Keep Calm & Carry Yarn

OCA textiles student Jessica Stroud completed level two and was assessed in July. She explored themes of childhood, identity and heritage creating a series of family portraits using her ‘memory weaves’.
Jessica describes the weaves as the way in which memories/ thoughts can get distorted over time, how they can be fragmented or lost: ‘The woven memories can become confused or caught up with other ideas. The weaves and the yarns themselves are a metaphor for these ideas. The weft and the warp act as a comparison to the journeys and potential routes we all could take in our life. The layering  of yarn represents our memories building up to symbolise our life.’ 
Explore Jessica’s blog for Textiles 2 here. She is now half way through Level 3 and I was interested in seeing how her ideas have developed and changed thematically.
Textiles 3 YOP: Recycled materials
Jessica created a weave using tights and old video tape. She wanted to construct something new from the everyday mundane.  I asked Jessica if the use of video tapes links to her previous work using old photographs.  She explains ‘It definitely links in with the ideas of distorted memories, how memories can be lost, changed or distorted through time’.

‘I wanted to enhance this idea through my use of materials, which is why I chose to use video tape as a medium. We sometimes do not remember what happened in the past but capturing the moment on film allows us to remember accurately. Not only this but the tactile qualities worked well. In addition I used the tights to create a volume and sense of movement to the structures.’
For her final piece she created weaves called ‘Manic Organic’ using current colour trends, upcycling and drawing inspiration from organic formations.

This seems to feed into her ideas as she embarks in the final leg of her OCA journey. Jessica says ‘I felt like I needed to progress my work in a slightly new direction to strengthen my normal way of working.  I thought as part of one of my assignments I would pursue a design route to try and capture texture but in a more detailed but flat surface. (I had the opportunity to do this because with Textiles 3 – Advanced you have to write your project proposal.) I am inherently inspired by my surroundings and the world around me, nature plays a huge part. Especially the textures, formations and organics structures within it. I sometimes get carried away and tend to rush my work, thus having to actually focus on design has helped me to look at my work in a new light.’
‘My work is still abstract and full of texture, but for this project it has come in a refined digital way, (all created through photoshop taking inspiration from kaleidoscopes)’

For Jessica’s final major project she is working on a theme called Knotted by Nature. Watch this space!
Any students wanting their work featured on WeAreOCA should email blog@oca-uk.com All submissions will be acknowledged and reviewed but we cannot promise all work submitted will be featured on the blog.