Winning!

I just won the Australiasian Graduate of the Year Award - 1st prize!!!! BOOM! So excited! Hurrah!

There are so so so many amazing people that have helped me over the last couple of years and I'm just so grateful x

change is good.

"It's impossible" said pride. "It's risky" said experience. "It's pointless" said reason. "Give it a try" whispered the heart.

found here

on flying and the soul

Flight is the essence of the spirit.

It nurtures the soul.

It is awesome. Often ethereal. Glorious.

Emotionally wondrous and all-pervading. Intangible.

- Louise Thaden

life right now

For the next two weeks, I am lucky and proud to be part of the Massey University Exposure Exhibition. It's been and amazing year. The bags under my stinging eyes are a good testament to just how hard we have all been working. And hopefully... how stunning the show will be! Wooohooo!

A two week public exhibition showcasing Massey's emerging artists and designers.

Exhibition open daily
10-24 November 2012
Mon/Fri 9.00am - 6.00pm
Sat/Sun 10.00am - 4.00pm

The courtyard. level C
Te Ara Hihiko
Massey University
College of Creative Arts
Entrance E, Tasman Street
Wellington

a sneaky sneak preview before the preview night

all photographs by Kate MacPherson Photographer

the end and the beginning

"Falling into Place:
deciding everything is falling into place perfectly as long as you don't get too picky about what you mean by place. Or perfectly."

- Brian Andreas

found here and here

indigo, i love you.

here's a visual update on just what I've been getting up to while living at Uni. and a few words i wrote very quickly late at night to be put in print somewhere on something but i can't remember what x

 Lillian Baker, Wind, arashi shibori and natural indigo dye on silk, 2012.

words words words

Using the resist dyeing technique of arashi shibori, creates a three-dimensional surface that opens out to act as a sail in the wind. I have dyed the cloth with natural indigo dye as indigo embodies many aspects of wind as a concept. It is mysterious, unpredictable, difficult to control and somewhat magical. This piece explores the idea that wind can reveal something in the cloth and plays with the idea of invisibility.

words for today

thanks spatial design kids for the wise words



Update: after this post, my friend Julie shared a wonderful link with me. i love when found objects have a home.

wind is air in motion.

This is the forth and final year of my textile design degree. Sometimes it's rather scary. Wednesday morning was one of those moments... I gave a presentation on my research to date.

my presentation boards

the first few sentences went like this...

The underlying concept of my research is investigating how wind as an invisible phenomenon can be made visible. I’m exploring the idea that we are able to 'see' the wind through movement and the multisensory experiences of touch and vision. I’m looking to create textile surfaces and structures to remind us that we can in fact 'see' and perceive wind in our experience of it.

I always find the process of putting a presentation together so valuable. So many of your ideas are organised and confirmed when you have to explain everything to someone else. The late hours of tuesday night were a bit worrying but as always, it's never as bad as you imagine. I'm happy it's over.

words for the week

 but... they never said it had to be hard either

the nature of wind

on getting an education

sometimes i learn the hard way. this can be VERY hard sometimes but at least i'm learning. tonight i'm taking advice from my father. advice that i've heard more than a few times now. to dust myself off (with or without your dignity intact, either will do just fine) and to get back on the bike (he's got a good story about his motorcycle that always accompanied this and today i do miss it).

if i wrote you a letter in indian ink

i love digital textile design and i also love photography. in this last semester of uni i made a collection of fabrics and a zero-waste dress for our digital class.

our tutor asked us to design by looking at the theme animal, mineral or vegetable. for inspiration i researched minerals. and then rock strata, aerial photography, the movement of water, and kimono. i began drawing inky, gritty, and organic marks with water colours and somehow it became this...

 

the display board - with layout and font designed by holly

model - beautiful nina, a dear friend of laras'

with photography by me

the swirl dress
this is a visualisation of the 'swirl' design as zero-waste garment

the envelope dress
this is a visualisation of the finished dress
the design is garment specific, digitally printed on chiffon, and sewn with a lot of help of hannahs' mum

a wonderful project. and i am very happy with the finished collection. hurrah!

eclipse of the heart

i've been working on an artwork for charity. it's a paper collage that has been sublimate printed on to fabric. this is what i do when i'm living at Uni.

the artwork under construction

a photograph of the finished piece

i wrote...

Through the use of paper collage, scoring and stitching, I have created a composition based around the idea of the heart as the centre of all things. I have taken a conceptual approach to the heart, looking at circles as a representation of the heart. Intersecting lines define the heart motif and the abstract composition plays with the relationship between shapes.
 
Eclipse of the heart has been created as a gift to auction for Ronald McDonald House Charities.  This inspired me to look at quilting as a gift that represents family and the home. The piecing of quilts and the idea that the heart is what connects people to each other has inspired the subtle hand stitched lines. I have looked to the work of Bauhaus designers for inspiration. The glass compositions of Josef Albers and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s paper collage work have informed the overall aesthetic. The artwork has been assembled through paper collage and sublimate printing. Glowing edges from the printing process lift the circles from the background providing a contrast to the fine scoring lines. The golden circle becomes a symbol of hope set against a soft heavenly blue.

last night we had a wonderful auction night with Ronald McDonald House Wellington. the event was hosted in the Great Hall at Massey University and it was delightful.

wallpaper

 the flocked wallpaper co-ordinate design in the 'my dear arthur' collection

i wrote...

An energetic pattern inspired by 1950s vintage print design.

Offset and elongated abstract shapes create a dynamic and lively design. A sense of the theatrical is explored with a play between the static shapes and the movement created through layering. The rich olive flock contrasts to the soft reddened navy and a tinted metallic pearl offers a subtle sophistication.

Add a sense of nostalgia, that’s rich, playful and warm!

my dear arthur

this has been my entire world all year. a lovely fabric inspired by arthur street in wellingtons central city. there have been many tears but i love it.

a screen-printed linen fabric with an all over complex repeat design (not that i will never forget those words).

in half an inch

last friday i lost myself. i'd be loosing myself for sometime. i had forgotten all about taking evening walks. reading a book for enjoyment. celebrating little achievements. attending the birthday plans of old friends. sharing stories over a beer. having a quite coffee. resting. sleeping. laughing.
and so i want to say thank you. to everyone. i am grateful that it is you i have around me. even when i have been swallowed up. when i have not seen you for weeks. you are still there. and you are there again when i am found.