This semester I am exploring ways to represent vibrations through textiles. What does sound look like? How can you make it visible? These are two questions I want to investigate. Vibration to me is the graphic of sound waves, molecules pushing together and spreading apart, ripples in water and color interactions. Finally, vibration as a mechanical process, as in felting is of interest to me.
I began on the passap exploring knit tuck structures to create vertical and horizontal striping. Then, I looked at space dyed yarns, knitting them with a white filament yarn, so they appear to float. I was pleased with the movement created by the space dye yarn density.
I am also exploring the depiction of how waves are affected by what they impact, how they bend or are otherwise distorted. I want to make something that's both a concept and a process - something you can do to the fabric.Vibration of wool fabric will cause it to felt. I’ve felted a number of pieces and plan to create fabric with alternating "waves" of wool and non-felting material so that when it is agitated the fabric will have a wavelike surface.
Vibration can be defined in physics as an oscillation of a substance - solid, liquid or gas - whose equilibrium has been disturbed, or of an electromagnetic wave. Informal usage refers to a person's emotional state, the atmosphere of a place, or the associations of an object, as communicated to and felt by others. I am interested in exploring this sometimes invisible but ever present phenomenon.
