Dark Spaces

Colour can be defined as “the property possessed by an object as a result of the way it reflects or emits light”. To me, when I look at the universe I see a vast darkness. A space which lacks light, where there is inescapable depth and an infinite distance for this darkness to flourish. When I think about looking out into this space I imagine warm glowing flecks of light far into the distance, but an overwhelming sense of isolation and coolness in the immediate space around me. I think in this space, colour is not bold and bright, colour instead exists as nuances beneath this darkness. Fragments of light which float away from their source and begin a new life here. I used tanic dyed cloths and different strengths of iron solution to convey the universe as it exists in my mind. The purple and pink undertones provided by the materials hint at something more organic than the brutalist environment the work was imagined for; whilst bringing the element of colour which is integral to the brief. The unruly marks which drift outwards into the fabric are met by geometric constellations of devoré to provide subtle differences in tone. The marks have a formless quality about them which is reminiscent of the clouds of dark matter which drift across our night skies. The context for this work is textile installation. An installation which has the ability to consume its viewers like a vacuum. A space which is so vast and brutal, much like the universe feels to me, but one where you feel encapsulated and sheltered by these endless lengths of rippling cloth reaching from the ceiling to the floor. In my mind the play of dark and light on the cloth works much like light does in space; with those areas hit by natural light revealing the nuances of colour in the cloth and those areas hidden in shadow waiting for light to reveal what lies beneath its oppressive outward presence. The materials used within this entry where chosen both for their ability to convey the ideas above but also with a consideration of sustainability in mind. The cloth used for both the samples and the larger lengths is a mixed fibre silk & viscose roman georgette. This cloth provides the ability to use the technique of devoré but more importantly its fibres are derived from natural sources; silk from the silkworm and viscose, a form of regenerated cellulose. The process of creating these samples also utilises natural substances. The cloth is soaked in a tannic solution before applying a rust solution. Tannic acid is a form of tannin, an “organic substance present in galls, barks and other plant tissues” and ferrous sulphate solution is a form of the mineral iron. In our current climate, knowledge and a greater awareness of our impact on the environment is becoming more and more fundamental for practitioners like myself; utilising natural materials whilst we as an industry develop new solutions to the issues we face was an important part of this project.