For the past 7 weeks I have been in India teaching Textile Design at IIFA college, in Modinagar. The experience has been truly unforgettable, and has made up my mind about wanting to go into teaching. I learnt so much from the students in return from what I hope I taught them. I found it particularly difficult at first, for them them to get to know me and what I was about but after a while they really got into it and took things on. We first began with workshops for both Fashion and Textile, however due to the limited time we decided to split the groups up and I took Textile, a group of about 14 students. I decided to give them all a new project to do for the remaining weeks, which would lead up to an exhibition at the end. It was definately a struggle to get them all motivated as it seemed they generally took things in their stride, but I really wanted to push them for the short time I was there and I was really pleased with the outcomes. Our main focus was on research and development from research, and some areas proved easier than others. Although not evident at first, their creativity in the subject flourished and they really experimented and loosened up when designing, as normally they would all be learning the same techniques and skills and copying designs from books, but I let them be individual with their project work. Plus India itself, after going on our weekend trips, is such a colourful and innovative place, truly inspirational! I was taught more about tie-dying, block printing, weaving and embroidery from the various wonderful types of textiles that India boasts. All in all it was a fantastic experience, and I would do it again at the drop of a hat!
Me, Egle and the Fashion Tutors
Mark Making Workshop with Foundation Class...
Colour Palette Workshop...
Final Exhibition for Textile Design - I really wanted all the students to think about the presentation of their work in their exhibition, to display it in the best way possible...
Ravi's work was based on some observational drawings of an onion. I really wanted him to focus on every aspect of his object looking at colour and texture, then using photoshop to play around and create textile pattern from his drawings, this is how he went on t create the fabric batik piece below. The photoshop image it was developed from is underneath...
Rauls work above was fantastic in colour and textures, and the drawings created were plentiful as I got him to experiment with line and mark making. When it came to developing his drawing he kept quite close to his traditional methods and produced various sari designs.
Dushyant struggled with the different drawing styles taught so I really wanted him to push on with looking at his object in other ways and found photocopying his object provided the best outcome. On top of these photo copies he replicated colour, silhouette, line and shape, and then on photoshop experimented with repetition.
I really loved how experimental Harshita became with the development from her drawings, which were very minimal, into her geometric designs. She really blossomed during the photoshop sessions, considering she had never used it before.
Garima had a very stylised, delicate element to her drawing and collaging which progressed into some really beautiful screen prints, I particularly admired her attention to colours, which not just her but all the students proved to be very confident in...
Pooja was one of the students that developed her work to the fullest, through to the completion of fabric samples from her drawings. From her unique carrot drawings she was able to associate a link to the traditional indian technique of tie-dying, which she was then able to cut up and applique into a new sample using photoshop designs as an inspiration...
So I want to say a MASSIVE thank you at IIFA to everyone who looked after us, Mr.Roy and Mr.Padam in particular! Plus my fabulous students Alok, Anu, Pradeep, Deepak, Harishma, Pooja, Raul, Rinki, Dushyant, Kieran, Katya, Ravi, Garima and Ramsingh for all the hardwork... and of course Sir!
