KeyPost_ Investigations

Our project has been process and material led. We decided quite early on that we wanted to just use the materials provided to truly reflect the ideas of sustainability and up cycling outlined in our manifesto. We have had to adapt our usual approaches to accommodate the material; responding to and improvising as our work progressed.

Collaborating has helped us all to feel confident in working outside our comfort zones. I have certainly felt inspired by the others to work in a more industrial way and try new things. It was also really nice to share our skills, for example I taught Jade how to knit and Chloe and Molly showed me how to do the hand chain stitching.

We encountered a few problems along the way, namely how to fill the jean bag. We felt buying wadding or filling would be too expensive and also go against our ethos of using what was available. We looked to alternative sources, asking around the university for waste plastic wrapping and appealing for plastic bags, I also secured some old textiles from the environment team who I volunteer with. By thinking out of the box and being creative we have been able to fulfil our ambitions.

We also needed to consider how we would transport the jean bag. Mark suggested that it should be filled on site so we fitted a zip into it to make it fillable and portable. This also led to a clever idea for commercialisation in that the jean bag could be sold as a case to be filled with whatever soft, clean waste the customer had to put in. This alternative way of thinking about things or acquiring materials has been an unexpected triumph for me and I have began to notice other things I could work with in future.

Once we overcame the hurdles we found were able to get on quite quickly and through good team work finished the jean bag ahead of time.

The weekly tutorials have helped us progress well and refine our ideas from the suggestions made by our tutors. The planter has evolved and become much more refined, as we considered the tonal balance of the different denims and finishings.

We designed the final prototype to fit onto the railings around the skylight, where we imagined the planter would go when we first saw the rooftop space. Discussing the logistics of having plants growing in it, we realised this might not be feasible to resolve in the time we had. We decided to we would propose alternative storage uses for the pockets as well; such as gardening tools, magazines or mobile phones (for a peaceful rooftop experience). This also continues the themes of multifunctional and flexibility from the jean bag.

The two pieces work harmonusley together and I think we utilised the jeans really well, using the legs for the bean bag and the tops and pockets for the planter. We considered details carefully as a group thinking about durability and aesthetic, and trialled different versions of stitchings and fastenings to discover what worked best.

The use of the yellow chain stitch was a key way to tie the two products together and add a unique stamp onto the denim that otherwise could be quite generic. It again reflects the idea of upscaling textile techniques in an industrious way.

We managed our time well as we made good progress and have had time to review and expand on our ideas. Kate and Mark were keen for us to sample alternative designs and outcomes to offer, which we have done through cushion samples using both the denim and a waterproof material.

We have kept all our designs quite simple and focused on shape more than surface. This is quite different for me as my work tends to be quite detailed. I have enjoyed working in this way though and found it has been surprisingly successful; I now have greater confidence working more intuitively and on a larger scale.

As we go into the final stage of the project, we will look at how the jean bag might work in the space and think about the presentation of our work.