Fragments 1 Fragments 2

Two embroidered and printed womenswear outfits.

Work from the 2003/4 eCHO collaborative project selected for inclusion in the Surface Design Association International Conference 'Uncovering the Surface' juried fashion event 'Taking Flight” June 2 - June 5, 2005. Juried selection.

The echo project was an International collaborative project and exhibition ‘eCHO’ by London College of Fashion staff with Queensland University of Technology. The work was exhibited at Queensland University of Technology exhibition and fashion show 2003 and subsequently at the 'Unfolding the Tissue: Fashion and the Archive Study Day, London College of Fashion 8 December 2004.

This work represents the first stage of a new research theme based in practice, in the production of artefacts and is process led concerned with the transformation of materials. Historical research provides a framework for exploring innovative structures where form and surface both interact with and inform each other. The textile research process investigates the question of whether the value added through traditional hand processes can be expressed through the use of digital surface technology to imbed the mark of the hand.

The research follows established research methodology practiced by textile practitioners Dr Polly Binns, Michael Brennan-Wood, Jo Budd and Alice Kettle. The work operates at two levels, being decorative surface textiles whilst articulating direct interaction with the artefacts studied. As with the work of Michael Brennan-Wood the works are a distillation of feelings about the artefact, the traditional techniques used and the value added to the cloth by the processes involved. The work is not a romantic evocation of the examination of the artefact but an observation, an ongoing personal research of the qualities embedded within the embroidery and the cloth.

In 2003, an international collaborative project (eCHO) between the University of Queensland and the London College of Fashion offered a group of artefacts for study, a collection of clothing deemed too damaged to be included in a museum collection. The garments evidence luxurious embroidery on base materials, ornately worked distorting the fabric under the sheer weight of embellishment. In some areas the embroidery was unravelled through use, laying bare the ground with faded traces. The garments hold embedded memories through evidence of lives lived, of cloth carefully considered, worked and reworked by hand, each garment a part of the family archive and the level of work a signifier of emotional value.

The importance of the work is in the establishment of the collaborative interdisciplinary partnership jointly interrogating the imbedded history of the artefacts. The significance of the textile research is reflected in the innovation award achieved at the Surface Design Association international conference in 2005.

This work also exhibited at:

The ecHO exhibition and Fashion show, University of Queensland, 2003.

Unfolding the Tissue: Fashion and the Archive Study Day
Rootstein Hopkins Space, London College of Fashion 8 December 2004.
This study day organised by the Photography and the Archive Research Centre discussed the fashion archive through the focus of speakers and responders involved with preservation, interpretation, and collection. Promotion and dissemination.

V Saint Petersburg Design Biennale 'Modular 2005', 11.11.2005 - 18.11.2005 organised by the Russian design association,international juried selection in the categories of arts, graphics, interiors, fashion, industrial and environmental design.

SDA hosts a biennial conference to bring members together for workshops, conferences, and an exhibition.
Mission and History
Surface Design Association’s mission since 1977 is to promote awareness and appreciation of textile-inspired art and design through member-supported benefits including publications, exhibitions, and conferences.

"The Surface Design Association (SDA) provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, methods, and materials. The SDA community is expansive: from makers and artists to academics and enthusiasts. We celebrate their successes and failures as they work toward sustaining traditional techniques or adapting production strategies in radical new ways, such as realizing fiber arts as activism or performance. The shared affinity of our community is a sincere love of textile media and fiber arts."
https://www.surfacedesign.org
Text accessed from the SDA website, 26.6.2018

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