Travelling in USA. Continue to consider under-valued and
marginalised groups - Migrant workers; carers, lorry drivers .....
November 2014 Graduation
November 2014- Sketchbook, art history and humanities classes at Missenden
August 2015. Abbey, City Lit etc. Continue with general artist research at
museums and galleries
January 2015. Start search for appropriate MA course.
September 2015- Part-time MA
May 2017?
Marketing Plan
Current work fits demographic of middle aged and older women. Exhibiting potential at Knit & Stitch, or Festival of Quilts. Knit and Stitch exhibits at locations of Alexandra Palace, Harrogate and Dublin. I would happy to attend any or all of them! Festival of Quilts is at NEC, Birmingham.
The concept of "My Mother's Work" can be marketed to various Government funded exhibiting organisations, such as V&A, Horniman Museum, National Portrait Gallery. All organisations receiving funding from Government are required to have an equality policy that states what action they take in order to represent and serve all parts of the community. An exhibition receiving articles from the general population could be curated on the theme "My Mother's Work" which could be structured to positively portray women and apply the equality policy on the grounds of gender, age, ethnicity and faith.
Price List
My Mother's Work - Unseen ( Jam Covers). £600
My Mother's Work - Unending ( Roller Towels). £500
My Mother's Work - Unfinished (Knit). £400
My Mother's Work - Cyclical (Tea Towels). £800
My Mother's Work - Supportive (1960s coat) NFS
I don't expect to sell any of them but if the university wanted to buy them, this is what I would charge for them as works of art. Additionally, if my work was selected to go to the Knit & Stitch, I would not be able to sell them in advance, so pricing them out of the market would not matter. In my dreams!
More thought required.
June -October 2014. Travelling in USA. Continue to consider under-valued and
marginalised groups - Migrant workers; carers, lorry drivers .....
November 2014 Graduation
November 2014- Sketchbook, art history and humanities classes at Missenden
August 2015. Abbey, City Lit etc. Continue with general artist research at
museums and galleries
January 2015. Start search for appropriate MA course.
September 2015- Part-time MA
May 2017?
Marketing Plan
Current work fits demographic of middle aged and older women. Exhibiting potential at Knit & Stitch, or Festival of Quilts. Knit and Stitch exhibits at locations of Alexandra Palace, Harrogate and Dublin. I would happy to attend any or all of them! Festival of Quilts is at NEC, Birmingham.
The concept of "My Mother's Work" can be marketed to various Government funded exhibiting organisations, such as V&A, Horniman Museum, National Portrait Gallery. All organisations receiving funding from Government are required to have an equality policy that states what action they take in order to represent and serve all parts of the community. An exhibition receiving articles from the general population could be curated on the theme "My Mother's Work" which could be structured to positively portray women and apply the equality policy on the grounds of gender, age, ethnicity and faith.
Price List
My Mother's Work - Unseen ( Jam Covers). £600
My Mother's Work - Unending ( Roller Towels). £500
My Mother's Work - Unfinished (Knit). £400
My Mother's Work - Cyclical (Tea Towels). £800
My Mother's Work - Supportive (1960s coat) NFS
I don't expect to sell any of them but if the university wanted to buy them, this is what I would charge for them as works of art. Additionally, if my work was selected to go to the Knit & Stitch, I would not be able to sell them in advance, so pricing them out of the market would not matter. In my dreams!
More thought required.
Wednesday 23 April 2014
Press Release
Cathy MacTaggart uses traditional hand-craft techniques to create textile art collections that draw attention to the female condition. Hand and machine stitch, and hand knitting, are skills usually held by women and are techniques strongly associated with the domestic environment. She reflects on the manual nature of kitchen tasks by hand drawing the objects that were handled by her Mother within this environment.
While drawing the kitchen implements, she developed an interest in the feelings created by the repetitive use of various utensils and a symbolic link with an associated domestic textile. "My Mother's Work - Unseen" is a collection of jam jar covers which are used to represent the work of the jam making season, which is unseen once the product has been consumed. "My Mother's Work - Unending" is a series of roller towels that demonstrate the dawning realisation that food preparation may become more skilled and complicated over the years, but is ultimately a continuous loop of work. "My Mother's Work - Unfinished" is a group of incomplete complex knitted pieces. They symbolise how hand made craft that is incomplete, is often unrecognised for the considerable skills involved. "My Mother's Work - Cyclical" uses round tea towels to symbolise the repeated nature of preparing food. "My Mother's Work - Supportive" uses a coat lining as an allegory. A lined garment is more comfortable to wear and has a longer life, giving a better experience of the item of clothing, similar to how the quality of work done by many people's Mothers, supports and improves the experience of life.
Cathy MacTaggart aims to articulate the experiences of her Mother, on behalf of many women. She aims for viewers of this work to be able to identify with the subject matter, and for it to inspire a wry smile of recognition and the thought "My Mum did that too!"
Friday 18 April 2014
Digital print coming off the printer
I have been a big brave girl at the dentist, braces removed, and am now half way through work on my bottom jaw to gain more space.
Jim drove me to uni so I could collect the fabric that Lisa had told me was ready. The red silk fabric looked great with just one wooden spoon printed on it. The red poplin was very interesting. There had been a fault in the printing after about 1m so Lisa had stopped the 4m print run, which was as well as there were a couple of mistakes in how I had created it. I steamed the fabrics to set the print, and then feeling exhausted, Jim and came home.
The day before Easter, I washed the fabrics and they looked great. I took my 1960's black coat, turned it inside out, and took all the critical measurements and made pattern pieces for the front, back and arm lining fabric. Then the moment of truth - I had to cut the silk! I positioned the wooden spoon in the centre of the back, where it could be seen with the coat open. Once cut, I cross-stitched at the bottom of the spoon, the number of pounds of jam my mother had made over her lifetime. I carefully ladder stitched the lining into the coat, while watching Harry Potter on the television on Good Friday. I have to say I think it looks great.
I am not at all sure my tutor will like the hand drawn object on a coat lining, as he does not seem to get my work at all - but middle aged women always do! And something else that has occurred to me is that my tutor Steve was very keen that I should identify a venue for my work. The place that I can see my work being appreciated and understood, is at the Knit and Sitch show at the Ally Pally, or the Festival of Quilts. These events both have exhibition spaces for serious textile artists, and we have had a previous student invited to display there. The audience at both of these events would understand my work.
Jim drove me to uni so I could collect the fabric that Lisa had told me was ready. The red silk fabric looked great with just one wooden spoon printed on it. The red poplin was very interesting. There had been a fault in the printing after about 1m so Lisa had stopped the 4m print run, which was as well as there were a couple of mistakes in how I had created it. I steamed the fabrics to set the print, and then feeling exhausted, Jim and came home.
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| Red lining before steaming, with one image for back of coat Note the stripes from where the fixative is uneven. It does not appear to affect the final fabric after steaming. |
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| Stitching the lining onto the cuff |
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| Stitching the lining into the coat |
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| My half drop repeat fabric. I think the motifs are too close together and need some careful editing. |
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| The steamed lining fabric |
Monday 14 April 2014
Good Progress leads to a sore shoulder
Excellent progress over the weekend has given me a very sore shoulder, so I am off to the chiropractor tomorrow. I was cross stitching my tea towels, and spent about 25 hours working on them over a week. I think they look great but I have an acute pain in the middle of my left shoulder blade from holding the hoop.
Driving aggravates the shoulder so I have to reduce how often I go to class. Also, there will be a delay in getting my coat lining fabric and dress fabric printed, as the printer is out of ink and Lisa is awaiting its supply. I hope my fabrics are printed by Thursday morning, so I can steam them and work on them over Easter. Therefore I need to work from home for the next couple of days, finishing something else. So I have decided to machine sew comments from my Mother onto the roller towels, rather than hand stitch them. I can free machine embroider quite well, and have some spare roller towel fabric and dissolveable fabric, so I can practice writing. I bought red machine embroidery thread, for the writing, but now wonder whether black would look better. Most of my other pieces combine red, black and white, so maybe this one should too. Time for sampling!
.
Driving aggravates the shoulder so I have to reduce how often I go to class. Also, there will be a delay in getting my coat lining fabric and dress fabric printed, as the printer is out of ink and Lisa is awaiting its supply. I hope my fabrics are printed by Thursday morning, so I can steam them and work on them over Easter. Therefore I need to work from home for the next couple of days, finishing something else. So I have decided to machine sew comments from my Mother onto the roller towels, rather than hand stitch them. I can free machine embroider quite well, and have some spare roller towel fabric and dissolveable fabric, so I can practice writing. I bought red machine embroidery thread, for the writing, but now wonder whether black would look better. Most of my other pieces combine red, black and white, so maybe this one should too. Time for sampling!
Thursday 10 April 2014
Activity ramping up
Lisa and Lucy spent a whole day printing half of my roller towel. They made a sterling job of a difficult task, printing on non-standard cloth that had been manually coated with fixative (rather than coated by a commercial textile company). I spent most of the day steaming and washing it.
I have been thinking about the difference between a degree and an apprenticeship. One of my main criticisms of this degree is that, as a self directed learning qualification, we are not taught. I found it very fulfilling today to pin out my fabric and learn how best to fit a long narrow length of cloth into the steamer. If I were studying an apprenticeship, I would have been working with an experienced fabric worker, learning the techniques from someone who knew the 'one right way" of doing things, so that learning involved minimal waste of materials. With self directed learning, it is usually much more wasteful of materials, because learners do things wrong because there is no-one around to instruct in best practice, or through ignorance. Sadly, I identify strongly with this statement!
I was delighted with the outcome, and started to come up with more ideas about how to present it.
The first idea was to just display on a acrylic pole, with a short, medium and long version. Now I wonder about adding a cross stitched comment on the short one "bake for 30 minutes at Reg 4. Or a cross stitched shopping list. Or typical comments about her baking "Vegetables need to be cooked thoroughly"; "Potatoes need a lot of salt, or they won't be nice", "You can't make gravy without Bisto!", "I always make lemon merengue for his birthday". Or where there are a couple of errant spots of dye - what about a couple of darns? Hmm. How much hand stitch can I do before the degree show, without knackering my neck?
Time to start thinking about Press Releases.
First draft is:
Cathy MacTaggart - "My Mother's Work"
Headlines Degree Show - 2-7 June 2014 1000-1600
Private View - 29 May 2004 1800-2200
In My Mother's Work Cathy MacTaggart has quietly challenged social conventions about gender politics and the domestic object. She uses hand drawing to acknowledge the manual labour of her Mother, and applies the imagery to mundane textiles. These textiles make a wry observation on how the work done by many women is seen, and illustrates the feelings derived from the traditional domestic role.
This collection aims to focus attention on women as an unsung group of workers and to give positive recognition to their contribution. If this collection makes the audience think 'My Mum did that too', along with a wry smile of recognition, then, as a woman, Cathy MacTaggart has achieved her aim.
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| How to lay out a 16m x 27 cm roller towel on a 5m x 130 cm steaming cloth |
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| How to ensure the printed strip does not transfer dye to itself. |
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| Rolling ready for steaming. |
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| Best H&S practice: Baker's gloves, sensible footwear, nothing dangling that could get caught. Mop ready to clean slip hazards. |
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| Unrolling a hot steamy cloth. |
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| Inspecting the cloth to see how it has fixed. |
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| The moment of truth - has the manually fixative-coated fabric successfully fixed the dye? |
I was delighted with the outcome, and started to come up with more ideas about how to present it.
The first idea was to just display on a acrylic pole, with a short, medium and long version. Now I wonder about adding a cross stitched comment on the short one "bake for 30 minutes at Reg 4. Or a cross stitched shopping list. Or typical comments about her baking "Vegetables need to be cooked thoroughly"; "Potatoes need a lot of salt, or they won't be nice", "You can't make gravy without Bisto!", "I always make lemon merengue for his birthday". Or where there are a couple of errant spots of dye - what about a couple of darns? Hmm. How much hand stitch can I do before the degree show, without knackering my neck?
Time to start thinking about Press Releases.
First draft is:
Cathy MacTaggart - "My Mother's Work"
Headlines Degree Show - 2-7 June 2014 1000-1600
Private View - 29 May 2004 1800-2200
In My Mother's Work Cathy MacTaggart has quietly challenged social conventions about gender politics and the domestic object. She uses hand drawing to acknowledge the manual labour of her Mother, and applies the imagery to mundane textiles. These textiles make a wry observation on how the work done by many women is seen, and illustrates the feelings derived from the traditional domestic role.
This collection aims to focus attention on women as an unsung group of workers and to give positive recognition to their contribution. If this collection makes the audience think 'My Mum did that too', along with a wry smile of recognition, then, as a woman, Cathy MacTaggart has achieved her aim.
Friday 4 April 2014
Frustration leading to progress
I spent all week waiting for my four textile print jobs to be done. This was frustrating but the textile technician has about 30 jobs queued and had been instructed that the Ted Baker competition jobs were to be prioritised.
So to use my time to best effect I had a couple of days out. Shirley and I went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the WW1 portraits. Excellent. The layout of the Leaders and Followers room demonstrated how staging enhances an exhibition. The Leaders were on one side, demonstrating traditional portrait style, personal profile and identity, authority via uniform and stance, and gallantry via medals. Brighter lighting. The followers were on the other side of the small room, and were portrayed as down-to-earth, ordinary people, possibly off-guard, anonymous or generic types. Softer lighting.
Then we went to the Oxo Tower to the Spirit of Womanhood exhibition. Annabel Rainbow's quilt was wonderful. She does nude self portraits in art quilts, and this one was of her at her sewing machine , with a lot of embroidered script about how women form 50% of the population but hold title to 1% of the land and other statistics. Absolutely brilliant. I had a long chat with the invigilators (a very ethnically diverse bunch of women), talked quite a lot about my uni work "My Mother's Work" amd was most gratified that they really understood the theme. These ladies were interested to come to the degree show, and some lived quite close to Hatfield.
Then on Friday I went to uni, and one of my print jobs was done! So with a couple of other students we had a a steaming and washing session. I have plenty of work to be going on with over the weekend - cutting out, binding edges, attaching labels, cross stitching comments.
My class also had a seminar about portfolio preparation. I am confused about what needs to go into the portfolio, but I can get on with preparing photos of my assorted projects, writing my cv, preparing business cards.
So to use my time to best effect I had a couple of days out. Shirley and I went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the WW1 portraits. Excellent. The layout of the Leaders and Followers room demonstrated how staging enhances an exhibition. The Leaders were on one side, demonstrating traditional portrait style, personal profile and identity, authority via uniform and stance, and gallantry via medals. Brighter lighting. The followers were on the other side of the small room, and were portrayed as down-to-earth, ordinary people, possibly off-guard, anonymous or generic types. Softer lighting.
Then we went to the Oxo Tower to the Spirit of Womanhood exhibition. Annabel Rainbow's quilt was wonderful. She does nude self portraits in art quilts, and this one was of her at her sewing machine , with a lot of embroidered script about how women form 50% of the population but hold title to 1% of the land and other statistics. Absolutely brilliant. I had a long chat with the invigilators (a very ethnically diverse bunch of women), talked quite a lot about my uni work "My Mother's Work" amd was most gratified that they really understood the theme. These ladies were interested to come to the degree show, and some lived quite close to Hatfield.
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| Annabel Rainbow - "Life 5 - What did you do today dear?" How fantastic is this!? |
Then on Friday I went to uni, and one of my print jobs was done! So with a couple of other students we had a a steaming and washing session. I have plenty of work to be going on with over the weekend - cutting out, binding edges, attaching labels, cross stitching comments.
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| My four cyclical tea towels, freshly printed |
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| Pinning the printed fabric to the steaming cloth |
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| Rolling |
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| Tieing |
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| After steaming |
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| Washing When you wash something with as much red as this design, the rinsing water looks like blood! |
My class also had a seminar about portfolio preparation. I am confused about what needs to go into the portfolio, but I can get on with preparing photos of my assorted projects, writing my cv, preparing business cards.
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