PAT MOLONEY

I have worked with pile weaves using the Finnish Ryijy knotting technique for a number of years. Ryijy is a traditional woven rug made and used for centuries in Finland. However, it is technique that lends itself to contemporary interpretation, and I have incorporated it into many ideas particularly in the use of colour and different materials. Each knot is individual and this allows for maximum control over the blending of colours and textures. My materials have ranged from conventional woollen carpet yarn to rubber, sisal, recycled yarns and fabric and even plastic supermarket bags.

Nature Unravelling, Edipsos 1, Edipsos 2, Aegean Seascape.

These small intricate pieces use traditional tapestry techniques to recall the atmosphere of a place. Colour, light, reflection and shadow have become persistent themes.

Perception, memory and imagination are constantly interacting with each other.

A collaboration with five designers from different disciplines at London Metropolitan University in 2009 led to the production of these pieces using digital technology.

The research project was concerned with what kind of changes are required in so called traditional design methodologies and practice when these practices involve state of the art digital technologies. Furthermore, what results are gained through fundamentally changing to digital processes?

It questioned

"how satisfying and creative is 'virtual' design, with only a digital interface at our fingertips, compared to the act of weaving, cutting, stitching, printing and manipulating cloth?”

These pieces were woven after a visit to Norway where I was able to sample my designs on a digital jacquard handloom. Since then, I have explored the potential of incorporating more traditional methods of needle felting, embellishment and dyeing the woven lengths thereby giving the opportunity to create an interchange between hand, mind and the digital aesthetic.

As part of my research programme at London Metropolitan University, I explored the way in which different light sources when combined with textiles can affect our sensory experiences with a view to enhancing our health and well being.

Certain light sources such as optical fibres and special light boxes have been found to be useful to alleviate medical conditions such as SAD and ADD. The aim was to produce textile forms which are visually stimulating without light but can be further enhanced or transformed with the addition of a light source.

By incorporating conventional, recycled and advanced materials with light technology to create a fusion of centuries old structures (hand woven and structured textiles) and new technology, the scope for development could be considerably enlarged.

Some of these pieces formed a part of that research others were made as exhibition pieces at a later date.

I take a lot of photographs, my camera is always with me when I travel. I look for minute details, the interaction of colour with textures, lines and marks, the shapes that are cast by shadows and reflections and the juxtaposition of manmade constructions with nature. I use these as my inspiration, to recall the memory and atmosphere of a place. I don’t work directly from the photographs, sometimes I make a drawing but mostly make a careful selection of yarns and materials to create a colour and tonal inventory. Trusting my intuition, I allow each piece to evolve in its own way to develop a response to what I have experienced and in the same process, allow the materials to create multi sensory qualities.

IN TRANSITION

These wall hangings were created in the 1980s. They represent a change in direction from designing textiles for the Furnishing Textile industry to more a craft based approach.

Taking visual inspiration from landscape, drawings and photographs, it was an opportunity to explore more textile techniques. To experiment with different materials, to take risks and recognise the potential of the unexpected.

To take something seemingly quite ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary.

.

Courtaulds

These samples were commissioned by Courtaulds Furnishing Fabric Marketing Division based in Coventry. The decline in the cotton industry in the 1960s, led to Courtaulds taking over the Lancashire Cotton Corporation and a number of small companies and converting these to spinning Courtelle.

The hand woven designs were produced in my South Warwickshire studio. The design brief imposed few limitations but put an emphasis on colour which was then considered to be a vital tool in promotion. A yarn range was usually made up of 14 colours to accommodate the designer’s need for producing designs with six colour ways. Samples could be experimental in construction and colour combinations, the aim being to sell the yarn range to manufacturers by exploiting the character of the yarn and colour in the design, rather than to design a fabric that would sell thousands of metres. The samples were mainly woven in Courtelle but some contained other fibres, such as Evlan and rayon chenille and cotton.

Some of these designs were put into production by Courtaulds Northern Spinning Division and Sundour Fabrics.

A selection of designs commissioned by Courtaulds are now held in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Textiles and Fashion collection.

The Camberwell ILEA Collection:

This collection of objects, known as the Circulating Design Scheme representing British and Scandinavian Design was put together from 1950 - 1975 for ILEA schools to teach children the principles of good design through the study of objects and materials. It was a handling collection, in purpose built showcases, with museum styled displays for use in the classroom.

These pieces represent a selection from duplicate or similar pieces, lengths of cloth and panels commissioned for this collection. Currently stored at Camberwell College of Arts and in the process of conservation and cataloging.

This collection of hand woven pieces entitled High Rise has been inspired by the abstract forms in the construction of the city’s high rise buildings. They are a contemporary interpretation of traditional block weaves. Produced as framed wall pieces and a range of cushions in cotton and other fibres. Woven in colours that are designed to complement 21st century interior spaces and make an individual but functional statement to a room.