Artist in Residence at F.I.T
Last week was spent as Artist in Residence at F.I.T., New York State University’s fashion school.
I was invited to set up my workshop in the gallery space, to continue work on some current projects and to install a final exhibition of pieces completed during this time. Working alongside the permanent staff of the school, we also ran a series of presentations, open discussions and practical workshops for students and faculty to attend. It’s been a great opportunity to delve into a new world and privilege to share a little of my own.
The final exhibition represented something of a departure for me in that it was the first time I decided, when invited to present my work, not to show any of my handbags designs. I took the opportunity to explore a side of my practice which has always been present but less publicly expressed - namely the symbolic charge that these items carry, both for myself and for my clients. I’ve always tried to invest as much heart as I can into my work, to care as much about the relational or emotional aspect of things as I do the purely functional. Perhaps one way to explore this realm more fully is to free myself, even temporarily, from the constraints of designing for utility?
The exhibition presents a series of objects which hold some emotional resonance, for myself at least. Most will remain as personal projects while one - the Scapular - will be released as an Open Edition in the near future. [Ed: The Scapular is now released and can be seen here.]
I’d like to thank Sarah Mullins for the invitation and Melanie Reim, Austin Thomas and the rest of the team at FIT for their support.