SHOWCASE

Open College of the Arts

 2010 No. 6

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Inside
Who’s who at OCA student: OCA tutor: Pat student:
OCA Sarah Dodds Moloney OCA Anne Holyhead
BA (hons)
3 4&5 Textiles
3
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 Showcase Lorum Ipsum
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2
 Student: Sarah Dodds
A personal
journey
I began my journey with OCA over 3 years ago and to date have
successfully completed Textiles 1: A Creative Approach, Textiles
2 and Textiles 3: Advanced. I am currently studying Textiles 1:
Exploring Ideas, the most recent addition to the OCA Textiles
portfolio.
cushions, throws and wall-hangings. During the project I recorded
the time taken to develop the pieces and costs involved. This
was the most exciting project I have undertaking to date and yet
it really made me think about the viability of selling my work
commercially.

Distance learning
“The courses provided by the suits me as I am able
OCA are a way of launching to fit in the study
around my busy full-
yourself onto an incredible time teaching job,
journey of self-discovery, there is sufficient

artistic development and flexibility to

around busy times
fit

creativity. “ and yet I can work

in a sustained way
I chose the OCA over a City and Guilds course for 2 main reasons, during college breaks.
firstly the OCA offered the chance to obtain a degree by distance This requires some very careful planning to accommodate the
learning. The second reason for choosing the OCA was the projects and I have negotiated with my tutor to do the projects
breadth of the course content which has allowed me to learn new in a different order to fit in with my busy career as well as the
techniques and step outside my comfort zone. My main interest has weather! Indigo dyeing indoors is not a good idea.
been, and always will be, embroidery, but being able to combine
The downside to distance learning is the isolation, lack of specialist
this with so many other techniques including appliqué, trapping
equipment and reliance on detailed feedback from tutors to
and layering, and weaving and tapestry techniques, which have
maintain a sustained period of study. However I have found that
set me off in a new
with a supportive tutor, a little expenditure on equipment and
direction altogether.
materials and regular contact with other students through the
The Textiles 3: OCA forums and workshops the distance learning courses provided
Advanced course by the OCA are a way of launching yourself onto an incredible
gave me complete journey of self-discovery,
freedom to choose artistic development and
my own project. For creativity. I am looking
this I returned to my forward to continuing my
passion for African studies with the OCA for
textiles. I investigated many years to come, not
t r a d i t i o n a l only am I aiming to obtain
techniques and a BA degree in Creative
patterns and included Arts or Textiles, but also
many of them into will consider postgraduate
a collection of soft studies with the OCA in
furnishings including the future.

3
 Tutor: Pat Moloney
Title...
My long involvement with textiles began at the age of sixteen at
Birmingham College of Art. On reflection, I can see that my career
choice was perhaps based on the premise of the time, that girls
did fashion and textiles. However I emerged some six years later
trained as a textile designer and I have never regretted this. The
enormous scope and range of interest that textiles offers from
fine art, to design and craft, from new technology to history and
ethnology continues to challenge both my creative and intellectual
curiosity and gives me enormous pleasure.

My first freelance design job lasted almost ten years. Working

for Courtaulds’ Furnishing Fabrics Marketing Division, I set
up a studio in an old garden shed and bought a dobby loom.
I was also teaching back in Birmingham, in Winchester and in
London. Higher Education was expanding rapidly and the new
developments were exciting. At the same time the British textile
industry was diminishing, but a huge resurgence of interest in
Craft processes and inTextile Art was emerging.

whether it could be achieved. We were all convinced that it was

possible, providing that course materials were challenging and
provoked thought, and we pushed ahead to become the first
distance learning college dedicated to the Arts.

It was not until I took early retirement from university teaching,

that I then became involved again with the OCA as a tutor and
felt it timely to return to study myself, undertaking an MA in the
History of Textiles and Dress to seek new directions.

I have long been an exhibiting member of the Society of Designer

Almost inevitably I found myself with a full time teaching post
at London College of Furniture. Some years on, I took a two year
secondment, first on a Design Education programme at the Royal
College of Art and then, in the second year as an Advisory Lecturer
to the London Inspectorate for Art and Design. It was while I was
there that I was approached to write a distant learning textile
course for the newly formed Open College of the Arts. At that time,
distance learning in the Arts was unheard of and many questioned
Craftsmen but also enjoy another role as the Licentiate membership
co ordinator. Licentiate membership is a professional qualification,
and the Society encourages and supports new designer makers,
usually recent graduates . I hope that membership will appeal to
some of the OCA’s new textile graduates.
I am looking forward to the development of the OCA’s new
Textiles Degree which offers me yet another exciting challenge as
the course leader.

4
Unlike high tech artefacts,textiles have haptic qualities, a strong However, three
visual and tactile presence which serve to remind us of our material years ago, as a
origins.” research fellow at
London Metropolitan
Materials Matters, the Art and Culture of Contemporary Textiles,
University I started
Ingrid Bachman
to investigate the
As a weaver I am particularly drawn to the textural and surface changes that are
qualities of textiles explored through structure rather than image. required in the
Textiles, in themselves are about a visual and tactile engagement process of transition
and the visual sources for my work reflect intimate observations from what might
of nature and the effects of erosion both natural and manmade be perceived as
developed through drawing, photography and manipulated using traditional design methodology to digital technology.
Photoshop. My ideas evolve through an exploration of materials
If tactile sensitivity draws attention to the use of the hand in
and structural techniques allowing for the development of those
creative work then the use of digital technology suggests that our
multi sensory qualities.
creativity in the future maybe be confined to that of a selectors and
Over the past three years my work has been concerned with editors rather than makers. This aspect challenges our conventional
exploring the way in which different light sources when combined creative process. As artists, designers and practitioners are we
with textiles can affect our sensory experiences with a view to about to lose or gain in this transition?
enhancing our health and well being.
The project explored the advantages, both visual and technological
I incorporate conventional, recycled and advanced materials such and the creative process of working virtually compared with
as reflective yarns, solar active yarns, rubber and plastics with light the hand manipulated processes associated with textiles and
technology and use hand techniques to create an interactive questioned how the inclusion or intervention of hand processes
experience. might be used to humanise the digital.

The desire to control this tactile sensitivity has been the reason that The idea of a fusion of century old structures and new technology
although not a new concept, did, in this instance, push my research
forward towards using digital technology. A comparative study of
the technical scope of different types of digital Jacquard loom
resulted in new design possibilities manipulated digitally from the
same sources of images based on traditional hand techniques. A
visit to Norway to weave my designs on a digital hand operated
jacquard loom allowed for this intervention. I recognised that by
being alert to the unexpected and the unforeseen, opportunities
can be created for the interchange of ideas between the hand, the
mind, and the digital aesthetic.

Sadly access to digital jacquard weaving is limited and expensive,

so my work continues

Hand manipulated weave with optical fibres, rubber and reflective materials
using the hand manipulated processes I love, at least for the time
being.
I had been reluctant to leave “the hands on approach” that relies
on my longstanding knowledge of traditional woven structures for
the ‘digital world.’ Craft theorists have always been interested in PHOTO Captions
the idea that the strength of craft lies in its connection with life
processes which communicate the object to its owner as opposed hand manipulated structure as a design source for the jacquard
to the anonymity of the manufactured product. Sue Rowley in Craft weave.
and Contemporary Theory, writes that “ reconnecting with life
processes is something that craft can do as it brings the body into
play: a connection between hand, eye and materials can become Jacquard weave with reflective yarn which interacts with changes
active agents of communication.” to the light source

5
 Student: Anne Holyhead
A passion for textiles
Creativity to me is not So far, the courses that I have studied have allowed me to develop
a mere passion; it is skills and techniques through plenty of practical work, which is
a way of expressing rooted in a theoretical appreciation of the art world.
yourself, saying who
you are and what you
stand for. My passion “...it is a way of expressing
for textiles began at a
yourself, saying who you are
very young age, when
I would design and and what you stand for.”
make my own clothes,
and over the years this
I study via distance tuition, and it suits me really successfully. The
has developed further and continued my love for the tactile world
tutors are experts in their own right and provide detailed, con-
of fabric and stitch. Due to an illness during my teenage years
structive and beneficial comments and advice after each assign-
I was unable to enter further education and study Art, as I had
ment, which I always look forward to receiving.
always desired to do. So here I am, as a mature student, studying
for a BA Honours Degree with OCA - finally fulfilling my dream! I would highly recommend taking up a course with the OCA,
whether solely for pleasure or for academic purposes.
Along with the encouragement and continual support of my fam-
ily, studying with OCA means that I am able to study at home
when it is convenient, allowing me to fit it around my daily re-
sponsibilities and employment. I find that I also benefit from the
fact that I can progress onto additional courses at a rate that I
can financially afford. There are a wide range of courses to choose
from – one to suit everybody’s creative aspirations.

6
BA (hons) degree in
Textiles with the OCA
The Open College of the Arts announces a new Textiles degree
by distance learning. This unique offer opens the door for those
dreaming to do a textiles degree, but who can’t afford the time
off work, can’t travel away from home, or simply cannot afford
university fees. The OCA degree is a significantly lower price than
in a traditional university, and students save on accommodation
fees because they work from home. All tuition is one to one, with
a specialist textiles tutor, via email and phone. A range of rich
resources are made available to those signed up for the degree
programme. For those earning less than £30,000 there may be
some financial support available.
OCA already has a suite of lively accredited textiles courses,
and OCA textiles students produce a wide range of inventive,
experimental textiles art that competes with the best textiles
graduates nationally. To complete the degree programme,
students complete seven modules (though direct entry from other
institutions or previous textiles experience can be taken into
account), and most students complete OCA degrees part time over
a 5 - 6 year period. To complete a textiles degree students complete
the following modules:
Textiles 1 (HE4): A Creative Approach
This is a highly practical course which focuses on design and self-
expression through the medium of textiles and gives an initial
introduction to textile techniques. Students learn how to translate
drawings into stitching, practice basic design skills, paint and
print on fabric, and create two- and three-dimensional shapes and
forms. Students work on a design project and translate their ideas
into finished pieces. No technical equipment is required to do the
course. The course is for people who already have expertise in a
craft technique such as sewing, embroidery and knitting but lack
the skills and knowledge to create their own designs.
Textiles 1 (HE4): Exploring Ideas
This exciting addition to the range of textiles courses compliments
and extends the technical understanding and the development
of craft skills acquired in Textiles 1: A Creative Approach,
and introduces Screen Printing as a craft skill. It consolidates
and further develops visual awareness, the interpretation and
application of imagery and tactile qualities associated with textile
practice through more focused visual research towards set and
self generated projects. It explores inherent cultural differences
and fusions in contemporary textiles. It re-enforces the critical
understanding and awareness to issues, theoretical, contextual
and practice based related to textiles through a series of personal
investigations.
In addition, at level 1 (HE4) students choose one of the following
optional modules:
• Printmaking
• Watercolour
• Understanding Western Art
• Sculpture
• The Practice of Painting
At Level 2 (HE5) students complete Developing Creative Textiles,
which helps develop ideas and designs to a higher level. Students
gain a greater understanding of preferred textile techniques,
become more self-reliant as a designer and develop a more
personal approach to design through a mixture of structured and
self-generated projects. Several new areas are covered, particularly
dyes and dyeing, and textiles from other cultures and twentieth
century textile movements. In addition to this course another
new course at this level is currently being written and will shortly
be available. The new course compliments the work covered in
this existing module and is an essential component of the degree
programme.
At level 3 (HE6) students complete Your Own Portfolio which
develops personal practice either as a textile artist or as a designer
maker through a series of projects which ultimately leads to a
creative and cohesive collection of practical work, as well as the
development of communication skills such as presentation of
ideas and finished work, and an artist’s statement. In addition
to this course students complete the Textiles Advanced course
which encourages the transition from self-motivated student
to independent designer. With the help of the tutor and course
guidelines, students plan their own study programme and by the
end of the course have demonstrated their ability to conceive and
develop innovative design ideas and take them to a successful
conclusion.
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 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

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