Yarn Bombing

I came across yarn bombing after searching for knitting artists, as I've taken an interest in it after a conversation with Jon.

Yarn bombing is basically taking pre-knitted or crocheted materials, and wrapping them around public objects, such as trees, fountains and phone boxes. Although it's a public art, it's graffiti and is illegal in some countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

 This is one of the most popular ones by the Jafagirls called the Knit Knot Tree. I love the way they just use their scraps of knitted patches to create these yarn bombs for the trees. More about the girls can be found here: http://jafagirls.wordpress.com/about/

Knit the City, a group of women who knit furiously and yarn bomb across the city of London since 2009; this is their third yarn bomb, the Phonebox Cosy. These yarn bombs are a little more planned by the group and often some are more public than others. http://knitthecity.com/2009/07/09/yarnstorm-the-third-the-phonebox-cosy/

Sheffield Hallam Fine Art

"Successful applicants will normally have passed a foundation course in art/design or BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in art/design. Applicants must have a portfolio of creative art work available for consideration at interview. Exceptionally, applications will be considered from candidates with one of the following

• Curriculum 2000 A levels – 240 tariff points from a minimum of two GCE A levels. AS level and key skills may count towards the score."

"We support and encourage you to produce work based on an understanding of the relationship between the process of making and the context of showing. You examine a range of fine art practices to help you identify and establish creative strategies for developing your own studio practice.

You work in our purpose built studios and well-equipped workshop facilities to gain and improve skills in • painting • printmaking • film • photography • video • sculpture • performance • animation • installation • sound • electronic and digital media."

"Level one modules

• workshop skills • studio practice • critical evaluation of your work and that of others • critical and theoretical practice • contemporary issues in fine art • field trips • professional artist talks

Level two modules

• studio research and workshop production • professional exhibition of work • theoretical study specialism (for example art and philosophy, or experimental film and video) • exchange opportunities • professional artist talks

Level three modules

• studio research and production • seminar / presentations and exhibiting • degree exhibition"

"Our recent graduates have developed careers in commercial and public arts sectors such as • film directing • producing • editing • sound recording • lighting/camera.

Some work in the visual arts as • curators • writers • managers • technicians. Others work in the performing arts as • performance artists • actors • set designers • prop makers.

Some graduates have become successful • comedians • novelists • scriptwriters • art directors • animators • musicians. You can also become a teacher or art therapist after further training."

Hokusai - Woodblock

"Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎, Katsushika Hokusai? 1760–May 10, 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. In his time he was Japan's leading expert on Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best-known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831) which includes the iconic and internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. Hokusai created the "Thirty-Six Views" both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave print and Fuji in Clear Weather, that secured Hokusai’s fame both within Japan and overseas."

Mount Fuji Seen Below a Wave at Kanagawa

Weeping Cherry and Bullfinch - I picked out this one as it looks like more of a print than many of his other works; it seems like a totally different style, although the website didn't say what's a print and what could be a painting.

http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/

Amanda Edwards - Penny Floor/Mosaic

It didn't take a lot of searching for me to find Amanda Edwards, a mosaic artist who works mainly with glass; I almost immediately picked up on this as it links with Logan's glass crowns, especially with the bright colours, not just the obvious glass mosaic.
She never plans any of her mosaics in detail, she sketches the design she wants, but never plans where the glass pieces will go; it's all spontaneous, one of the reasons I like her work.
 Public work - Barbara Bush Children's Hosp
She created this really abnormal floor out of penny's that I'd love to do some more research into, and see whether I'd be able to do something like this on a small scale, then print onto it maybe
http://mandolinmosaics.com/stained-glass-mosaic-windows.php

Alternative Miss World Crowns

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewhowe/2685784167/ -  one of the crowns

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m77z800iK01r1dcqno1_500.jp

 

Alternative Miss World

Alternative Miss World (AMW) started in 1972, and unlike the normal Miss World contest, it isn't about the beauty, it's all about the transformation of the contestants themselves. Each year that it is held there is a different theme to the year, such as Earth, Fire, Circus, and Royal Imperial. 

The contestants must have 3 costumes, day wear, swim-wear, and evening wear, however they are allowed no rehearsals and must perform their abilities on the night and anything can happen from this freedom.

"It's about creative free-reign, about the ordinary becoming extraordinary. Contestants over the years have been famous and infamous, celebrated and unknown, a parade of freaks, fops, show offs and drag queens... including Andrew's many friends and family! The climax is a tear stained coronation with Logan's dazzling Crown Jewels made of broken mirrors." 

The event has been held on the following years with the themes:

- 1972 / "Party"

- 1973 / "Andrew Logan's Miss World"

-1975 / "Wild"

- 1978 / "Circus"

- 1981 / "Royal Imperial"

- 1985 / "Water"

- 1986 / "Earth"

- 1991 / "Air"

- 1995 / "Fire"

- 1998 / "Void"

- 2004 / "Universe"

- 2009 / "Elements"

Each of the events had their own handmade crowns made from broken glass by Andrew Logan, the creator of the event.

http://alternativemissworld.co.uk/

Andrew Logan

"Andrew Logan belongs to a unique school of English eccentrics. One of Britain’s principal sculptural artists, he challenges convention, mixes media and plays with our artistic values. Since its beginnings, Logan’s work has depended on the inventive use of whatever was to hand. With flair and fantasy he transformed real objects into their new and different versions. His artistic world includes fauna, flora, planets and gods. His love of travel provides the bases for several series of work.

Born in Oxford in 1945, he qualified in architecture in the late 1960s and has worked across the fields of sculpture, stage design, drama, opera, parades, festivals and interior design. To him, “Art can be discovered anywhere.” Logan crosses cultures and embodies artistic fantasy in a unique and unprecedented way. His work is the art of popular poetry and metropolitan glamour. From his early fame amongst London’s fashionable crowd, he has become an influential artist of international stature, with exhibitions as far afield as Los Angeles (USA), Monterrey (Mexico) and St Petersburg (Russia)."

Andrew Logan himself

Cosmic Egg at the American Museum of Visionary Art - Baltimore, Maryland, USA

http://andrewlogan.com/ 

Paper Dress

Using mostly printing and pleating, me and Nicola created paper dress based around a Harlot in the 18th century; we found that paper isn't the best material to use for certain shapes, such as the main body of the corset.
The printing was the most tedious part as we had to print the paper twice, firstly with the pink flower pattern, then overlay the blue pattern in-between the pink. We had planned out the main look of the dress, but not any decoration.
I'm really pleased with how it turned out as many hours went into it, but I'd like to try and create the skirt to the dress. I especially like how we combined our ideas together to create the decorations, such as the bows, pleating and borders embellishing the dress.

All of the dress was stuck together using a glue gun as we felt that stitching wouldn't hold up the paper as it was quite heavy, and I think this was the right choice as I feel that it would've fallen apart if we had stitched it.

Shelly Rhodes

Shelly uses manipulation, wear and tear, and distress to create the effects she wants with her chosen textiles.

"I like the idea of fragmentation followed by reconstruction. I enjoy the selection process of rearranging and reassembling small elements to make a whole. I am currently exploring ways of 'fixing' and 'repairing'.

My mixed media work combines paper, drawings and prints with painted and dyed fabric. Sometimes, I incorporate found objects, pins, staples and wire. The work is built up in layers with the stitch sometimes becoming embedded in the piece. I use very simple hand and machine stitches to enhance and emphasize areas. I use the needle and thread as another mark making tool or as a joining mechanism." - http://textilestudygroup.co.uk/members/shelley-rhodes/ 

 Etching with Stitch

Stitch detail

Screen Printing