What do you think was the most successful component of your project? Explain why.
The most successful element of my project was the way I utilised materials, processes and techniques that were available. When I first chose to base my design around cyclability, with an intention to utilise waste, I had no idea where to start or how the waste material was going to react or work as a decorative embellishment. Through exploring the properties and characteristics of different waste material, I was able to create hand cut sequins, intricate flowers and enhance packaging into intricate and sophisticated embellishments. Before commencing the exploration component of this project through play types, I had no knowledge if investigating waste material was going to be successful or perceived as tacky and tasteless. For me, the most successful part of my project was the process of transforming waste materials at their point of disposal into material possibilities that looked upmarket, eccentric and aesthetically pleasing. All the while striving towards a more sustainable, circular model of industry production. I was particularly proud of being able to produce such a product, despite not having access to the University facilities.
What do you think was the least successful component of your project?
The least successful aspect of my project would be my play type trials that were unsuccessful. Some play types did not work out the way I envisioned. This was all part of the trial and error of material problem solving and accepting that some of the ideas trialled were not successful.
Is your work what you expected it be, or is it different to what you thought you would produce? Explain
Commencing this project, I had no expectations on what my work was going to look like or the outcomes I was going to achieve. Normally I ensure that I have a rigid plan on the outcomes, motifs and the end products I want to achieve. I had no detailed spec sheets or plan as I wanted the waste itself to tell a story, where no matter what colour, motif or small sequin created and applied to a piece there are always ways we can turn waste into something beautiful, intricate and unique. I feel as though working this way allowed me to make mistakes and take different pathways with material exploration. I came across a lot of outcomes I was surprised with which were not planned mistakes that turned out more successful than thought out outcomes. My play types and Final artefact turned out a lot more successful that what I expected a project made out of trash would look like, which was inspirational.
Do you think your outcomes reflect your original proposal? Explain (If your direction changed, explain why)
I do believe my final outcomes represent my original proposal. I found it very helpful to have my pin up in front of me for inspiration and as a reference point to come back to. The first two weeks of exploration helped me map out the proposal, which was extremely helpful in understanding my intent of the project, material use and techniques that I wanted to explore. These techniques included design processes relating to cyclability, waste materials and embellishment. The only aspect of my original proposal that I didn’t explore was using waste knit swatches from the knit room, which unfortunately I was unable to access due to the COVID restrictions. However, in reflection I have realised that I was able to drive my focus more towards embellishment and other ways that I could replicate sequins and laser cut flowers, as well as create my own shapes with selective packaging.
Is there something you discovered during the project that you will use in future work? Explain
This project gave me a greater understanding of my passion for upcycling materials and embellishment. In fact, this project made me recognise that I have a strong interest in embellishing materials. I am excited to use this project as a steppingstone for next semester and I would even like to incorporate some of these ideas into my future design career.
What did you learn about your practice and how you work?
Before the commencement of this subject I didn’t have a great understanding of how I practised/ how to practise better. When normally I commence a project, I have already thought of the end product and mapped out most of my ideas. With this Persona Project I had a vision through the proposal and gathering of waste material, but I didn’t have a dominant plan in what I was going to produce. This was a foreign concept for me and not how I normally work, although it has been something that I've wanted to explore. By letting the materials guide me, I was able to create different types of embellishments and sequins that was created from a specific waste material.
What did you find the most challenging during the studio?
The most challenging aspect of the studio was finding ways to create sequins, beads and intricate pieces without using the university facilities. When beginning this project, I was actually quite nervous on how I was going to produce the outcomes I wanted to achieve without having access to the studio. I was also concerned about my ability to stay motivated while working in my home environment. Initially, I found it extremely challenging to think of ideas and elements that I could produce without the laser cutter and sublimation printer. However, I ended up really enjoying using my hands and different materials to achieve my final play types and artefacts. Staying motivated was also quite hard at the beginning and took a lot to get use to with working from home and not having access to my peers and lecturer face-to-face. However, after speaking with Meg and Jayde I was able to use the course room as well as organised zoom meetings to meet up for a chat and explore our ideas as well as my community group which was very helpful!
Think back to your project intent document, did you learn what you had set out to learn?
During this project I found the project intent document extremely helpful in staying on track with the intent of my project. I had it pinned it up in A3 on my desk wall for reference during this project. I have found in previous projects that I tend to explore too much or lose track of the main intent and elements that I want to explore, so having this document as a reference point throughout this intensive was extremely helpful. The first aspect of the project that I set out to learn was how to recycle and work with existing waste. By doing this, I was able to learn ways that I could use and transform waste material into sequins, beads and embellishment, which could be used to add quality to the goods we already have. I really enjoyed this part of the project, as I was working with a range of different plastics and packaging's that allowed me to explore and achieve different outcomes inspired from the materials themselves and handicraft techniques.
Another point that I had set out to learn was to expand my material knowledge by using materials that I have never used before. I learnt that I had to really push my creativity and design skills in order to transform these materials into something beautiful without a Laser cutter or fabric printer. This involved seeking alternatives such as hole punchers, Stanley knives and hand cut techniques. Although these techniques were slower, I was able to selectively cut the parts of the waste I wanted which gave me more control over the colours and prints within the packaging.
Throughout this project, I also wanted to improve my embellishment and embroidery skills through refinement. This involved revisiting my materials library book from the elective I undertook to revisit sewing techniques and ways to fasten sequins properly. The two most prominent components that I learnt about was to push away from being a perfectionist and instead go with the flow when it comes to the exploration process, with no particular plan. I also set out to be selective in the way I document my work, as sometimes I can find myself going on a tangent away from the topic. By creating a Wix website I wanted to make sure I was being concise with my ideas in a clear and coherent manner. Finally, my last aim was to keep up to date weekly through organization and time management. Throughout working from home, I would have moments when I was uninspired and had lost quite a lot of motivation. In these moments, I found it hard to stay focused without the opportunity to go into university. I learnt that some days I needed a day off to reset and rediscover new ideas instead of always feeling as though I had to be doing something.
Given this has been a challenging period for everyone, what soft skills do you think these challenges have given you? Consider skills that you can take into your future employment.
Before commencing this project, I had no idea on how I was going to express my work without sharing my ideas in person. I started off using InDesign, however, I found that I wasn’t able to present my process and exploration of materials in the way that I wanted to. After re-thinking the way, I was going to present my project, I started to collate a Wix website. Choosing to do a website helped with my motivation and documenting my processes, but it also gave me ways I could express my ideas through composition and interactive ways. After using WIX as a platform to document my work, process and finals, I feel that it will be a great and professional way to present my work for future employment. It also helped me make succinct design choices in what was important to express my ideas instead of having pages and pages of ideas. By selectively choosing the information I wanted to present, it made my work clearer and more coherent. It also took me a while to figure out how to properly work and manage the site, however it is something I am interested in pursuing next semester as a folio for my project.