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Working title:

"Breaking away from tradition, an exploration of textile design within a post modern context."

Abstract:

The fast paced world of textile design is perceived as forever changing and evolving. In terms of advancements within technology, designers are able to achieve outcomes that once may have taken weeks in mere hours patterns and surface graphics can be created instantaneously using digital technology. Yet within a modernist discourse the connotations of the term 'craft' still convey a sense of tradition and resistance to change. Craft practices are viewed as being rooted in the past and therefore lacking in originality. At present within our current post modern culture the reiteration of 1950s/1960s style pattern design is deemed attractive to consumers with designers such as Orla Kiely and Cath Kidson as leading competitors. In consequence modern day textile design offers a fantastic subject area for exploration, particularly centralising on textiles within a post modern world. As a result this essay will address the issues of how a subject area rooted in the past can develop within a post modernist society and how with the aid of technology traditional crafting methods such as pattern design has been sped up and as a consequence how this affects the creative process and therefore its outcome and effect of design in our modern civilisation. Has new technology aided our creativity? or are we simply finding new ways to re-design what has already been done before.

Key aims of research:

1) To explore the concept of craft meaning tradition and how that effects the design process in regards to modern technology

2) To examine the way that patterns and prints are re-designed for a modern audience and wether this effects originality as all inspiration has to come from a source.

3) In contrast to the above discuss the alternative view and show the opposing side of the argument. With the aid of new technology surely we are able to create design deemed impossible before.

4) Lastly to be able to identify where textile design sits within our post modern view of design and conclude having answered this question.

Planning:

Once I have handed in my initial proposal form I intend to continue to read and document my reference sources. For the first few weeks I intend to research and learn about my  chosen subject as much as possible in order to become comfortable writing about it with a high knowledge of my subject.

Next I feel creating a research blog may be one of the most effective ways to display all my sources and references in one place that can be easily edited. It will also be most efficient in documenting any digital  sources such as online journals and video content or links to web pages that can then be easily accessed. 

( I also think that a document containing quotes and page numbers from my research books would be highly beneficial when it comes to referencing.) 

Then I want to get my initial concept narrowed down to a more specific area of study to avoid my topic becoming too broad. I will make a list of key topics and points and focus on these areas.

I will then focus on identifying an effective method of primary information perhaps reaching out to textile designers or companies such as Liberty London 

I want to have as much initial back work  as I can completed before returning to University in September. This means having a clear idea of how I want my essay to be structured and have a good body of sources at my disposal.