Rachel Keller Digital Quilter

              Rachel Keller

Thursday 27 March 2013

Digital Quilter

http://highwire-dtc.com/rachelk/

Rachel is currently completing the final year of her Phd at Lancaster University where her proposal for research fulfilled a required brief to contribute towards the digital economy. The agenda was to be “disruptively innovative". 

Rachel was happy to illicit an antagonistic response as its multi-layered stories resulted in hidden potentials and richer meanings and is, as a result, an activist piece demonstrating personal and profound richness and a re-using of resources with history.Rachel felt there was an initial lack of interest from some quarters until it became apparent what craft had to offer.

 Rachel discussed the fact that some countries have Fine Craft and the fact that the same processes  are followed in craft as those of the great artists.   Her choice of the quilting process was as a vehicle mechanism for exploration into how communities bond and that the stories behind an artefact lead one to cherish it more fully, therefore adding to its longevity and sustainability. 

Rachel studied psychology to degree level and has had an interesting career in human resources and creative practices. She is strongly driven to find innovative ways to address issues in society having a visionary outlook for a better community. This purpose led to some Phd work in developing a prototype community website   in order to more fully engage the ‘voice’ of the community and look into the notion of collaborative consumption and social capitol. We discussed the fact that the term social engineer had been levelled at her and the fact that she enjoys applying ideas to situations with improvement value in sight.

The quilt has twelve sections each representing people, experiences and values. She considered having a literacy with the textiles themselves revealing information such as the miles the fibre/fabric travelled the water used etc but opted for a more personal reflection, a key formative life response. Rachel realised that to a large extent we amass digital material, photos, video footage etc but rarely come up to ‘smell the roses’ and link our digital information to our personal materials. Her quilt unlocks a collaged insight into  her own musings, her daughter singing “All kinds of Everything”, snapshots of significant memories all  using particularly poignant fabric from her own history.

To develop the technology of the quilt she firstly looked at the ubiquitous QR code but felt it was too outstanding and ‘clunky’. So the next step was to collaborate with the university computer programming department to develop near field communication based on radio frequency identification. A black button in each section will ultimately contain the software (it has been trialed but is in the final stages of development) which contains pre-set content that Rachel has loaded into the software which reads the radio frequencies. With a revolution in manufacturing to a more personal ‘Fab Lab’ production of personalised design and localised production Rachel’s strategic development has immense potential.

Her quilt is due to be exhibited at Olympia in London this summer.

Creative Mend - a four week project

Creative Mend

 Mending Policies 

and values

the group came up with in discussion

"SMALL STEPS TO LIFE CHANGES"

• Crafts and skills are being lost and need to be re-evaluated and re-valued.
• The art of producing with your hands is very special and enjoyable.
• It is so easy to just buy, but making or re-inventing is more fulfilling.

• 'Necessity is the Mother of invention' and one gains more satisfaction as a result.

• This project is in a small way part of becoming a more thoughtful and creative member of a less throw -away society!
• This is a 'hydrating' experience, stimulating for mind, body and spirit.
• This project "takes me out of the routine and 'hum-drum' of everyday life."
• "Doing this group is a very special thing."
• "There is no sense of competitiveness or ceremony."
• "It has challenged my pre-conceived positions and encouraged me to have a go where I would not have previously!"
• It is recognising that, what seems simple, has very real value!
• It is freeing not to be motivated by money!
• "The philosophy of creating together, inter-relating and sharing each others gifts and accepting one-another is hugely valuable."
• "This has been very useful and nuturing in all female company. It is hard to be totally creative alone."
• "As a group we can do more!"
• "This project has changed my outlook."
• "Getting away from I.T screens and focussing the eyes in creativity is rewarding and stimulating in a different way !"

Sue is sewing onto sticks!

Rachel is Transforming an old bangle

 

All is not entirely serious endeavour as Rachel's teacosy is modelled on her head!

Sarah has taken an oldshrunken jumper and re-invented it as a lovely bag!

Rachel is making her jeans more interesting!

Gaye takes an old shrunken jumper and makes it into a very useful snood. She embellishes it using her crochet skills.

Gaye is looking at the potential of some old silk scarves.

Interview with Val Marshall

Val Marshall

Spinner and Ceramicist

Brooklands

Cross Lane

Low Bentham

Valpots.marshall@btinternet.com

015242 62512

Val has been spinning for twenty seven or twenty eight years and is a former Member of The Guild of Weavers, Dyers and Spinners gaining her professional certification  for spinning to the highest standard from The Guild.

Val is experienced in spinning all manner of fibres, natural fleece, acrylic, silk and cotton and even dog hair, her finesse in drawing out the fibres to form into yarn is exceptional. Not only is she hugely accomplished in spinning  but she knits, weaves and  crochets too.

Val has examples of her spinning and her workbooks as an exhibit at Farfield Mill, Sedbergh.

Val Marshall, Ceramicist

In 2001 Val took up pottery and has since become proficient in a number of different processes.

Smoke Fired Pots are fired in a dustbin which is packed with sawdust and wood shavings. These are then set alight at the top and after several hours the wood has all burnt down, leaving the smoke patterned pots (see above left).

Copper Matt Pots are covered with a copper carbonate based glaze and removed from the kiln using tongs at about 1,010 degrees Celsius. They are placed on a bed of sawdust which ignites and is kept blazing for 2 minutes, after which a lid is then applied and they are allowed to cool naturally.

Raku pots are first glazed and fired in a kiln to about 700 degrees Celsius. They are removed with tongs and placed in a container of sawdust which immediately ignites. Next they are covered with more sawdust and a lid is quickly placed over them and they are allowed to cool naturally.

    

Saggar pots are placed, together with oxides and combustibles, in a saggar, which is a container with a lid. This is fired in a kiln up to about 800 degrees Celsius and allowed to cool down without being opened.