I've just delivered two large banners created with me in the summer in Cotmanhay Infants School (Ilkeston, Derbyshire). I worked with all the children and staff to explore lots of different textile techniques (and textures in clay too) and we took our inspirations from natural materials and the gardens around the school.
The children went searching for natural treasures with some staff and with the school cameras, whilst others worked with me to create (wet) felt, print, painted and dyed fabrics and wax resist. I've transferred the children's photographs onto fabric and then over the school summer holidays I've been busy collaging and patch-working all these different images together. The children also worked onto papers and there are little snippets of different textures dotted about all over the banners.
The school has been wonderful to work with - HUGE thank you to all the staff and pupils. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and friendly and I was really made to feel part of the school community, which matters a great deal. The different techniques we used are incredibly tactile and also need a huge amount of space and the school were wonderful in dedicating the school hall for this and re-arranging other things so that I could spread out all the resources and tarpaulins etc and really create the right space to do all this practical work.
The finished banners have lots of different details all over them and there's a piece of work by every child in the school (apart from the groups that have created clay tiles and their work is being added very soon to the school walls). I've really been inspired looking at all the children's ideas and textures as I've pieced the banners together.
The children went searching for natural treasures with some staff and with the school cameras, whilst others worked with me to create (wet) felt, print, painted and dyed fabrics and wax resist. I've transferred the children's photographs onto fabric and then over the school summer holidays I've been busy collaging and patch-working all these different images together. The children also worked onto papers and there are little snippets of different textures dotted about all over the banners.
The school has been wonderful to work with - HUGE thank you to all the staff and pupils. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and friendly and I was really made to feel part of the school community, which matters a great deal. The different techniques we used are incredibly tactile and also need a huge amount of space and the school were wonderful in dedicating the school hall for this and re-arranging other things so that I could spread out all the resources and tarpaulins etc and really create the right space to do all this practical work.
The finished banners have lots of different details all over them and there's a piece of work by every child in the school (apart from the groups that have created clay tiles and their work is being added very soon to the school walls). I've really been inspired looking at all the children's ideas and textures as I've pieced the banners together.
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