INTERTWINED
"the physical implications of one material's interaction with another"
The theme I chose for my coursework project was ‘Intertwined’ because it intrigued me how ropes are braided with a bundle of flexible fibres to form a product more useful than the sum of each individual strand. I began by investigating the intertwining of rope, with my initial fascination drawn to the curve of each fibre and how this impacts the varying shade across each piece.
6B/4B/ EE pencil drawing
I was interested in looking closely at bonds, ropes and fibre as they exude a feeling of tension in their taut state. Ropes represent strength and unity, but also bondage, and so can be explored for multiple inferences when present in art. Not only this, but if one were to imagine each strand possessing a symbiotic relationship with the others to maintain form, interpretations could be gleamed in relation to our own consumerist economy and the intertwined nature of human relationships.
Aesthetically, I am interested in the complex correspondence between rope and light, and so have explored this through utilising different sizes of rope and varied light intensity. I particularly enjoyed how the light reflected and threw shade with each undulating fibre, creating an almost binary effect with repeating sequences of black and white.
Exploration in Sketchbook
2B/4B pencil drawing
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Oil painting
Sketchbook page exploring ways of nature intertwining
Progressing on from rope, I started to investigate more organic forms and how they twist and intertwine.
I thought that twigs, branches, roots and vines connect and form interesting patterns that could be explored in a variety of media, with nature providing a disorder that was not present in the reliable dichotomy of black and white lines seen in my rope sketches.
Charcoal drawing
This charcoal drawing was made using a picture I had taken of tree branches as a stimulus. I used charcoal to shade the dark areas and then blended it out with my fingers and a brush. I really enjoyed using this media as the depth and tone was interesting.
I then became drawn to roots - specifically how they emerge from solid trunk to form rope-like extensions, each with its own form and girth.
4B/6B pencil drawing
Experiments and samples
Textile sample created inspired by Gwen Headly
From a photo I took of intertwined twigs I made a textile piece using felt. I used the results of this piece to understand how best to represent each line with clarity, as well as how to proceed with embellishment to produce a pronounced and powerful effect.
This is a sample of a needle point felted piece. Felt as a medium is much more flexible than others such as paint. Using it allowed me to produce a softer aesthetic.
This felting piece was inspired by Gwen Hedley, who creates pieces using many different techniques and lines to connect and build an image. I was inspired by the stitching in her work, so I experimented with stitching techniques on pieces of felt that I constructed.
Plan for the final piece in my sketchbook
Final Piece
Size: 60 x 120
In this project I investigated the intertwining not only of the stimuli, but of many different fabrics and techniques to form a congregation of style and texture.
When one thinks of 'intertwined' as a state, a feeling of uneasy disorder may arise. I expanded this perspective by investigating intentional intertwining of ropes, as well as the careless disarray of roots. I found that to be intertwined was not only to be bound and unable to escape the constraints of a symbiotic society, with each relying on another for survival, but also to be made stronger through working as a collective to produce astounding strength and beauty.