ARTIST - EDUCATOR
Jane is visiting lecturer for both De Montfort and Nottingham Trent University.
With a background in Fashion knitwear and knitted textiles Jane identifies and develops creative talent in those she’s employed and lectured, helping them discover their potential. Her fine art practice explores the female form combining the translucent and opaque to both obscure and highlight areas of the body.
Jane, can you give us an introduction to the Identity project for the MA fashion and textile program at DMU?
We chose ‘Identity’ as the title for the design communication brief for a number of reasons. The transition from BA to MA is an opportunity for the student to investigate, on a much deeper level, their chosen subject. The encouragement to write their own brief allows the student to take ownership regarding the direction the module takes. With guidance, each individual travels their own creative path regarding the many ways in which to effectively communicate their creative concepts. It gives an opportunity for the designers to explore their own identities but also identity in the wider context.
How do you challenge designers and get them to think about identity through fashion / textile illustration?
Illustration and visual communication is the key focus of this design module but before the physical exploration of visual communication starts, the designers are encouraged to immerse themselves in the concept of Identity.
Observing, feeling, and listening are senses that can initiate a wealth of original philosophies regarding individuality such as sameness, identification, and self-awareness. Encouraged to think about their own experience regarding a range of topics including Identity crisis, brand identity, mistaken identity, and collective identity to name a few, the breadth, and depth of researched contextual sources play an important role in the development and exploration of visual communication.
Linking emotion, thoughts, and feelings to art medium and materials begins to focus the designer/illustrator on the relationship between an in-depth concept and its physical manifestation. If through the concept of Identity, words such as transparent, invisible, and unseen are referenced, then the direct link between these terms and choices of medium and techniques used, are paramount in the visual communication of an idea.
"Linking emotion, thoughts and feelings to art medium and materials begins to focus the designer / illustrator on the relationship between an in-depth concept and its physical manifestation."
Images can become opaque through the layering of tracing paper, portraits manipulated, embellished, or disconnected revealing the muse’s experiences. Embracing Individual and innovative approaches to illustration styles is encouraged, student’s creative and artistic voices seen and heard. The presenting of final pieces of work also benefits from the ability to innovatively express personal design ideas.
Utilising a variety of presentation methods ranging from film to art installation, artwork manipulated through the use of CAD or the creative addition of textile or multimedia, helps to produce a focused and conceptually evolved collection of final fashion illustrations.
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