Our graduating students have busy working from home as they prepare their final projects for UAL’s Online Graduate Showcase. We spoke to Hope Mhlope, a BA Textile Design student, to find out more about her practice and her final project.
Based in Bournemouth during lockdown, Hope turned her bedroom into a working studio space. She describes her way of working as “free and non-restrictive. Intentionally keeping my outcome open allows me to consider a range of possibilities, letting the work naturally steer the project.” She usually designs as she weaves, adapting her designs while working on the loom and using drawings and images to inform her design choices.
Hope has had to adapt her practice however to working outside of the college studio and workshops, which has meant swapping the loom for developing her digital skills. “By following the textile-specific digital workshops, I have created a collection of repeat digital prints on Adobe Photoshop and Procreate inspired by my research of half tone printing. I will turn these into jacquard woven designs and screen prints once lockdown is over.”
Have these circumstances resulted in any unexpected opportunities, for example, a collaboration or a change in your usual practice and materials you use?
I have continued drawing and adding to my sketchbooks and have experimented with drawing larger than A0 on my bedroom walls which has allowed me to develop my mark making skills. I’ve also been experimenting with a range of pens such as Monster, Molotow and Posca..
Please tell us more about your Graduate Showcase submission.
This work is influenced by my heritage and blackness, with references to female family members, African wax cloth, and textures from neglected halftone printed posters. Inspired by my mark making, the collection reflects my creative processes and includes handweaving, Jacquard design, digital and silkscreen printing.
Whilst wandering the streets of Rome during a recent trip, I came across an abandoned billboard and immediately wanted to see the colours and layers of text beneath. I started ripping down the posters and photographing the layers, taking home the pieces to investigate further. Looking specifically at the halftone printing and ripped paper and observing the contrasting scales of circles, I began making marks.
My dissertation discusses how black women have been removed from the Western media. With this in mind, it was essential for me to document my entire design process; making myself visible creating the work and documenting my creative journey. There is something liberating about being in control of my visibility as a black female creative in a world where black women are invisible.
What career paths are you considering once graduating?
After graduation I would like to work for a weave or print studio as my focus is on gaining as much experience and knowledge as possible in industry. I find Margo Shelby and Maliha Kent’s work really inspiring as they love to use colour, and I would love to work with or learn from them in the near future. I also want to build on my hand weaving and jacquard design skills. My main focus is to gain as much knowledge and experience in industry to one day have my own business. I have kept things quite open and hope to get in contact with Lululemon after selling a sample to them at Première Vision (an important trade show for textiles and the fashion industry that takes place in Paris), in my second year.
Do you have any tips for students – what has helped you remain positive and kept you creating during these usual times?
Stepping away from my laptop screen and allowing myself to do creative projects unrelated to my university work has been a massive help. Planning my time for creative work and breaks has been essential in helping me stay on track, especially when it can be so easy to get distracted at home!
What has been the highlight of studying BA Textile Design at Chelsea?
For me the highlight of the course was the Paris trip to Première Vision in second year. It was great to get away and have the opportunity to present our work professionally, and we gained an insight into working in industry.
Do you have any advice for students considering studying BA Textile Design at Chelsea?
I would advise taking advantage of being in London and visiting museums and galleries regularly for inspiration; there are lots of student discounts available and free exhibitions. Expect to have full creative freedom at Chelsea. To get the most out of the course make use of all the technical support and facilities. Though I specialised as a weaver, I was using the screen printing facilities and designing digital prints. The technical staff were great at helping me develop my weaving, printing and digital skills before and during lockdown.
Follow Hope on Instagram: @hope.textiles