Fern Slater-Walters

Fern Slater-Walters has just graduated in textile design from DCA, her intricate sculptural textural designs were akin to origami and created fascinating tactile surfaces.

"The Great Divider project is a range of textile installations designed to enhance the work environment. The project is separated into two different collections. The first range includes handmade felt, to white washed balsa wood. Each individual design is made with texture and light in mind. All pieces let through light and in doing so bring a whole new dimension to not only themselves but the office space. The second collection is a set of wall tiles made from ink dyed balsa wood which have been sanded back and varnished, to create an inspiring display. All of these designs have been made to bring creativity and productivity into the office environment." Fern Slater-Walters

Shiona McMahon

"This is a process driven project analysing how natural dying techniques, such as: rust, fruits, seeds and plants, react differently to a variety of fabrics. I experimented by pushing the boundaries of these techniques while learning to control and replicate shape and pattern. The fabrics I have chosen to use all have their own individual qualities. By using different materials this demonstrates how diverse the techniques change depending on the medium. My collection will aim to show how versatile the processes can be and how they react towards different fabrics. These fabric panels are all natural and are designed to be used as insulation's for commercial interiors market." Shiona McMahon

Rachael Flynn

Rachael Flynn has just graduated in textile design from Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone Art College. Textile design at Dundee is of a fantastic quality and founded on thorough visual research exploring the students chosen subject comprehensively through use of a great variety of media and techniques.

"Focusing on local bird life, I decided to use a reserved colour palate, working largely in monochrome and adding hints of subtle colour to highlight and celebrate the beauty of our British bird life. My visual research has been hugely focused around the idea of fragility; both mirroring the fragility of nature itself and that of the delicate structure of feathers. This inspired my use of silk and silk organza fabrics as these are light and soft. Additionally, I found that the organza added an element of translucence to my work that mirrored the sheer aesthetic of feathers. I also wanted my work to contrast in design; paralleling a literal drawing style which portrays a celebration of the beauty of the British bird life, with a mixed media and illustrative approach that characterises the life and energy of these birds in movement." Rachael Flynn

Rachael focused her attention on birds, her sketchbooks were a rich and delightful exploration of this subject. In her finished designs Rachael chose to use a limited monochrome palette and built up the textile design using silk organza and stitch in technique almost like Japanese sashiko or boro. The finished fabrics mascaraed a simplicity that is beguilingly complex.

Morag Taylor

This is the work of Textile design graduate Morag Taylor you can catch her work as part of the Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art Degree Show at Dundee until Friday the 29th May. 

"I have been exploring form, movement and colour and how they relate to each other through manipulating materials in different ways. Form. Discovering how the form that the fabric takes can be altered through cutting and layering techniques. Movement. The forms come to life through the way that they are held and stretched evolving from flat two-dimensional pieces into new structures. Colour. Inspired by the surface and reflections on water, dying fabric in subtle gradients and solid colours plays an important role in transforming the pieces. The fabrics are layered to have different colours on each side so that when moved the three-dimensional aspect is emphasised. I have made a collection of fabric samples to be developed into wearable pieces." Morag Taylor

Morag Taylor has been exploring slashed fabrics creating form from sheets of fabric through repeated cuts contorting the fabric into a honeycomb or lace-like form. Her work has been inspired by the undulation of water and light refracted on its surface.