Polly Holman
BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
The Saunton Project
A three-part project exploring my connection to my favourite beach at home in Devon: Saunton Sands. From delving into colour and texture with an aim to encourage finding headspace within an interior setting in part 1: ‘A love letter to Saunton’, to focusing on designing for the body and reconnecting with self within a space in part 2: ‘Room to breathe’, part 3: ‘Finding peace…’, led to a fusion of all my core inspirations: colour, music and movement echoing the atmosphere of Saunton. This led me to create and direct a collaborative short film ‘The Saunton Project’, filmed at Saunton Sands, backed by the track ‘Circles’ by Benjamin Waaldman. It depicts losing oneself completely in the music and space, the two fabrics mirroring the different textures within the music.
As a multi-faceted artist, designer and illustrator I instinctively draw inspiration from colour, music and movement – the ingredients for creating concepts and ambience in my work. Curating playlists parallel to my work is a key part of my creative process; doing so helps me maintain a dynamic and varied selection of colours and material choices. This has progressed into a fascination with synaesthesia, driving me to deepen my understanding of what it means to me and what it could bring to the wider world through immersive art and design. Movement plays a vital role in my work. Evolving from a love of dance, it instinctively surfaces when designing for the body by translating the physical feeling into material quality and illustration. Hand-drawn and digital illustration are other skills I continue to refine in multiple styles. I enjoy story telling in my design and illustrative practices. This has led me down various paths making outcomes that have potential to sit within interior, fashion/costume and gallery contexts.
