Halle Sivyour - BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
Woven Ornamentation
As a textile designer, my practice specialises in jacquard weaving, exploring the intricacies of surface design and pattern. I focus on creating digital motifs inspired by architectural ornamentation and translating my designs into a woven cloth.
My work over the past year has demonstrated a growing appreciation for the decorative arts, cultivated by my introduction to jacquard weaving, enabling me to maximise the level of preciseness within my fabrics. This technique has allowed me to achieve a higher level of precision with an acute attention to detail present within my weaves. Because of this, I enjoy working with fine yarns such as silk and mercerised cotton in my weft, further enhancing the quality of the cloth with its delicate drape and refined finish.
My inspiration for motifs and decorative elements draws heavily from a strong sense of heritage and identity which is found around me – the rich ornamental details of architecture found within tiles, doorways, and facades lining the city of Manchester, has been my main source of inspiration this past year.
I like to view my practice as a re-working of past narratives, collating different aspects of architectural features and reimagining Manchester’s cultural histories through woven ornamentation. It is these motifs and surface patterns rooted in traditionalism that ultimately informs my practice, designed for contemporary interiors upholstery which serves as a celebration of Manchester’s cultural legacy.
My woven samples are a response to the fast-paced turnover of trends within the design industry that is arguably unsustainable, and I hope to encourage a deeper appreciation for these overlooked narratives embedded within the decorative elements of our built environment.
Ultimately, I aim to inspire others to continue accessing and reinventing these historical contexts to create meaningful designs, as testament to Manchester's rich cultural legacy.
