Hello,
Today’s blog post is the last chapter of my educational
journey of textiles. As you've already read in the title today's blog is all
about my degree show. For a lot of university courses, the dissertation is the
main part of the degree. I am not saying that my dissertation wasn't important,
but it counted for less of a percentage than it does for other courses. As I
studied a creative arts degree, what we actually make is more important,
therefore our display for the degree show was very crucial in showing off our
skills and what we could do. You can know a lot about textiles but I’m sure
employers are more interested in our designs and what we can do rather our
debating skills.
Degree Show Planning:
The last week or so of uni was all about
getting ready for the show. We spent the first few days cleaning and painting
the display boards. Which as you can see from the image below got very messy. As
my job was to move and clean the boards I didn't get as messy as the others until
after this picture was taken and the girls decided to paint my legs. This process of setting up the boards took a
lot longer than usual, as we had moved rooms due to us having moved into our
new textiles and fashion building that year. So our usual degree show area had
been changed resulting in a lot of stress and tears. However since there were a
few issues we were given the weekend to finalise our boards, due to there being
lots of hold ups in us starting to display our work. Whilst the lecturers were
still trying to figure out the layout of the rooms, I found a table outside
where I could start to plan how I would have my boards.
Depending on where you were placed, determined if
you would have two or three display boards or a middle table. Luckily I was
given two boards as they were big enough to fill let alone having three. As a
lot of my samples were heavy due to the metal washers, I knew that they would
be too heavy to hang up, so I thought about having some sort of shelving, as I
still wanted to use those samples. Having this also aloud people to be able to
touch my samples, since whenever I showed them to people everyone just wanted
to touch them. Once the boards were all set up, I was then able to start
planning where I wanted to put things. We all got through a lot of masking tape
that day as you’ll see below a lot was needed to show where my jumper was
going. It was quite heavy, so lots of tape was needed.
Painting the boards and ourselves.
Trying to plan my display.
Trying to plan my display, mixing around the samples.
Trying to plan my display, mixing around the samples.
Trying to plan my display, mixing around the samples.
My idea for display board 1.
My idea for display board 2, lots of masking tape used.
Degree Show Display:
Thankfully the lecturers had final say on our
display boards, as my idea was to just fill all the space. (Not final say like we couldn't
have any creative input but they just helped to advise us). It seemed like such
as huge area to fill, and as you can see above I just stuck everything and
anything everywhere. Whereas the lecturers had a much more minimalist approach
to everyone’s display. I’m glad they did because in the ends I really liked my
display, especially the samples draped on the silver paint cans, which you can
see below.
Degree show title.
Our names outside our room (we were split up into three rooms).
The degree show catalogue.
My page in the degree show catalogue.
Final degree show display.
Degree show.
Degree show.
Close up of my jumper.
Close up of samples: separated into blue, grey and black and white.
Close up of samples and photos.
Close up of shelving unit/cubbyholes.
Close up of shelving unit/cubbyholes.
Close up of shelving unit/cubbyholes.
Close up of shelving unit/cubbyholes.
Close up of shelving unit/cubbyholes.
Me and my brother at the degree show. He is actually younger than me, I'm just so short.
The four amigos, I honestly couldn't have done these last 3 years without these three.
Summary:
As I didn't do it last week and this is the
final part of the course I thought I would give my summary of the second
semester of my third year at uni here.
This was probably my favourite semester, even
with all the tears during the last few weeks; I don’t think we had a day
without someone crying during the last week. We were all very tired and stressed. This
was probably my favourite collection, I loved playing around with all the
different ways I could manipulate loom bands with knitting. Even though I didn't
reach my aim of being in the fashion show I am still so proud of my first knitted
garment, it might have taken ages applying each and very loom band, but I had
made an entire garment. Yes as you have seen I have made clothes before, but I hadn't
made a garment whilst also making the fabric.
In the heat of the moment during the last
week, whilst crying on the phone to my mum I said I hated uni and couldn’t wait
to leave. Now at the time I meant it but deep down I loved uni. Looking back i
am so glad that i did it. If you knew me you probably wouldn't have expected me
to go to university. In primary school I was below average and they didn't
expect me to go far. Due to this I never dreamed of going to uni, to me only
rich, posh clever people went to uni; how wrong was i, because i am definitely
not posh, rich or clever. When I started my A-levels I didn't do them
with the intention of going to uni, I just did it because I didn't know what
else I wanted to do. It wasn't till my grades showed me that I could have a
chance of going to university, that I really started to try and push
towards it. I think if you really want something you can go out and get it. As I
explained I wasn't predicated to do well at GCSE's but I really wanted to, so I
did, then next the aim was a-levels and then this year that little dumb primary
school girl graduated from university.
It was honestly was the best experience, I
loved my course so much, I had so much fun exploring and experimenting across
all different medias of textiles it definitely was the right course for me.
I am so happy that I finally know who I am, I've always felt like the odd one out, I mean one brother is in the RAF, the other is so sporty and always wining all sorts of football awards and then there was just me, who did
nothing. But now I know I am the creative on, yes I can’t draw but I know have a
passion and a craft that I am still trying to master, I am a knitter.
It’s true
what they say about making friends at university, as I really did meet some amazing
people and I wouldn't have been able to have gone through the three years
without them. I would definitely advise anyone to go to
university, whether you would be the youngest like me or any age, there is no
right age to go to uni our age range was from 18-60 and this truly made us
family. I love my textiles family, we all had a role from, children, sisters,
cousins, aunties, mums and nans. Even if you don’t think it’s for you, maybe
give it a rethink because honestly if I could do it anyone can.
Now I've not really planned past this blog
post, so there might not be a post next Monday. I might change uploading to
once every two weeks instead of every week, deepening on if I am lacking blog
ideas, but I will keep you updated.
Thank you so much for reading,
Love Karmann Jean.
My graduation souvenirs.
My degree.
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