Research — Gina Pierce Design

Research

My practice based PhD at UCA Farnham explores methods of engaging audiences to promote further use of archive materials through a creative response. With a background as a surface and print designer, the focus of my research is in textile archives and the relevance that they have to current design and participatory projects.

The case study for my PhD is the fabrics and associated artefacts of the furniture company Parker Knoll Ltd, held in the Parker Collection at London Metropolitan University, covering the time period of 1945-1955. This archive is an under-researched and under-theorised resource, particularly in a creative context, and my PhD will be the first critical study undertaken. My focus is on the linen fabrics shown in sample books that date from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s, along with other artefacts of the time which help to show the samples in context.

To encourage a greater use of archives for creative purposes, I am designing and producing interpretative objects to build links between the artefacts and new audiences. These have become The Alternative Textile Archive- textiles inspired by the fabric samples and artefacts to demonstrate how new work can be inspired by the archive. In addition to my own practice, the Alternative Textile Archive also includes student projects, work by designers and by members of the public who have used the interpretative objects to inspire them to produce new creative outcomes.

Thesis Title

The Aternative Textile Archive: Democratising the Parker Knoll Collection

Supervisors

Lesley Millar, Simon Olding and Gail Baxter

Links

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