Elisha Docherty BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
This is ‘Paper Curiosity’ – a middle ground between a gallery experience and a workshop environment. I have a keen interest in art and design practices in relation to the wider community and therefore I wanted to create a space for people to spectate, think and play. I proposed an exhibition space exploring collage, drawing, painting, stencil and sculpture. Visitors would be encouraged to consider paper and how we can manipulate it - whilst developing creative thinking.
The ‘Curiosity kit’ that you see, would to be appointed to each visitor in order to encourage playful experimentation. Each pack is designed to contain printed paper and a booklet exploring paper and form. The booklet encourages the idea of reworking paper in order to produce various outcomes. Reworking my materials is key to my process. This process of making entails a cycle of drawing and painting, cutting and sticking, photocopying and scanning, digitalising, screen printing and back again. This process runs in a constant cycle allowing for my practice to constantly evolve into something new.
I designed, printed and bound a book for visitors to view. The book explored my drawings from the very beginning to the very end. With an interest in design processes myself, I am keen to allow for others to see how a project can develop. I am especially passionate about creative practices being open for everyone to experience and find that, by allowing others to see the development process of my work, there is potential for it to spark creativity in others. Whether it be simply folding, cutting and collaging paper to working towards something larger scale. With support, guidance and room to explore – everybody is able to foster creativity and my project is in aid of this.
This project has coexhisted with my internship with the Creative National Saturday Club, where I have been developing my skills as a workshop facilitor - working with young people. Post graduation, I aim to continue my journey as a workshop facilitaor. I intend on exploring further processes and how they can be applied to paper or other materials. But mostly, I am keen to explore the creative industry and the part I will play within it.
