©13/02/16 This Saturday’s Q&A was with two third year LCA Printed Textiles students… E M M A    B U R T O N   &   J E N   L E E S  Classmates and housemates, these two talk about the stresses and joys of studying a subject you love. Why did you choose to apply for Printed Textiles as a degree? Emma: After doing my foundation course at Vernon Street I realised that it was Printed Textiles that I wanted to do and not Interior Design. Sounds silly, but I’d never actually considered or thought about doing textiles until we went for a talk about all the courses at Blenheim Walk, which is when I realised! I love colour and pattern so it was perfect! Jen: I chose Printed Textiles as my degree because after researching the course here at LCA it looked like a really fun way to be creative and to experiment with various processes and techniques that I had never tried before. It also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and to work in a way which I had never previously done at foundation level.

Who or what, are the biggest inspirations for your work? Emma: For my current project my biggest inspiration is designers Kitty McCall and Hannah Waldron who both use bright colour and a mixture of patterns which greatly inspire my practice. Jen: My biggest inspirations are homeware design magazines such as Elle Decoration and trend websites such as WGSN. I try not to follow them religiously and mimic everything they feature, but I like to adapt my own ideas to what they forecast and add my own spin on trends. 

What have your own favourite projects been so far? Emma: My favourite project so far was COP3 as it gave context to my practice, making me realise that culture is an underlying concept to my design and greatly inspires me. I was exploring how it is possible to innovatively appropriate African design to create my own authenticity which is what I want to expand on in my final project. Jen: My favourite project so far, surprisingly, was the Context of Practice module we have just completed which included writing my dissertation (which wasn’t so fun), but the practical side for me was the most enjoyable and interesting, as it really let me see my own style develop for the interiors market which I was designing for. I loved how my collection of tiles complimented each other when looking at the pattern, colour and surface.

What are your favourite pieces of each others work? Emma: My favourite pieces of Jen’s were in her latest project, specifically the pieces where she lay velvet with parts laser cut out, and lay them at the bottom of a plaster tile so that the tile has contrasting surfaces from the fabric and plaster!! They was really different and innovative! Jen: My favourite pieces of Emma’s have definitely been the fabrics she designed from her most recent project where she was designing based on West African print. She made some samples which she embellished with little beads and pom poms which really brought them to life and they looked amazing. The colours she used as well were really vivid and playful which is something I’m always jealous of her work for, as I am no where near brave enough to use colour so well!

What do you think the main differences in your work are? Emma: Our major difference is our use of colour as Jen mentioned, I tend to be drawn to bold colour, the brighter the better and Jen uses more natural tones which compliment the surfaces she explores. Jen: I would say that Emma loves using very bright vivid colour palettes for her work whereas I am more prone to sticking to neutral tones with the odd bright colour used as an accent. Also I enjoy mark making and using abstract shapes when designing patterns, as I focus on natural pattern, but on the other hand Emma is more geometric looking at African tribal prints, meaning that she uses rigid shapes in regimented formats. So you could say they are totally opposite!

What do you find most annoying about studying a creative subject? Emma: The most annoying part of a studying a creative subject is the amount of hours that you have to contribute to your practice, yet may come out with the same grade as a student who as only been in 7 hours a week at a different university! At least we get our £9,000 worth though! Jen: The main thing I find difficult about studying a creative subject is that it’s exhausting sometimes to think creatively 24/7. There are days that I will come into uni with a complete mind block and won’t be able to envisage the work I want to make, but then other days I will be really productive and produce a lot of work, which is annoying at times but I guess that’s what you have to expect doing the course we do.

Do you ever find yourselves getting competitive with each other?  Emma: No I never feel like we’re competitive, our work is so diverse there’s no way we could get competitive as our work is so different, there’s no comparison between us! Jen: I would honestly say I never feel any competition with Emma when it comes to our uni work, purely because our design styles are so aesthetically different. I feel we’re more supportive and helpful towards each other’s work and we’re always willing to give our honest opinion if we are asked for advice in regards to compositions, colour or materials. If our work was similar to each other then I think we would be bound to feel an element of competition!

What is the best part of working in a studio environment? Emma: I love working in our studio! There is a buzz and creative atmosphere in the studio which pushes you to get on with your own work and get inspired. The fact we’re all together surrounded by our work is such an important thing to be apart of as its like this in the creative industry. Jen: The biggest advantage of working in our studio is that we get our own individual space to work where we can display our own concept boards, designs and inspiration images, but also that you are surrounded by everyone else’s work and so you are constantly inspired by other peoples projects and it’s just a really fun environment to be in! Our studio is really spacious and light as well which makes it a really relaxing and comfortable environment to be in.

What’s next? Emma: That’s the dreaded question! I currently have no idea what it is that I want to do, but my dream job would to be on the design or styling team of Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie! I am hoping that from my degree show it will hopefully help me to make contacts and be a good platform to push me out into industry! Jen: I am currently looking for an internship in the commercial interiors industry for over Easter/ Summer, as that is the area I would one day love to get into. The dream would be to be an interior stylist/ merchandiser for commercial projects, including hotels, restaurants and bars as I feel that there is more interest taken in interiors today and so I want to create an environment that people thrive in in social situations. My final degree show is going to focus again on natural pattern and to what extent natural materials such as marble and stone have been industrialised to be suitable for an interiors market, which I cannot wait to get stuck into!