Artist Statement
Excerpt from Degree Show statement 2010
‘An Imperfect World’
Textiles for Interiors by Jennifer Slattery
My home once belonged to my grandmother and is resonant with echoes of her life. From small vases, to peculiar ornaments and odd objects, I am reminded of generations past. These odd trinkets link to the past memories and moments, although they may be worthless in monetary value, they are precious and are cherished as heirlooms are. With a focus on Interiors, I am interested in exploring the juxtaposition of two approaches to surface pattern. Firstly, as a textured collaged surface, and secondly as a bold graphic style. I enjoy detail and exploiting visual elements, which are unexpected. I am attracted to flaws, broken edges and the imperfections that exude ‘character’. I strive for a strong sense of atmosphere in my work. I am attracted to mood and feeling that can be created visually by use of colour and the mixed media processes of building up layers; like the charm of an old wall, the worn out layers peel back revealing history and change, a history of the people that have been before and their personal stamp on a space.
I have spent time at the Herbarium in the Botanical Gardens in Dublin drawing and photographing dried plants, which have been collected for centuries and are now catalogued and arranged in albums and drawers in accordance with the botanical system of classification. Over a million species are carefully stored here, some as whole, roots intact. There is a sense of the collectors who attentively gathered these plants, their hand written description of where and when the species was found, many dating back around two hundred years. This intriguing connection with the collector is comparable with reading someone’s diary of secret obsession. The faded writing and fatigued colours of the herbarium conjure an intriguing sense of history and of heritage. Similarly, my grandmother’s objects provoke an awareness of time and of loss, yet of connection to the past. Objects deteriorate and are eroded by time, flowers whither after a brief existence but these are delicately preserved, frozen in time holding imperative information. The fragility of dried flowers and plants bear striking contradiction, they are fragile yet have a life of their own, graceful and airless, like ghosts of faded glamour. Excerpt from Statement of Intent for Textiles Degree Show May 2010
Shows and Exhibitions
Graduate Design Awards Exhibition, Institute of Designers in Ireland:
Dec 2010 - Jan 2011, The Glasnevin Museum, Dublin.
Nov 1-7 2010, Design Week, Wandesford Quay Gallery, Cork.
Awards
Nov 2010 - Feb 2011 Awarded Bursary, Leonardo Da Vinci Training placement, Whiston & Wright Textile Studio, London.
July 2010 - 'Highly Commended', Institute of Designers in Ireland for pieces of work from Degree show 'An Imperfect World'
2009 - 'Runner Up', House & Home Student Design Awards in conjunction with Crafts Council of Ireland.
Qualifications
First Class Hons BDes (Hons) Textile Design, NCAD, 2010.
First Class Hons BA Graphic Design, LYIT, 2002.
Contact Details
Ireland
jenslattery@yahoo.comwww.jenniferslatterytextiles.com