Research photos

External influences can change the identity of us and inanimate objects over time. Inanimate objects can become living; for example stone or wood can become inhabited by lichen, fungus, plant life and coral. I went to bank of the Thames in Putney to record these processes. These processes in nature change the structure, colour and texture of the material. I am now considering how I can interpret this in my knit, by creating samples which undergo a process which changes their materiality. For example changing a sample from soft to hard, smooth to textured, solid to holey, uniform to irregular.

Locating

The title I have chosen for my self-initiated brief is reclamation, which has many different meanings allowing me to explore various avenues of research. In my first tutorial, the imagery I brought with me was quite specific and referenced various artists I had begun to look at, however it was brought to my attention that it was too early for this and I would only be limiting myself too early on. The different strands which I wanted to research further was the idea of nature reclaiming the man-made, reclamation of identity, and 'disobedient objects'. I started by visiting the 'disobedient objects' exhibition and the Victoria and Albert museum, which looked at objects made as part of social movements, which played key roles in cultural and political changes. For example objects which have been reappropriated and subverted to further a political cause, such as defaced money to highlight the corruption in China. I found it inspiring to see such powerful objects could be created under such pressure and limited resources. I then visited the Grayson Perry exhibition, 'Identity', where each piece was a response to an identity group he had encountered such as the deaf, Chris Huhne liberal democrat, or idealised heterosexual couple.