Plaster Paris

I have started experimenting using plaster of Paris to change the materiality and shape of something. I started by pouring the plaster of Paris over a piece of free form cotton crochet placed at the bottom of a bowl. I then peeled the crochet out of the plaster of Paris once it had dried, which left behind the colour and imprint of the crochet. This created an interesting effect and I like the contrast between the smooth white plaster next to the textured orange imprint. 

I then used the cornely machine to chain stitch on dissolvable fabric, which, once the fabric was dissolved, I placed at the bottom of a rectangular plastic tray. As this chain stitch was out of a silk thread it did not leave behind an imprint of colour, how it broke up leaving some pieces of yarn buried in the plaster of paris. I like this idea of trapping yarn inside something harder, and obscuring part of its original form.

I continued with this idea of trapping something soft, such as cotton crochet, in a solid form, by pouring pva glue over crochet in a circular mould. I left part of the crochet out creating a tactile contrast between the hardness of the pva and the soft crochet. I would like to experiment further with this idea perhaps through laminating or melting plastic onto a swatch.