Ongoing Sampling with Tapestry Weaving and Inkjet Printing on Cotton Muslin

From my experiencing with inkjet printing on sheer cotton muslin I became progressively aware of the possibilities of integrating tapestry weaving given its loose open weave construction. From this realisation I started to experiment with inkjet-printed muslin using cardboard to support the fragile material. Once adequately supported I explored a range of ways of using weft and warp threads within, through and around the cotton muslin. It felt particularly liberating to move beyond the traditional confines of a wooden frame, to utilise the materials differently. I also played about with the muslin through removing areas of cardboard so the printed muslin could be seen in isolation and its actual brittleness viewed in its entirety. I used a mixture of linen, cotton, and silk threads which either complimented or contrasted with the inkjet prints. I liked the contrasts generated from the threads overlapping the cardboard supported muslin to the free-flowing areas of muslin without cardboard support. The unsupported muslin seemed to relate with the theme of fragility as it would be easily fractured and broken with too much touch. Such fine light weight unsupported muslin reminded me of the fishing nets despite its overall tendency to disintegrate and fray. I felt that such an approach to tapestry weaving related to environmental decline and destruction through too much waste and too little reuse.

From such sampling larger scale options have started to be considered, to further integrate weave and print. The physical properties and qualities of sheer printed cotton muslin will be increasingly investigated through a more in-depth amalgamation of the materials including the deconstruction of muslin and the construction of weave. The visual appearance of such fine light weight muslin lends itself to further separation, disintegration and fragmentation, the fraying qualities will be used to highlight the materials beauty and fragility as it is transformed and translated into larger scale printed and woven textile narratives concerning environmental sustainability.