Berlin Photo Series - Pattern, Texture and Surface

I recently returned from a trip to Berlin, during my time there I took a series of photographs focusing on the pattern, texture and surfaces in the city. All of these images are at a micro scale and I think collectively they give a good view of the city which captures the atomosphere and architecture from a different perspective. I focused on the materials and patterns because these things have become important in my own work. I found the trip really useful and will be posting lots more about Berlin soon!

Cardboard Loom

I decided to try and make my own weaving device from cardboard and found a step by step guide to creating your own loom on the blog craftstylish.com. I went to the haberdashery department of John Lewis to get some wool and a suitable needle and found that they sold 100% silk yarn. I bought a grey and white to try out, here are the steps I went through to create my loom:

1. Find a suitable piece of cardboard which isn't corrugated and won't bend and choose a type of yarn to weave with, you will also need a large embroidery or tapestry needle.



2. Mark intervals 1cm part along the 2 ends of the piece of card.



3. Cut along the marks you have made trying to keep the cuts at the same length each time.



4. Thread the yard through the slots, wrapping it around the cut slots and back again until you have a series of lines securely attached. Leave about 10cm of yarn at the ends.



5. Take another length of yarn, thread it onto the needle and start to weave, again leaving a length at the end to secure later. Weave going under and over in one direction and then over and under in the other direction, make sure not to pull the ends too tight and keep pushing the material up to stop it becoming loose or messy.


6.When you are finished you can remove the loops at the ends of the loom, cutting and tying them to form a fringe which can either be sewed down or left as decoration. The other loose ends can be threaded through the material to secure them.

I have not quite finished my piece of material yet but am enjoying the process of weaving, it is quite therapeutic.

Conrad Shawcross - Weaving Installations

Nervous System

Conrad Shawcross - Nervous System

Conrad Shawcross - Nervous System

Quote from the Saatchi Gallery website about the installation:
"Take an impossible machine design by Rube Goldberg, a contraption built by Heath Robinson, and cross it with a junk sculpture by Jean Tinguely, and you might get something a bit like Conrad Shawcross’s The Nervous System. Ridiculously mammoth, and perilously rickety, Shawcross’s monstrous structure is a testament to Luddite technology.
Handcrafted from oak timber, pieced together like a giant Meccano™ set, The Nervous System
His improbable system of cogs and pulleys constantly churn out a perfectly woven rope. Beyond being an installation in itself, The Nervous System is also an artwork that makes art: the colourful cord pours out of the machine like paint, piling on the floor like an ever-expanding abstract sculpture." is a serious feat of amateur engineering. Mesmerising in its simplistic complexity, Shawcross’s sculpture offers a certain mysticism through making: beyond experiencing this sculpture as an object (with all its creaking noise and grinding movement), it is also a working spinning machine."

Chord

Conrad Shawcross - Chord

Conrad Shawcross - Sketch for Chord

Chord is an installation in the old Kingsway Tram tunnel in central London. The two machines weave yarn together into a thick piece of rope as they move apart down the tunnel. Initially starting out directly opposite each other the two machines will slowly move and rotate, becoming a timeline of the exhibition and attempting to map specific times in its creation.

Quote from Timeout:
"But it isn't the path of London history or even transport history that 'Chord' will be measuring over its four-week installation. It will be recording the path of time and of its own existence. 'The rope that Chord will produce will become a timeline for the exhibition, with every section of it traceable back to the specific duration of time over which it was made', Shawcross explains. 'It acts as a visual metaphor for the fact that we perceive time in a linear way. I'm not an expert on the subject but whether time is actually linear is an ongoing debate within science, so Chord can also be a visual metaphor for weaving all these ideas together. And this strange tunnel under London is the perfect space in which to create this work."

Concept Plans

Below are some hand sketched plans showing the basic proposal for my site:

Basement Plan

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Initial Concept Layout

I have been working on the initial concept layout for my proposal. An important part of the proposal is the process of moving between the buildings and the circulation within them. This was a challenge to solve as space was limited, especially in the new Exhibit building which is only about 2.5 metres wide. I knew I wanted to keep the Archive space separate and more private than Create or Exhibit so this has its own entrance and circulation core. I have left the floor levels as existing except for the top floor which is now double height with a mezzanine to take advantage of the raised roof line. I was happy for the boundary of Create and Exhibit to be broken down slightly and had originally thought this might be in the form of viewing balconies and spaces for observation but when looking at the plans I found that the best solution was for them to share a central circulation space. I have proposed a new external lift on the rear elevation and a new staircase internally. I have removed the ground floor in Create, except for a small entrance area, which creates a large double height volume at basement level. I see this space being used for weaving and large scale work. The other floors will have smaller, more private rooms for individual work. The new attic space created by the raised roof will be used for the teaching of traditional weaving techniques, there will be demonstrations viewable from the exhibit space. There is a discreet link between Archive and Create at 2nd floor level, this will be a private link for use by researchers working in the individual creative spaces. I have used a sketch up model to try to explain the concept in the easiest way possible. I am currently working up more detailed CAD plans and after I am happy with these I will move on to adding elevational detail.

Axo View of the Sketch Up Model

Basement Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Weaving Patterns

During my research I found an old book in the library on weaving patterns. It contained some diagrams of traditional weaves and examples of woven fabric. I really liked the geometric patterns and used them as inspiration for the facade of the exhibition space on my initial project proposal.

Weaving Patterns

Weaving Patterns

Example of woven fabric

Loom

I have also been researching how to make my own loom and have found lots of examples on blogs which I can try. I am hoping that by experimenting with my own weaves and patterns I will be able to generate some material ideas for the facade of the building and for use as fabric internally.

I found an example were woven fabric has inspired a facade design in the book Patterns in Design, Art and Architecture. The project by Hild und K is a private house in Germany.

Initial Project Proposal

I have started to play with some ideas for my project proposal and created a sketch up model to show volume and a collage that starts to look at the facade design. Alongside this I am developing the programme and researching archives and weaving technology.

View From Fornier Street

View from Fornier Street

View from Fornier Street and the Corner of Brick Lane

Plan

View From Seven Stars Yard

Axo View

Facade Collage