Art and Heritage Online Database

Collection: Gray's School of Art Design Collection
Object Type: textile
Artist/Maker: Lambton, Kitty
Date: 2018
Media/Materials: procion dye on cotton
Awards: RGU Fashion Design Purchase Award
Classification: Design: Fashion and Textiles Design BA (Hons)

Description:

TEXTILE SAMPLE

The large sample of subdued black, grey and pink tones has gone through many processes. First of all, I dyed the fabric (using Procion dyes) from an off-white colour to the navy/grey background colour. After this, I took the sample onto the screen-printing table and used a discharge print paste to subtract some of the colour towards the lower half of the sample. Because of the purposely erratic nature in which I applied this paste, the colour didn’t come out completely, and instead I was left with a scratchy texture. Following the steaming, washing and drying that is so vital to the printing process, the sample went back on the table. At this stage I used a combination of discharge and binder to create two print pastes (one of grey and one of pink) that would not only subtract all the colour from the dyed background, but also lay on fresh, new colours as well. I used a large open screen and paper stencils to create these organic shapes. Finally, I used the heat-press to adhere the velvet-textured shapes (known as flock) in black and white, giving the piece both depth of colour and also an element of tactility.

I see the piece of work purely as a textile sample. Perhaps it could also be a prototype for a pattern that could be applied to an interior context… However, because of the nature of the sample and its obscure aesthetic, I personally feel it works best as a piece of art in itself.

Object Number: ABDRG2018.525.1