Archives........

"ar·chive 

1. A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest. Often used in the plural: old land deeds in the municipal archives.

2. Computer Science

a. A long-term storage area, often on magnetic tape, for backup copies of files or for files that are no longer in active use.

b. A file containing one or more files in compressed format for more efficient storage and transfer.

3. A repository for stored memories or information: the archive of the mind.

ar·chived, ar·chiv·ing, ar·chives

1. To place or store in an archive.

2. Computer Science To copy or compress (a file) into an archive." - Farlex (2013) The free dictionary. Retrieved from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/archive

Examples of Archives-

• Museums
• Libraries
• Online i.e. Social netwroking sites are archives of our everyday lives. News websites with archives of past news reports.
• Local History Archives 
• Special Collection Archives 
• Film and Photography archives 
• Textile archives i.e. Trend Hub in Library/ Lee Mills archives (Knitwear).
• Sketchbooks/ Research Journals- archives of information/ drawings.

Examples of Archives in Huddersfield-

• Local Library 
• University Library 
• Kirklees Image Archive
• The Tolson Museum-Archives the history of Huddersfield. Archive of Taxidermy. 
• Textile archives i.e. Trend Hub in Library.

As a practitioner I have built up an archive of all my work from when I was doing my A-levels, to College, to University work. Over the years I have developed skills, researched and documented these findings within sketchbooks, loose sheets, final collections etc. so I myself have an archive as a practitioner. This archive of work allows me to have a reference for future studies, either continuing a project from a previous year  by referring back tot his work or just looking back at it for inspiration, artist reference etc.

If I were to intervene in an archive  it would probably have to be in relation to a building or a museum which had some history to it, a back story, such as the Tolson museum in Huddersfield, which we did a small intervention project on in first year. The building houses collections of both the history of Huddersfield as well as some very weird and wonderful collections of Taxidermy, motor cars, childrens toys etc. I would possibly consider just taking this project on a pushing it further, developing it as I became thoroughly interested in the history of the building and began doing archival research in the local library so as to learn more about the pace. I think I would respond in a very textiles way as that is how I express myself, through my own passion which is textiles, however it would probably be in a very contemporary way, drawing  on the fact and memories of the space.

An example of an artist work which I have recently looked at is Caren Garfen, who exhibited a work at the Cloth and Memory 2 exhibition this august.

Artist whose installation is based on the lives of actual women from Saltaire drawn from the 1891 Census. The installation comprises of vintage wooden reels attached to the wall, each with its own 'memory plaque' label and an 'S' for Salts and Silver, some will also have ribbon wrapped round with hand stitched addresses or researched texts. - Garfen, C (2013) Cloth and Memory 2. Retrieved from: http://www.clothandmemory.com/#cloth-memory-2-participating-artists 

In her work she has intervened in the 1891 Census and has drawn on both the heritage and history of the space she is responding to whilst also delving into the Census of women who worked there and using this archive to produce and form the foundation for her research and final response.

      

Planning a Literature Review...Sustainable Materials

Sustainable Materials

The research topic I have chosen to look at is Sustainable materials.
Key authors/ Organisations in this field are: 
Authors-

• Edward Burtynskey- Manufactured Landscapes. 
• Kate Fletcher- Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, Design Journey.
• David Buckland- The Art of Climate Change
• Arran Stibbe and Heather Luna- The Handbook of Sustainable Literacy eds 2009
• Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a changing planet 1969-2009-Barbican (2009)
• R. Horrocks- Recycling Textiles and Plastic Waste. (1996).
• Andrew Brooks ‘Riches from Rags or Persistent Poverty? The Working Lives of Secondhand Clothing Vendors in Maputo, Mozambique’ From:  Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture (2012)
• Allwood, J.M., Laursen, S.E., Malvido de Rodriguez, C., Bocken, N.M.P. (2006). Well Dressed? The present and future sustainability of clothing and textiles in the United Kingdom . 

Organisations-

• Labour Behind the Label
• Clean Clothes Campaign 
• Fairtrade Foundation 
• Fibre Footprint Sustainable cotton project
• Victor-Innovatex-Environmentally safe Polyester recycling system.
• Teijin-Technology Driven Global Group (Japan)
• Patagoni Recycling Program
• Ecouterre
• Perma Couture
• Rebecca Earley and Kate Fletcher-Ecological Approaches
• Rebecca Earley-Upcycling Shirts
• Eden Bayer- Are Mushrooms the new plastic

Artists-

• Edward Burtynsky
• Lucy and Jorge Orta
• Spencer Finch 
• Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a changing planet 1969-2009
• Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef
• Vivienne Westwood & Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic Uniforms-Vogue.
• Betty Beuamont-Ocean Landmark

Possible Sub-themes within this topic are: 

Economic Factors 

Social Factors 

Environmental factors 

However these sub-themes all interlink, so to discuss one of them we must briefly discuss them all.

The Literature Review. 

Having never written a literature review before I am quite apprehensive about approaching this, but I have a vague idea of how You might write one. 

A literature review should be a review of key authors/ organisations work within the topic you have chosen however you should be comparing and contrasting their opinions- arguing them against each other in relevance to your chosen question or theme. They should provide a clear and relevant understanding of what your are aiming to prove/ discuss, and should not just be a list of what each authors views or opinions are. 

It should engage the reader and explain what you are trying to achieve and it should provide you with a platform upon which you can begin your argument.

I am eager to begin researching the authors etc. who have already undertaken research in my topic and also to begin planning my question/ theme. 

Contexts and Research Topics...

For my Theory and context module I have to choose a research topic to address and research in depth, but first I must choose a context in which I want to approach the way I research.
The possible contexts are:

Textile Thinking: a topic that is relevant to your specialism and provides new insights into textile practices.
Archival Interventions: an investigation into an existing exhibition or collection t a museum or gallery, its history and contemporary significance, how it inspires you and the implications for your own textile practice.
The creation of a new or improved textile product or service idea: to help tackle a particular issue or problem.


I think the context I am most interested in is the creation of a new or improved textile product or service idea, as I believe that there are many issues within the textile industry that need to be addressed and I believe that Woven fabrics have a vast range of production issues and problems which I will be able to address if I approach my research topic within this context. I have narrowed my pathway down to this context because as a Contemporary practitioner (soon to be either a designer maker) and a weaver I believe that I will need to be aware of all the issues surrounding my topic and the future of the production of woven fabrics and the current issues we face within the textile industry.

The research topics we have been given are: 

• Future workplace 
• Sustainable materials 
• Archival Interventions 
• Innovations in Giving 
• Collaborative Consumption 
• Well-Being 

All these research topics are based around current issues and affairs already happening within the textiles industry today.
I have chosen to look at Sustainable Materials for my research topic as I know there are already many issues surrounding sustainable materials within the textile industry and also more specifically within weave, for example, shortage of cotton production, unfair working environments for the production and manufacturing of cotton, over usage of water for dyeing garments and yarns etc.

I have specifically chosen this topic as I am a great believer in the usage of sustainable materials and hope to further develop my understanding of the issue and the ways in which we are attempting to overcome these problems for the future.


The methods of research I could use within this research topic as a soon to be designer maker are:

• Market research 
• Trend research (approach in a different way) 
• Textile news 
• Experimentation 
• Current affairs 
• Textile magazines 
• Books on Sustainable materials 
• Magazines, Journals and Articles 
• Big Data 
• Product research 
• New technologies 
• Advances within my practice 
• Interviews 
• Communication with companies and designers already addressing the issue 
• Documentaries 
• Statistics 
• 
  

I believe that by approaching my research topic in this way I will better be able to understand a relate my context and specialism together as I will be able to integrate my findings into my current projects and hopefully be able to approach the way i work in a more informed and professional way.

The Brief...

Within my module "Advanced Theory and Context" at university, we have been given a brief which entails us to create an external  reflective blog, where I will reflect on each weeks lessons and address various questions about the different topics within the textile industry. The blog will also need to include information about what I am creating/ inspired by/making within my other modules and any visits I go to throughout the year. The brief stipulates that this blog has to be at least 3000 words, and so what you are reading now an the previous posts are the beginning of my reflective blog.

The brief also requires me to produce a written assignment based on one of the research topics out of a list of topics which is provided to us by our lecturer. The assignment also needs to be 3000 words, with further outcomes of research linked into the reflective blog. Within this assignment I will need to thoroughly explore my research topic, using various types of research relevant to the context I plan on approaching my topic in.

I think this module will benefit me as I think it will open my mind up to the world of textiles from a more ethical, political, and social perspective rather than just the view of a designer. I think it will make me more aware of the problem and research opportunities within Textiles and also prepare me for the dissertation I will have to create in my final year of University.