Test sample

The cost of printing my piece is steadily increasing so being conscious of this factor, I did a test sample to work out the dimensions of scale and how well the printing is transferred from screen to textile.

As working with fabric with a fabric outcome is not what I have usually produced on the course.

Factors I have considered:

- to not print on silk organza for the simple con that the print doesn't come up well on the piece. Though the organza itself is my preferred material due to its particular warp it has good level of transparency.

- as an alternative I have decide to go with Georgette a fabric that has a denser warp so a better clarity of print and easy to get printed on. The only con of using this material is the fact that the material available to me is not a white but a off cream which i am unsure to if I like or not.

- lastly the timing of getting this print done on time is a factor that has toubled the design process. As from contacting various printers there turnover rate is simply longer than expected or desired typical 7 days from hand in to the printers. Also especially as im competing for printers with many textile courses. But in In no way do am I going to let this effect me.

The images of the test sample quickly hung up (in no way is this an indication of how the final print will look).

Flocked off...

So after discussions about the production of my piece I thought of possibly flocking onto the fabric print. This I thought would add a tactile dimension to the work in which particular areas would be flocked to create depth and highlight significant areas of the design for them to stand out in comparison to the rest of the print.

I approached the textile department of Chelsea to see if I could utilise the facilities, but unfortunately there is loads of admin and red tape preventing me to use anything and there would be too many restrictions.

As much as I am disappointed with this hiccup in the design progress I have evaluated the use of this process against what I feel is necessary to embellish the print and feel happy with having to use my embroidery skills as a suitable substitute.

Sticking to my true intentions...

After resolving how I would classify the differentiations between classes and taste. I felt the initial sketch ups of my net curtain have been distracted by my ideal of making a beautiful piece. But by doing so my design has been distracted from the statement intended. 

I have revised the layout and have grid out a new way to include the imagery used in my design. What is important is that as the methodology of making the piece wont be made from traditional hand made lace that i should at least keep the design at least comparable to the nature of what a net curtain is. 

Below is a quick screen grab of the new layout, which is more refined and loosely based on the structure of net curtains found in my research.

The eight icons of modern class

Appropriate Materials

Suitable outcomes for my final piece are out of the following:


- Printing on Silk a sheer fabric that allows for semi transparency whilst holding onto the images


OR


- Lazer cut onto a fabric or thick paper, fabric is preferred as when cut by laser the heat of the laser seals the fabric wherever it cuts.


Tomorrow I am printing a test sample on fabric to see how it looks. 

In the middle of the motif of the eight signifiers will be drawn out map of London to which I will shade the significant areas to where would best demonstrate the taste of such items on the curtain.

The particular areas are shaded by determining by splitting the city through the fairest way of establishing income based upon council tax figures in according to boroughs. Below is the wealthy followed by the less so fortunate.

The Eight Signifiers

The design for the curtains I am creating centres around a central circular motif that displays icons that signify the following eight stereotypical visual identifiers that distinguish between class or having good taste. Though these icons could be said to be temporal and particularly of now they will still always hold a stigma that is associated to them as signifiers.

In no particular order:

1, The supermarket to where you grocery shop.

2, The newspaper you read.

3, The car you drive.

4, The jewellery you wear.

5, The clothes you wear.

6, The language you use particularly slang.

7, The style of house you live in.

8, The breed of dog you own.

For both the curtains I shall draw the answers to these questions in respondence to the stereotypes commonly held.

Below is diagram to which I will place the visual identifiers within the circles.