Saturday 26 November 2011

Floating Columns

The final part of my Back To Books New Vistas / Wider Horizons involvement was to create the Floating Columns installation. The idea was inspired by the concrete columns in the Chamber Foyer and each column was the same diameter as the originals. After cutting all the strips of fabric I had to take all the drawings, make a selection and create stencils for screen prints. In this I received invaluable help from Andy Eathorne & Sarah Stringer and was able to make the photo stencils and print the fabric in the print room at Tresham College. It was a mammoth task and I would not have got it done without help from the students and Lubelia Watkin-Wynn.
Each tube was made from nine strips of fabric, each seam was sewn twice for strength and neatness and as there was no heating in my studio I had to bring everything home to sew in the living room - maximum thread everywhere! 
After all the tubes had been constructed each one had to have a metal hoop sewn in by hand - many thanks Kate Dyer, who joined me back in the studio on the Saturday before installation to help with this time consuming task.
Even though the project took many more days than I was paid for I felt pleased with the end result, especially when I saw people moving in and around them during the Private View. If there is no further call for them in their current incarnation I may add more to them - images from other palces, in other colours, overlaid and over printed, after the exhibition is finished. Then they could be installed in other places and have an extended lifespan.
Floating Columns

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