2012 Negotiated Project

At the beginning of 2012 we agreed a negotiated project for our workshops. Mine had a theme of Mapping and Journeys....I did some background research into all sorts of different types of journeys and mapping including geology, archaeologists, the Dewy library system, mapping of the body(eg MRI scans), nature, sat nav, sea charts, underground maps, musical notation.....I could go on....but you get the idea!
Also went to the Grayson Perry exhibition at the British Museum which proved inspirational. Grayson Perry thinks that maps are a trustworthy diagram of reality but can contain human bias.
After much thought I decided to use Hokusai's Wave print as my starting point for both my textiles and printmaking workshops.
When going on a journey most people now take a backpack with them...so I thought I would make a backpack based on Hokusai's Wave which would also reflect the journey that Japanese goods have made throughout the world over the past decades.

This I made from mostly found materials; part of a blackout curtain provided the main fabric. I embellished this with pieces of leftover blue silk in wave shapes. I found a wonderful scarf in a charity shop which provided the frothy waves and fringing and embroidered on sequins to provide the top of Mount Fuji. I made an error with the bondaweb but salvaged the situation by using the mistake to form the kanji signs for Minakami on the back of the backpack!! Nothing if not ingenious.

Next was the handle- some weeks ago my mini umbrella became very disjointed in high winds and I salvaged the material from this. With this, a belt and some white strong plastic string I plaited a long handle which I attached with D rings.

The finished backpack

View of button closing and frothy waves made from scarf

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Quite pleased with how it has turned out although I think it is more of a fashion accessory rather than a serious backpack!!

I also experimented with making sushi type pieces out of woven plastic bags, pieces of cotton rags, raffia and other similar materials.

On the left is black raffia and red and silver wrapping tape; in the middle long cotton rag strips and on the right yellow plastic bags with green wool and strips of green and white onion bag.

More to follow on the printmaking workshop soon.