I am back with a new blog post furthering my project of Rethinking/Redesigning. This is the second post in the series, so make sure you look at the first one, of which you can find here, which just gives you the background research for this.

So for this project, we have to research a technique, apply it to a concept given to us and give our product a context.

My idea for this project is to make a quilt out of the single use plastics I have around the flat. Not only do I want to include her fusing technique but also knitting, weaving, collaging and sewing.

Pen Huston

This whole idea first came from a video I watched about Pen Huston. I was inspired by Pen who makes Bivi bags out of crisp packets for the homeless. You can see the video here or below.

The technique is pretty simple, just get a bunch of crisp packets and iron over then to melt them together.

Kirsty Whitlock

Similarly, Kirsty Whitlock uses recycled and reclaimed materials in her work. This was her response to the throwaway culture of consumerism, especially discarded plastic carrier bags. She also embroiders important messages on top about consumerism using machine embroidery. Definitely a technique to try out. I also love the use of the loose threads and the trapped threads in-between the layers of plastic.

Josh Blackwell

This artist uses plastic bags he found on the floor in the streets as part of a consumer responsibility idea. I would like to get random plastic bags from the streets but I am very aware that this is a COVID risk. Any thoughts about this?

He wanted to show the balance between convenience and excess and I liked how he photographed them where he might have originally found the plastic bags in the first place. He uses a combination of techniques from weaving and fusing.

What I am proposing to make is a big quilt, ideal for someone to use if they were homeless. This could be reused for other homeless people or could be even used to make a winter coat or even a tent to provide some shelter.

Lets see where this project takes me!