London 2012 Inspire Programme

I am very pleased to announce that our project has been granted the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire Programme.

The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Thames Valley Contemporary Quilt Group (TVCQ) was founded to encourage like-minded individuals to meet, support and share experience of contemporary textiles. The spirit of London 2012 is an inspiration to us to think about how to engage with the wider local community, giving the impetus to share skills and experience with others in an inclusive and stimulating way, and in turn be inspired by their creativity and ideas.

Getting busy with the Slough Museum collection in September


London 2012 has given rise to new ideas on how to showcase work, and is challenging standards of excellence and personal goals in the process. London 2012 gives us the inspiration to share contemporary textile art with new audiences, and to inspire more people, especially young people, to express themselves, their surroundings and their ideas through the medium of contemporary textiles. In particular, the London Cultural Olympiad ‘Stories of the World’ project is an influence on this project. The group has also been inspired to engage with Slough’s culture and heritage, by exploring their surroundings and the collections at Slough Museum, and thinking about how these could be represented and expressed through contemporary textiles.

Seb Coe, Chair, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: "Whatever floats your boat ....’ is encouraging Thames Valley Contemporary Quilt and Slough Museum to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as Thames Valley Contemporary Quilt and Slough Museum are delivering on our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in contemporary textiles."
Read more about the Inspire Programme here and about our projects part in it here

A slanted direction?

Sadly I missed all the fun with the loan boxes and haven't been back to the Museum since the early visits Sandy and I made when we met the Curator. So I am wondering what direction to go in? There is one image that is still sticking in my mind since all those months ago is the packaging for this bra ... I think I may start researching more in the underwear line. I seem to be on a theme since my last quilt included a pair of boxer shorts!

Making a start

I'm sorry I couldn't come and meet you all. Thought I'd make a start by myself and explored the collection of Slough Museum on their website. The object that lingered was this almost ghostlike image of a doll's underskirt from the late 19th century.


Object Number: 1985.027.001D
Description: Bowyer Collection of Needlework and Textiles -
19th c dolls under skirtWhile I would love to see it for real, inspect it (the seams, the waistband, those stains), I am also attracted by the quality of the image, its melancholy feel. The object might not be real after all! This could be the lightest of pencil drawings, or a picture of a skirt come loose from its wearer like a kite from its string, floating across a twilight sky in search of her… I also like that the image doesn't give a clear indication of size, it might be a doll's, a girl's, a woman's underskirt, delicate, hand-sewn, ever so light.


I dug out some tiny old sketches and a paper figure I made a few years ago where the skirt does not conceal the upper body, but actually replaces it. I'm mulling over ideas now, want to crochet, focusing on lightness, the threshold between thereness and not-thereness. A lot of my work is to do with memories, their fragility and elusiveness, the point where a memory becomes a story becomes a memory.

Cubist Taplow Vase?

Having long been fascinated by shards of pottery and archeological finds, it was the Taplow Vase that grabbed my attention on visiting Slough Museum
Influenced by the potential in cubist paintings ( Braque, Piccaso and Villon below) of multiple viewpoints combined I've been playing around with opacity layers in Photoshop. I like the new shapes that are revealed.


Now how to intrepret it? Transparent layers in organza? A 3-D Structure ? Both? I've suddenly become interested in lampshades and their possibilities!

tools of the trade

I have been posting a few of these photos from the handling collection on my blog, trying to get people to work out what they are.

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Leave a comment if you know...but not if you saw them on the day!

This has really got me thinking...

I have struggled to get started. I know I was held back by trying to do something about Slough, and not getting my head around the real title of the project 'Whatever floats your boat' inspired by something in the museum or the town. So go on, let the imagination go with the many images I have from my visit and also looking at the collection.

Well, one of the posters in the collection was an early advertisement for a Mars Bar. Now, I have actually never managed to eat a whole Mars Bar, but I have eaten my fair share of Twix and Snickers! This got me thinking about chocolate! And did you know that you can order personalised M&Ms? Now there is a something to follow up.
Merete

Well, I have a great deal of enthusiasm after Saturdays meeting and a new found freedom that comes with my youngest beginning full days at pre-school, so I have been able to start experimenting.

This is my 'studio' (aka the dining room table)....

After Saturday, I felt strongly that I wanted to create a 3D piece using a theme of layers reflecting the culture and image of Slough as a whole, and incorporating key influences in the area. No mean feat! I like a good challenge...

I began by thinking about the pre(mis?)conceptions of Slough and managed to felt a fairly bland 'map' of the town onto scrim - the green splashes being the key parkland, as seen on a printed map of the area. I also tried felting wire (which I have never attempted before) to create a network effect as an upper layer. I plan to texturize this layer with other embellishments and incorporate textured silk fibres into the layers to add depth and create more 3D feel to each layer itself. Further layers will hopefully incorporate more of the textures seen in the dolls corsetry, for instance.

I have also been experimenting with perspex and rusted objects to create the impression of a rather tough and almost industrial outer layer. For example, I loved the patina on this slightly rusting Horlicks tin, photographed at the meeting on Sat. . . .I haven't formulated the ideas for the layers below or how I will put it together yet - acrylic rods, akin to those used with tiered cakes, are likely to form the four points at which each corner will be supported but how I toughen it up so that it doesn't become floppy in the middle of each layer, well, suggestions welcome!!!

If it all sounds very organised, then I apologise for misleading you! As I am sure the infinitely more experienced of you already know too well, things can change and usually do.....as a relative newcomer, this is my biggest learning curve!

One thing I found very interesting is this web page, which details all the poetry found in various languages across the town, along with their translations (apologies if I am repeating a previous post) : www.slough.gov.uk/services/13997.aspx
Looking forward to hearing about all the other projects. . . . .