11.5.11




I was asked to take part in an exhibition happening on the LSE campus, to make a response to the building of St Philips, a place rich in social history due to be demolished to make way for a more modern design for the University.

The show entitled 'Students, patients and paupers' due to the use of the building throughout its history as a workhouse, then hospital, then academic building aims to celebrate the many lives of the building. When exploring the building I was told about how the building's turn of the century design echoed changing ideas of how workhouses were being built to stop the spread of disease by being highly ventilated, light and spacious places whereas previous ideas had been to make the buildings undesirable places to discourage people from wanting to be there.

With this in mind I paid attention to the details of design within the building that related to improving the lives of the inhabitants, and the fragments of activity within the vast white walls.


I chose to make a long vertical weaving, the composition echoing my initial walk of the building.















Colour theory technique experiment



Woven back to back with my san gimignano weaving project and with only 5 days from seeing the building to opening night, this was an intense project but enjoyable; I chose to use whatever resources I had already which forced me to find solutions to problems I had. One for instance was I did not have the right colours to reflect the colours in the building so I tried to use a colour theory technique I had read about recently in the Interactions of Color by Josef Albers which places colours of different values in a relationship so that the eye sees a colour of a middle value between the two. I want to continue exploring colour in the way, which makes sense in the way I already explore tones in the use of stripes in the monochrome work.


It is an excellent and superbly organised exhibition; on for a few more days if you get a chance go along and have a look.

7 comments:

Abigail Thomas said...

I saw your piece at the private view; didn't realise it was yours at the time, just saw your post in my dashboard and realised the connection. Nice to have a bit of history behind it.

gerfiles said...

This is enchanting... - I´ve linked to it today...

Jen Collins said...

your piece for this is wonderful. love how it reflects your journey through the building.

Unknown said...

Your weaving would be beautiful enough without the project and exhibit it's associated with, but in this context it's very moving. I love your work. Makes me want to learn how to weave.

Evie said...

wow this is beautiful i love your interpretation through weaving. so fantastic!

Hannah Waldron said...

Thank you, glad you all like it.

Susan said...

It's wonderful to see a new artist working with weave.
It's beautiful, and your path through the building is a wonderful idea