1950's Textile Inspiration

Wonderful 1950's textiles.....what can I say?  Perfect inspiration for some simple screen printing.  I had some fun with these.......and then I just couldn't resist sharing the fun by teaching a class on it.  

Here are my prints:

They are actually printed as single motifs on calico shopping bags - I've zoomed in for the photos

I think because so many of those textile designs were done with cut paper, they work really well as simple paper stencils.  And so easy to register the different colours - if you get it wrong, it really doesn't matter. (On the matter of registration I seem to have picked up a line of text from my previous blog entry and I have no idea how to get rid of it)

I'm sure you recognise  the elements in these designs from the wonderful 1950's designers: Marian Mahler, Lucienne Day,  Mary White etc. Just line, plane and colour. So nice to play with.

And here are some interpretations by students at Textiles in Focus on Sunday:

Don't Stand By Art Project

Last week it was Holocaust Memorial Day
Alongside remembering  and honouring the people who suffered and are still suffering in the genocides of recent history is this year's theme:   'Don't stand by."

The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides. - See more at: http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2016-dont-stand#sthash.M63law1a.dpuf

The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides. - See more at: http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2016-dont-stand#sthash.M63law1a.dpuf

The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides. - See more at: http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2016-dont-stand#sthash.M63law1a.dpuf

The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides. - See more at: http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2016-dont-stand#sthash.M63law1a.dpuf

This artwork on the theme of Flames for Humanity's heroes is by a group of  year 7, 8 and 9 students at Sawston Village College. The textile piece was inspired by Carl and Teresa Wilkens, who refused to stand by during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

The students brainstormed ideas and I helped them to dye and print textiles for the final piece which you can also see here:   Flame for Carl & Teresa

3 interlinked panels viewed from the front

We dyed the fabrics and screen printed a background with photo screens

Foreground: prints with Carl's story and quotes from his talks about genocide.

Quotes and some shocking statistics

And screened words on the back panels that the young people chose  to describe Carl and Teresa's acts of heroism

 For more information about the inspirational Carl Wilkens see
http://www.worldoutsidemyshoes.org/

For me, this was the very best of community art projects.The process of making the art work added another dimension to  the young people's engagement with the subject. 

The project was facilitated by Leslie Morgan, Arts Development Officer, Helen Day, Head of Art and James Woodcock, Assistant Principal, Sawston Village College