This assignment was challenging and took me very much outside my comfort zone. Initially it was difficult to make the connection between the various materials and how they fitted within the context of a textiles degree.
Having completed the assignment I can now appreciate how a much wider range of materials can be integrated with non-textiles to great effect. Using textiles and found objects to create surface texture, pattern and design offers extensive scope for ideas development.
Of the two projects, I found moulding from a surface more appealing than casting. This may in part be due to the casting materials I chose to work with. The need to work so quickly with plaster of Paris and the fragility and weight of the casts felt quite limiting. The air-drying clay seemed so promising but proved simply too delicate which was disappointing. The PVA/fabric moulding and the moulding relief pastes on the other hand were much more forgiving and offered more opportunities for further development.
There are other materials that I haven’t yet tried but I am inspired by this assignment to explore moulding and casting further.