SURFACE 1°22 Textile Design Workshops

International design educator, and  SURFACE 1°22 creative director Emily Wills is looking for hosts and collaborators to help her share three inspiring textile design workshops. 

She will be visiting London in July, Perth in August and Bali in September so get on board...!

www.surface122.blogspot.com

www.surface122.com

The Luxury of Letting Go

The ability to ‘Let Go’ characterizes mindfulness.

Neither rejecting nor holding on to any thoughts that may arise.

Observing and mindfully recognizing that things are as they are

 in that moment, without reaction.

I moved to Bali temporarily. To dip my feet in it’s cool waters and taste the kind of life I dreamt of. I wanted to slow down, escape my full time job and take time out. I didn't know what I was going to do, but it didn't matter because the rent was cheap, the food delicious, people friendly and sunshine uplifting.

Then I landed in Ubud and wondered how I came to be in such an overwhelmingly busy town. Ubud was not how I’d pictured it and I feared I’d mistakenly moved from a concrete jungle to a jungle with concrete. I found myself twiddling my thumbs, wanting to work and shroud myself in the buzz. I came to Hubud to be physically close to the energy of this creative and entrepreneurial spirit. My first visit wigged me out. I had been in Bali less than a week. And I began to experience an existentialist melt down. Within 24 hours I was trying to develop a business plan, downloading ‘the $100 startup’ on my Kindle and smashing out emails. There was too much frenergy and I felt my ritualized habits were attempting to recreate the exact same office environment I had left behind. 

So I turned my mobile off. I turned my laptop WIFI off. And I packed away my kindle. Why was I here? What did I want to achieve by leaving my full time job in Singapore?

I reassessed my values. And reminded myself that I didn't move here to become an entrepreneurial wizard. I didn’t choose Bali over returning to Australia for better job prospects. I moved to Bali as a gesture of respect to myself, to reassure myself that I deserved more from my life than feeling unfulfilled, bored and restless. I came with the inherent belief and self trust that once I let go I could start living a life I was proud of. I may not become a commercial success. But that's okay. I am creative, I am intellectual, I am caring and I am spiritual. My strengths cannot be judged beside others. I just am who I am. And for now, I am here.

Letting go sometimes feels like giving up parts of you. When you move to a new country you have nothing tangible to identify with. No friends, no family, no job, no social groups, no industry links. The real reason I moved to Bali was to get some headspace and finish my MA in Cross-Disciplinary Art and Design. It's mid-semester break and my online coursework doesn't resume until late July. So you know what. I'm letting go. And reveling in the luxury that I have time to allow my ego and sense of self worth take some time out by symbolically leaving my shoes at the door.

The Motivational Holy Trinity

Peering through the Jungle, 2014

“Each artist expresses through art his unique way of experiencing life.
This is the essence of creation.
Through our art we bring into existence something that did not previously exist.
The creative process fulfills our need to express our experience.
And if the expression has been true, we will feel a sense of completion and satisfaction.”

(Loori, 2004, p.84)

Madder Moon exhibition, Singapore 2013

"We do things because they're interesting. 
We do things because we like them, because they're inherently gratifying. 
We do things because we get better at them, because they're the right thing to do, 
or because they're part of a larger purpose."

(Pink, 2010)

Loori and Pink artfully surmise why we engage in the creative process, why we decided to become artists, designers, writers, performers. I am motivated to be creative because creativity is challenging by nature, I feel stimulated and excited when approaching a new task or learning new things. There is said to be a holy trinity of motivation, outlined by three key points. Are you unmotivated by your creative pursuits because you overlooked one? Apparently it’s not all about you.

Autonomy . I did this myself...!

Mastery . I’m getting really good at this...!

Purpose . I did this for a cause greater than myself...!

Loori, J.D (2004) The Zen of Creativity; Cultivating your Artistic Life. Ballantine Books: New York, USA
Pink, D. (2010) Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. RSA Animation [Online] Accessed 09/06/2014 from, http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SG&hl=en-GB&v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Wills. E. (2013) Peering through the Jungle. [Online] Accessed 23/06/2014 from, http://www.surface122.blogspot.com/

Synonymal Blend

Instead of using one word to describe something, I blur the two. Synonymal Blend is a term I came up to explain this unconscious blending of two synonyms. I'm not sure if there is an actual word that exists to explain this - I couldn't find one...

Synonym (noun)

1. A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language.

Blend (verb)

1. To combine or mix so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another

Synonymal describes a words synonymous quality with another word. Blend is the process of combining two elements to make a new, fully merged outcome.

Synonymal Blend (adjective) therefore describes the process of mixing two existing words that have similar meanings to create a new word. This sometimes happens as a slip of the tongue and/or mind, and can be intentional - where chillout and relax become “chillax”, or accidental - when scratch and itch become “stritch”.

In my own creative practice I am less likely to use the actual term synonymal blend, but rather could look at ways of combining synonyms to describe aspects of my work in new ways, using new words. Examples; drawing and sketching could become “skrawing”, or doing an illustration using embroidery could become “peneedling”.

Other examples... please add your own synonymal blends

Frantic + Energy = Frenergy

Jazz + Dancing = Jancing

Hiccup + Cough = Hiccough

http://thefreedictionary.com

Subtractive Poetry + Fashion

 DUSEN DUSEN in Frankie Magazine, 2014

90's terrified our wardrobes with socks and chambray.

COLENIMO in Frankie Magazine, 2014

Ladies motor-racing pioneer broke vintage fingernails.

Personal Creativity Manifesto

“...without a manifesto, we cannot conceive the future.” (Kyes, 2008)

The artists’ manifesto can be defined as a “document of an ideology, crafted to convince and convert.” (Caws, 2000) On a more personal level, the artist manifesto is an individual document written to inspire, challenge and motivate. It can help the author to articulate the parameters of their creative practice and what philosophies the process is built upon. 

I haven’t written a personal creativity manifesto as yet. But I have identified that having an engaging narrative supporting creative ideas is at the core of my creative practice. Seth Godin's (2009) tribe building theory is underpinned by the central aim to tell a story that connects with its audience and creates a sense of community.

Daniel Pink says that storytelling is important because as “facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (Pink, 2009) Narrative therefore helps to generate interest in ideas, and provides people with a story with which they can subscribe to.

Godin says that we are searching for meaning and a tribe to ascribe to, articulating that we "are living through and are right at the key moment of a change in the ways ideas are created, and spread, and implemented." He calls this the ‘time of Tribes' – which is defined by storytelling, ‘connecting people and ideas.’ (Godin, 2009) The objectives for my creative projects are underpinned by Seth Godin’s leadership theory of building a tribe, described by his four steps; Telling a Story, Connecting like minded people, Leading the movement to Make Change. 

Telling a Story

For my projects to be successful they must connect or resonate with their audience. 
Godin and Pink see a future defined by shared storytelling, a way to connect like-minded 
people and ideas.

Connect Like-minded people

Projects are interactive and experiential, helping to cultivate a wide audience.

Collaboration is key. Projects share visions, and contributors bring a variety of skills from 
different disciplinary backgrounds.

Leading the Movement

Be exemplary and step into the unknown as a role model, mentor and guide.

Make Change

Ensure the projects have longevity and new ideas can keep being adapted from previous ideas.

Challenge creative thinking processes in order to find new connections and propose 
new cross-disciplinary relationships. 

Caws, M.A. (2000) Manifesto: A Century of Isms. University of Nebraska Press: USA.
Godin, S. (2009) The Tribes we Lead. TED Talks [Online] Accessed 20/06/2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead 
Kyes, Z. (2008) Manifesto’s of the Future. e-flux [Online] Accessed 20/06/2014 from, http://www.e-flux.com/journal/manifestos-for-the-future/#_ftn5 
Pink, D. (2005) A Whole New Mind; Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. Riverhead, Penguin Books: USA.

Subtractive Poetry

 “When you cut into the present, the future leaks out.”

William Burroughs

I thought it would be interesting to set parameters when playing with newspaper blackouts, and so I combined subtractive poetry with six word memoirs. I chose to black out text from a series of 'News in Brief' stories and to reduce these down to six of the original words to tell a new story.  This is a tool that could be applied to assist in the creative naming of artwork, exhibitions, or personal design philosophies.

Six word memoirs are a concentrated form of storytelling. The idea is that stories can be communicated effectively and more poetically through a limited word count. Writing six word memoirs is fun and addictive, finding the six magical words within one short newspaper story is even better.

http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/

Chinatown Vinyl Squad

Kult Magazine showcased a series of artworks at a group exhibition at Zui Hong Lou Bar ‘Chinatown Vinyl Squad’ over the weekend. Inspired by vintage Chinese vinyl record covers from the 70's and 80's, twenty-five local and international artists mixed mediums to draw, paint, silkscreen and collage new pieces of art. Launched in conjunction with Kult Magazine's 13th Issue - Memory, these artworks represent a "time traveling mash-up" of culture.

Long Beach : The Showdown

Chilli versus Pepper Crab inspired digital collage from last weekend's Chinatown Vinyl Squad are for sale online at Kult Store.

  

Limited Edition of 25 signed prints, $150, framed $200 

http://store.kultmagazine.com.sg/product/long-beach-the-showdown

https://www.facebook.com/events/1449585161941812/

Sketchbooking

Packing up house and flicking through my old sketchbooks. It's interesting to see what you were playing with creatively in the past to see if there are links between then and now. These illustrations were playing with with line and shadows. For nothing in particular, would be fun to play with double journal; use these as a basis for something new integrating text or colour.

Molly Wallis 2010

Molly Wallis 2010

Cardboard as Currency

 

 

Cardboard as Currency is a photo essay that looks at the social invisibility of cardboard collectors within an old Chinese neighbourhood in Singapore, exhibiting that compassion fatigue is endemic in the developed world. Social issues in Singapore are abound, but also well hidden - at first glance, the country is wealthy, tidy and well organised. This photo essay communicates the relationship between people and place, and shows a generational shift in social responsibility and shows differing attitudes towards the social issues of homelessness, an aging population, family responsibility and social welfare. 

Selected photographs are exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore from February 15 - 26 as part of the Cities and Their Thesis exhibition.

Design Crush :: Maria Walf

      

Maria Walf is a textile designer who specialises in screen printing, recalling everyday objects "viewed through the lens of her minimal European aesthetic." I have a crush on her clean yet kitsch style, and her signature use of neon colour pops over monochromatic backgrounds and motifs. Currently her works are being exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore. Cities and Their Thesis :: ICAS Singapore 15 - 26 February, 2014

 

Urban Camping

“The city is seen imaginatively as the heart of contemporary darkness [...] a jungle of brick, stone and smoke, 
with its greedy predators and apathetic victims, its brutal indifference to either communal value or individual feeling."  
  Nochlin, L. (1971) Realism. Penguin Books : London

In a failed attempt to get away from the city over Chinese New Year, Molly and Chad pitched a tent in the alleyways and carparks of Tiong Bahru Estate. Naming their adventure Urban Camping, and armed with a camera and two iPhones, Molly and Chad shot a series of dissociated holiday snaps, capturing the isolation they experienced, alone in an abandoned suburb.

Why do we live in cities so full of life and possibility, yet feel so alone? Artist Edward Hopper explored these themes through his realist paintings. We are faced with the antithesis of city dwelling – a feeling of disconnection, isolation and aloneness that accumulates as brooding sentiments of anti-urbanism.

New Beginnings

"Aquarius is the sign that represents the future, hopes and wishes manifest [...] 
if you ever wondered when is the best time for a New Year's resolution, it is definitely now, 
on the Chinese New Year, which brings a swell of powerful waves we can use to make things happen." 

Gahl Sasson (Kabbalah, Astrology and Mysticism)

Today Venus moves out of Retrograde, the New Moon moves into Aquarius, and it's the first day of the Chines New Year of the Horse. I'm thinking it's pretty auspicious all round. What better day for new beginnings and fresh starts?

Mindfulness is awareness, acceptance and letting go, a check-in on thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions. Meraki describes doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of yourself” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be. Mindfulness plus Meraki is a journey of creativity, love and acceptance, a conscious letting go of judgement, status and attachment.

This year, 2014, I pledge to live my life with mindfulness and meraki. Engage in creative endeavours regardless of merit, to play with art making across disciplines regardless of ability. 

Happy New Year!! x