WOOD PROJECT : Collaging wooden landscapes

These are a few images from a previous projects where I looked at wood grains as a representation of the earths landscapes.  Taking images from google earth here are some of the most interesting and contrasting landscapes I found.

THE EXPERIMENT- some tried and some failed....

Finding scraps of many types of wood and putting them together...

In this experiment I found long pieces and glued together to combine the various woods.

Here I have used a recipe of wood, glue, sawdust and larger bits of wood. I let it dry, in the hope that when cut into the different grains would be exposed randomly. 

Huge inspiration is 'ham hock and 'cold cuts' coasters by chen chen and kai williams , 2011

Using similar process to them here are some wooden pieces ...

Rough stages of making the neck piece..

The Final Exhibition!

Before the photographs were added

Testing out what the photos would look like without the frames as instructed by tutor.

I didn't like the effect because the photos look really detached from the pieces.

I included pictures of the test piece becasue I wanted to show that this method and idea can be put into many different forms, not just the ones shown.  I thought that having the same person modelling in all the photos would look too repetitive so I  added some variation.

I am pleased with my final outcome as I feel they ended the projects well.  Although there were come issues with the final finishings of the piece.   When I was moulding the leather around the wooden moulds I leant the pieces of my lap.  The dye from my jeans transferred onto the surface of the leather making them look very dirty.

I researched ways of taking of the dirt on the internet and some tips looked promising;

Spray hairspray and then wipe off

Rub in toothpaste then wipe off

and nail varnish.

I used these methods on a test piece first.  None of the product worked full but hairspray worked the best, removing some of the ink.

Unfortuanly I went ahead and sprayed some onto my final piece and it created an unsightly dark patch and did not remove the ink either.  I i were to do this project again I would be very careful about he surfaces that I worked on, making sure my workspace was always clean.

Making the final pieces

Simon Hassan & Poltrona Frau

I found these designers in the Hand Made issue of Wallpaper* magazine.  I really like the thrown on look of the leather and the organic imperfect folds.  

More mould making ....

Because the moulding from furniture didn't work so well I needed other forms to mould from.  I wanted the pieces to be able to be worn so I based the pieces on body parts.  I wanted to keep the furniture-esk look so I kept the edges straight so that it would create corners in the leather.

MORE PHOTOS OF THE MOULDS

Using furniture as moulds.

I really like the shapes and aspects of some furniture, from my drawings I thought they would make some usual forms.  So I used an old chair that I found as a mould for the leather...... 

This is one of the pieces after it had dried l like the corners and the fold it made.  It took on the shape successfully but I failed to visualise it for use on the body as the shape is too obscure  did not fit in anywhere.

Dai Rees - Carapace...

This is the piece Carapace by Dai  Rees, shown at Aware - art fashion identity this year.  Unfortunately  I missed the exhibition but found this work when researching Hussein Chalayan, who had work at the same exhibition.  He uses pattern blocks and manipulates them with thick leather hide.  These are really interesting processes that are very subtle like leather marquetry. 

Leather hide, leather marquetry, stainless steel, enamel

 and iodine, each piece 180 x 70 x 50 cm.

Triptych, The Butchers Window, 200

Screen print workshop....

From looking at the Proenza Shouler collection, I decided to test methods of quickly creating pattern and texture to the surface of the leather.

During this enjoyable workshop I used photocopies of my favourite samples of weaving.  I liked how the scanner picked up the texture of the leather that had been woven through.  Interesting idea of texture on texture.  To exploit this I blew up the picture and had it made into a screen.

Practising at first with with paper and plain white cotton and light polyester fabric I thought they made quite nice samples on their own.  I then moved onto screen printing onto actual leather, and to my amazement it worked quite effectively, giving a clear image. 

.I explored with marbling browny tones on the leather so that the screen printing was not so obvious to add subtle detail. 

I then moved onto using the special die which poofs up when heated.  This produced some very interesting effect on the leather.  

One of my favourite samples was when I used a black ink on the leather and then when heated turned into multiple colours rather like the colour of oil on the road.  If I had time I would explore this idea further.

Even thought the print looked affective on this scale I don't think it would be possible, with the facilities  in the workshop to make smaller detailed screens which I could use on my jewellery pieces.