Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2019 Part 1

I went to the Manchester School of Art Degree show this week and caught up with a few creative graduates work. In case you are interested the show is on until June the 19th. Opening times: Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm, Sat/Sun – 10am – 4pm at Manchester School of Art (Benzie, Grosvenor and Chatham Buildings, Cavendish Street, M15 6BR) and 99 Oxford Road (Old Manchester Met SU, M1 7EL). I was greeted by a giant in the foyer!

I began in the Textiles in Practice area with clean florals and wildlife from Leia Butterworth.

“My final collection ‘Fresh Traditional’ includes original drawings, digitally printed wallpapers and digitally printed fabrics for cushions and curtains. The collection is inspired by botanical drawings from Manchester Metropolitan Library Archive and my own photographs of florals. ”

Modern sneaker street art from Kristine Kho.

Graphic and architectural representations from Nicola L Dean.

“My most recent project ‘Soho Suitor’ was inspired by exploring the architecture of New York city; I have used this research to create both woven and printed fabric designs that provide a unisex style of clothing and accessories suitable for the modern day business person. Through trend research I have selected the appropriate colours, fabrics and yarn choices for various areas of suiting and, with both genders in mind, I adapted my colours and designs accordingly to incorporate both masculine and feminine qualities. The designs take on a vivid and graphic nature showing my interest in unusual colour combinations and hand drawn elements ”

Niamh Baker show some vibrant inspiration and some textured, printed fabrics.

” My most recent practice Mimicry has been inspired by movement and mimicry of fish scales and how they shift their form creating misleading patterns and colourful lures to protect from predators; Batesian mimicry. I’ve been working on the Gyotaku which is a Japanese art form which uses actual fish to create an ink image traditional with sumi ink and rice paper ”

Some jungle inspired prints from Hannah Sheldon.

” My final project, ‘A Walk on the Wild Side’ is a Spring/Summer 2020 Collection inspired by wildlife within their natural environment. A focus on majestic animals gives a sense of power and sophistication to the designs. Being influenced by East Asian print and traditional style clothing as well as current Haute couture catwalk, I intended for my work to have a feel of opulence and luxury ”

Lauren Boland’s printed fabrics speak of opulence and grandeur.

“My project ‘Oriental Plush’ is a collection of bespoke digital paper designs and screen printed fabrics. Through a strong colour palette, I have created an interior collection with a luxury touch. The project has taken inspiration from chinoiserie and Japanese art with added tropical elements, enriched by the choice of colour and fabric ”

Two woven designers work that caught my eye were Elle Moors and Mimosa Rickets.

Elle says “The British Countryside has been a recurring concept inspiring my practice this year, researching into wool, colour composition and traditional woven structures. My final show is inspired by the great outdoors of England and the need to keep warm, whilst being stylish and practical ” I think these would compliment some Harris Tweeds very nicely.

Mimosa says

Thanks to Fern Cooke for providing a great reminder about recycling. ” All of my fabric pieces have been created out of recycled or discarded textiles, with all the denim cut from second hand jeans. Sustainability is incredibly important to me as not just a message, but a key factor in choosing materials too ”

Whilst Chloe Allen introduces us to her insects which speak about social values and cultural identity within fashion markets.

“My final year of study has focused upon providing an insight into how we collectively treat our world – and all that’s in is as disposable. My textile collections endeavour to bring a treasured aesthetic. By taking a resourceful and sensitive approach to practice my work aims to bring into discussion the precarious position we now find ourselves in due to the depletion of precious natural resources and the continued destruction of nature, and its wildlife ”

Some creative prints from printer Maisie Short.

“Playful experimentation and sampling is critical to my design development and I particularly like using hand-made processes. I aim to show a crafted element in all my work, to establish a connection between maker and audience and often to give the work a bespoke feel. By engaging with the tactile qualities of fabric and embellishment I gain a broader understanding of the materials I use and how they can be combined and enhanced ”

Ella Slade brings a sense of rural calm to her wall paper collections.

“The aesthetics of my print design resonates from growing up within the countryside. I have always had an indefinite connection to natural elements within my practice. With a primary focus on botanical illustration, liner fluidity, and carefully considered composition’s. The rich variety of blue, green, and yellow shades largely make up the colour pallet for ‘In the herb garden ”

Beautiful silk and linen work by textile designer Megan Burton.

“The project ‘concertina’ explores how woven samples can be manipulated into three-dimensional forms inspired by Japanese culture, in particular origami. Becoming more mindful of my surroundings, inspiration came from recognising folds within daily life and finding beauty and use in everyday objects and materials”

I liked the contrast and structural element to the 3D printed and assembled forms by Jack Thomas.

“I am currently investigating how geometry can be used to create material properties in 3D printed structures. I have explored how 3D extrusion can create forms that flex, stretch, bend and spring. The forms incorporate repetitive structural patterns which use pleated lines and sharp angles to facilitate movement. This year has been a year of research and development; getting to grips with this expanding technology and learning the behaviours of the hardware ”

Jack will be continuing onto an MSc in Digital Digitalisation next year. He says ” I want to apply my research into a real-world context. I have had interest in my structures for medical, architectural and environmental fields. These areas would enable me to solve practical problems that would have real impact in the world as we grow during this current industrial revolution ”

Great to hear of students thinking practically about their future environments, the impact their work can have on and in it and how to change things for the better.

Check back in for part 2 of my Degree show visit on Monday. See you then. Tell me who’s work has inspired or caught your eye today ?