Monday, March 12, 2012

Urban Sightings Design Contest Entry

The urban contest asks that we choose a photo or two (provided by the Textile Design group) to use as a base for a urban renewal with this as the guiding prompt: "This exhibition is to celebrate the art that can be found in everyday surroundings and the daily transition of the neighborhood landscape during this large construction project."

My quandry is showing viewers what I am trying to convey: Here is my description for the urban contest: "Each new day brings renewal.  The texture of peeling paint gives character to the background shadows.  Growing trees leaf out and incorporate the old with the new. Merging urban renewal with new life, new changing scenery. 

Shadows - peeling paint
Leaves - yarn from the bike. "

In trying to convey what the prompt means to me I come up with this design that says what I want it to say...but I don't think it translates in such a small format for viewing purposes.  Judges (I assume) will view the initial round using a FQ view and I'm hoping to convince SF to use a larger view for more detailed viewing.  The design will translate in fabric form as the trees are actually about 6 inches tall. 

3 repeats is almost impossible to show the detail to show which recognizable elements I used for the Urban contest.  See the next graphic for detail. 

This shows the detail of the peeling paint as the tree shadows.  I really wanted the peeling paint to look like bark so it incorporates the living trees with the ever-changing urban changes using paint as a way to renew. The leaves use the yarn from the bike photo and because of it being very small it's difficult to see even in this single view. Check out the giant detail in the next image. 




The mottled leaves are mottled using the yarn that is wrapped around the bike frame.  It you scroll thru the bunches of leaves you can see the yarn better in some places than others.


The leaf detail
The contest is so open-ended that there is a huge array of designs.  As I put this together I wondered if the focus would be on urban,  nature,  redevelopment,  art, quilting,  etc.  I choose to focus on how an urban setting can perfectly merge with a natural park setting.  You can choose to see this design as dawn or dusk, in winter or summer, as sun-lit or shadow-focused.  

Good luck to all who entered!  

4 comments:

  1. So easy to get lost in the 'urban' ~ bringing a nature element in really enriches both the design and usability! Love it ~ especially up close (though your repeat is glorious)

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  2. Thanks Sharon, finding that balance is still a question mark for me. That repeat was a killer for me to do. I have 6 kajillion layers in that design!

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  3. I really do love this design Vo. It is so peaceful and I can see many applications for this as a fabric. Good luck, I think you should do very well!

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  4. Thank you Rosanna, I hope it reads as both nature and urban! I'll need luck, there are a ton of good ones entered.

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