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I am delighted to see the array of items Sara has included in her final parcel for me. It is also a nice feeling to finally complete the swapping stage of Re-worked and get onto the final designs and experiments. 


Leather Lace Gloves/Soft Leather Long Gloves/Brown Punctured Suede Gloves.


These are by far my favourite items in the parcel as I think they lend themselves perfectly to Re-worked as a starting point, or canvas, for the destructive processes we have been experimenting with. I love the vintage leather combined with lace - there's a definite soft/tough clash that has been identified so many times with items in Re-worked: something I have loved with Re-worked is natural themes occurring rather than being forced. The differing lengths obviously lend themselves to different looks when worn and then there's the idea that they don't necessarily have to be worn conventionally as gloves. As Sara said the brown gloves are obviously unique with their colour which is something I think I would like to keep or perhaps highlight. I see a lot of possibilities and potential with these items.


The silk and twine, and even the found objects are all quite staple pieces of Re-worked but as the project goes on there are always more uses popping up for each item. The found objects are always fun as they are unique, meaning the results of experimentation always differ. 


The studs are very exciting as they are something I am really interested in outside of the project and see them exactly as they are: perfect embellishments. Left alone, branded, rusted and perhaps combined with the likes of the other repeat item of the felt circles. I would like to see some really heavy, growth-like embellishment with these.


The buttons and paper clips are interesting too. I would like to see the paperclips used to play with building structures, layered together. As Sara mentioned, the buttons lend themselves to branding well but, like the found objects, buttons are usually quite unique so the material of the button, shape and pattern will affect the outcome. 


The collar and bodice will, like the gloves, provide excellent canvasses for play. I love that the collar is a sort of combination between the soft vintage collars we have used before and the structured men's collars I gave to Sara. On seeing the beautiful results of Sara's play with the pink bodice and the gold coloured pins, I know the bodice will become beautiful too. There is so much possibilities I'm still unsure of which direction I will go with the bodice. It looks like a jumble of different materials at the moment so perhaps using a rusty wash to bring out certain layers before embellishing will be very effective.

Experimenting with Ribbon

These are experiments based on Nicola's initial ideas when collecting the first lot of materials:

And compositional experiments with lengths of ribbon,silver chain and paper clips:

Both ideas combined:

I like the simplicity of these samples and the idea that each piece can be added to/have sections taken away. The pink ribbon allows for me to experiment with the softer spectrum of our materials and achieve a pretty and wearable outcome. I actually really like the silver against the pink. Being cleaner and reflective, it is a nice contrast against the grittier rusted pieces, whilst still sitting well within our collection. Although I will make similiar pieces to rust too.

Repetition and Interrupted Patterns

This post is long overdue! A few images from my initial compositional experiments after receiving the first parcel. These should be ready soon - simple in their foundations for where I hope to move next.

Experimenting with length of links and weight.

After my initial experiments with the rusted paper clips, and the immediacy in creating my own chains, it seemed sensible to use the clips again as a base. I like the idea of building up layers, almost like chain mail and embedding the rescued fastenings within the links: 

It is an extremely rudimentary way of producing jewellery but I do find the process interesting - hopefully once I can partake in a workshop under Nicola's guidance I'll be more adept at construction with metal.

Interrupting the constant stream of the very identifiable form of the paper clips, I find very appealing visually, though I do look forward to seeing the finished product once the paper clips are fully rusted. The idea of having to study the piece before being aware of the interruption of the lovely hooks and eyes will, I hope, draw attention to the questions we are posing with this project. And if these chains react in the same way as in previous experiments, I hope to produce rusty rubbings (as suggested by Nicola in a previous comment - see post here) from the lengths of clips. I imagine this piece, when finished, will shed if worn. A nice nod back towards the ideas expressed in Nicola's final year project and a literal prompt to being conscious of value as the piece reacts with the wearer's day to day surroundings.

So as not to tamper too much with the state in which the hooks and eyes are currently, (they are beautiful, having rusted slowly in their own time), I intend to lace the majority of them into the paper clip chains after the paper clips emerge from their induced rusting. I like the idea of a contrast between the naturally affected and the immediacy of the induced samples.

I have also been experimenting with the idea of softer constructed pieces - creating loose concertinas and ruffles by stapling the ribbons Nicola sourced.

More soon.