Chelsea College of Arts UAL
Specialisms: Textiles - Weave / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Textiles for Interiors
Location: London, United Kingdom
First Name: Saffran eve
Last Name: Lockett
Specialisms: Textiles - Weave / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Textiles for Interiors
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Chelsea College of Arts UAL
Course / Program Title: Textile Design BA
Specialism- weaver, with values in sustainable practices and traditional crafts, my inspiration is earth and my observations of the natural environment around me. I am keen to learn traditional crafts, so I understand different techniques to see if I can use them in my practice going forwards. I taught myself the practice of ply-split braiding from a book, which was grounding and inspiring. From the challenge of respecting the tradition, to making my own work from it, this also helped shape my values on slow design. Being intentional with materials and how they are sourced and to find balance in the production. As a climate advocate and volunteer at the repair café within UAL, I use different sustainable practices, like mending and reusing. Through these opportunities, I have been able to get my carbon literacy certificate. Encouraging me to organise a swap shop within university to motivate students to swap unwanted textiles, to address the secondary carbon footprint of textiles, to reduce waste and give materials a second life.
Grounding explores the power of your sense of touch to feel the earths energy. The sensation of earth brings a personal focus and presence to the mind. The soil beneath tells a story when you touch it, it’s not science but a feeling, of how old it is, how alive it is, what’s it been through and how it keeps giving back to us. OUT OF THE EARTH reflects my personal connection, and respect for the soils impact. Through earth painting patterns began to emerge that reflected the appearance of roots, rivers, geology maps or the human brain. This collection uses these natural and organic patterns, going against how pattern is normally on the loom to make materials that move organically. Using chunky and delicate materials like high twist wool, paper, and rough spun khadi wool, which are playful and energetic. The aim is to create woven pieces that are raw, textural, and ethereal, both for fashion and interior uses.
My current practice has been inspired by soil. I have used weaving and earth paintings to reflect my own understanding and respect towards the soil’s foundation to us as humans, the ecological benefits and impact that soil has on mental health such as grounding. Collecting soil and creating earth paintings were so natural to me, that it felt that these paintings were written in the earth already they felt alive, and I could imagine they had stories to express and tell. The paintings took on the shapes of roots, rivers, geology maps or the human brain. I wanted this weaving to reflect these painted textures and materials creating natural and organic pattern, which goes against how pattern is normally constructed on the loom. This led me to use playful, experimental, and energetic materials like high twist wool, paper, and organic khadi cotton. All which helped to shape my final collection, they allowed me to let go of control of my woven pieces, giving my materials organic movement after I had removed them from the loom. Both chunky and delicate materials all expressing and reflecting the same subject. My aim is to create woven pieces that are raw, textural, and ethereal both for fashion and interior uses.