Costume Designer Sarina Hosking discusses flocking Flocked Shahnoza —Julian Opie exhibition! Flock Friendly Group Welcome The 3rd Flock Friendly Group newsletter evidences the continued popularity of the Flockage exhibition in Bournemouth until 9th Sep- tember 2008. We continue to highlight news relating to flock activi- ties and developments and we are pleased to showcase designers and artists who use flock in their work. We also highlight new flock finds - flocked items that we’ve discovered in a variety of contexts. Flock appears in so many different places and it is al- ways a delight to come across different examples of flock’s use. Recently, whilst staying at the refurbished Holiday Inn, in Central Birmingham, it was a surprise to draw back the heavy luscious curtains to find the familiar furry feel of flock . Replacing the tradi- tional lined curtain backings, flock is used to provide insu- lating and darkening proper- ties - most effectively too. Whilst common in curtains internationally, it is perhaps less common to find flocked curtains in the UK. Flocking lovely! tended show until 11th Sep- tember 2008. This exhibition apparently is the world’s first ever cross-discipline flock exhibition. It continues to enjoy large visitor numbers and receives great comments from visitors—confirming that flock is very much loved by audiences of all ages. We’ve recently been con- tacted by the press agent of internationally renowned art- ist Julian Opie regarding his forthcoming exhibition - Flocked Shahnoza. Opie is a popular artist and his work includes the 2005 album cover for UK band Blur. Flocked Shahnoza runs at Alan Cristea Gallery from 13 October to 15 No- vember 2008. Flockage: the flock phe- nomenon exhibition at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK enjoys its ex- Volume 1 , Issue 3 August 2008 Contents Hanna Tonek Bonnett 2 1950’s flock 3 Internet auctions 3 News 4 Flock Friendly Group 4 ‘My work is very decorative and textured, so I’m always experi- menting with new ways of creat- ing depth in a garment. Flocking is a fantastic way of adding pat- tern, texture, colour and depth to a piece of cloth, bringing it to life in an instant. Flocking can be applied through a free hand method, or a screen print. I found that using a screen print was much more effective in my work, as it added a more de- fined edge to the pattern. Flocking can be a messy process, and not many places have the right equipment to do this, so I was very fortunate to have ac- cess to the equipment at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth (AIB) where I was able to experiment with many different techniques and colours. Another way in which I use tex- ture in my work is through fabric manipulation and appliqué. Com- bining this with flocking gives a very artistic and ‘painted’ effect on fabric. I am currently working at Glyndebourne Opera House making costumes in the ladies wear department, as well as set- ting up my own business making decorative corsets to measure for weddings and special occasions.’ [email protected]Fig 1: example of Sarina’s corsets with appliqué Sarina graduated 1987 from BA(Hons) Costume for the Screen and Stage, AIB. To see more: myspace blog and fan page: www.myspace.com/sarinapoppy http://www.facebook.com/pages/SarinaPoppy-theatrical- couture-bespoke-corset-designer/11117029454
Transcript
Costume Designer Sarina Hosking discusses f locking
Flocked Shahnoza—Julian Opie exhibit ion!
Flock Friendly Group
Welcome The 3rd Flock Friendly Group newsletter evidences the continued popularity of the Flockage exhibition in Bournemouth until 9th Sep-tember 2008.
We continue to highlight news relating to flock activi-ties and developments and we are pleased to showcase designers and artists who use flock in their work.
We also highlight new flock finds - flocked items that we’ve discovered in a variety of contexts.
Flock appears in so many different places and it is al-ways a delight to come across different examples of flock’s use.
Recently, whilst staying at the refurbished Holiday Inn, in Central Birmingham, it was a surprise to draw back the heavy luscious curtains to find the familiar furry feel of flock . Replacing the tradi-tional lined curtain backings, flock is used to provide insu-lating and darkening proper-ties - most effectively too. Whilst common in curtains internationally, it is perhaps less common to find flocked curtains in the UK.
Flocking lovely!
tended show until 11th Sep-tember 2008. This exhibition apparently is the world’s first ever cross-discipline flock exhibition. It continues to enjoy large visitor numbers and receives great comments from visitors—confirming that flock is very much loved by audiences of all ages.
We’ve recently been con-tacted by the press agent of internationally renowned art-ist Julian Opie regarding his forthcoming exhibition -Flocked Shahnoza.
Opie is a popular artist and his work includes the 2005 album cover for UK band
Blur. Flocked Shahnoza runs at Alan Cristea Gallery from 13 October to 15 No-vember 2008.
Flockage: the flock phe-nomenon exhibition at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK enjoys its ex-
V o l u m e 1 , I s s ue 3 A u g u s t 2 0 0 8
I nside this issue:
Contents
Hanna Tonek Bonnett 2
1950’s flock 3 Internet auctions 3 News 4 Flock Friendly Group 4
‘My work is very decorative and textured, so I’m always experi-menting with new ways of creat-ing depth in a garment. Flocking is a fantastic way of adding pat-tern, texture, colour and depth to a piece of cloth, bringing it to life in an instant.
Flocking can be applied through a free hand method, or a screen print. I found that using a screen print was much more effective in my work, as it added a more de-fined edge to the pattern.
Flocking can be a messy process, and not many places have the right equipment to do this, so I was very fortunate to have ac-cess to the equipment at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth (AIB)where I was able to experiment with many different techniques and colours.
Another way in which I use tex-ture in my work is through fabric manipulation and appliqué. Com-bining this with flocking gives a very artistic and ‘painted’ effect on fabric. I am currently working at Glyndebourne Opera House making costumes in the ladies wear department, as well as set-ting up my own business making decorative corsets to measure for weddings and special occasions.’ [email protected]
Fig 1: example of Sarina’s corsets with appliqué
Sarina graduated 1987 from BA(Hons) Costume for the Screen and Stage, AIB. To see more: myspace blog and fan page: www.myspace.com/sarinapoppy
started flocking in the first place was due to the lack of textures and colours combined with ceramics. I always had a passion for bold colours and also I was very interested in the way mixed media interacted.. Flock brought me the dimension, colour and tex-ture that I was looking for. I suppose as I was self taught how to use the flock gun I developed different ways to apply flock in layers of shades of colour and I made up patterns etc. that made me bend any flocking rules ever written - ie flocking on interiors of products in shades etc. I can talk for hours about flock but this is a little of how flock took a place in my heart.
Exciting creative developments exist within flocking and a range of talented artists, craftspeople and designers em-brace flock lovingly in their creative work. In recent months we discovered the work of Hanna Tonek Bonnett, a UK based Swedish designer whose love of flock means that her designs exalt the beauti-ful qualities of flock and her enquiring approach to working with flock produces some innovative results. We invited Hanna to tell us more about her love of flock. Hanna writes: ’The first time that I remember getting in touch with flock was when I was a young
girl in my home town of Sweden when someone had flocked the exterior of a car. I remember it was so strange touching it. It was soft—cars are not meant to be soft. I designed a flock award for the English office of Government Com-merce in 2003. The design was called ‘Thanks a Billion’ (see figure below). About a year earlier I actu-ally bought my first flocking gun on a bidding site of all places, and may I add I have never seen one on there since. One of the strongest reasons why I
items are also available at Designer Guild, Kings Road, London and Kelly Hopper, London and Fifi and Ally in Glasgow.
It may be that Mick Jagger has a few of Hanna’s A rush of plush softboxes!
The flocked fox wall mount offers a pleasing take on the classic stag head taxidermy wall trophies; its bright fuch-sia colouring adds a quirky twist to inte-rior design.
Thanks a Billion Award by Hanna, 2003
Hanna studied BA (Hons) Ceramic De-sign at Central St. Martins. Her final year show was called ‘A rush of plush’ and included a range of porcelain bowls and vases with flock designs.
More about Hanna and her work…….. http://hannatonekbonnett.blogspot.com/
To purchase Hanna’s designs please see 12 Degrees Gallery, 46a George Street, Edinburgh. They stock wilma and wilbur tealight holders, saga vases and hernew teatime cups. Hanna’s
Hanna Tonek Bonnett: Love at First Flock
Page 2 Flock Friendly Group
and out the skirt layer above.
One lovely example is a petticoat worn by my mother when she was a teenager in the ‘50’s - and was subsequently kept stored and pristine by my grandmother. It incorporates a decorative blue and white flocked border that stands proud from the net and nylon base.. The gar-ment is in great shape and is a fine ex-ample of flock at its best. Carefully washed recently, it was surprising to find that that this mid -century flock did not dissolve or float from the petticoats’ sur-face. The petticoat is ever-ready for duty.
Fig. below: detail of petticoat. Image:KH
Fifties fashions often incorporated flock to add interesting surface details and decorative finish to garments. The popu-larity of flock in post-war fashions is evi-dent across a wide variety of garments that survive today in museums and per-sonal collections.
In particular, flock decoration is often found on dresses - from light nylon sum-mer dresses to sumptuous ball gowns. Beneath the layers of 1950’s dresses there exists further evidence of fifties fashion fascination with flock - the flocked petticoat.
The petticoat was a popular fashion item
that was worn beneath dress skirts to create a voluminous airy appearance to help accentuate the silhouette.
Petticoats were produced in a variety of fabrics—from cotton to paper-nylon—and provided a decorative finish to glam-our dressing. When dancing, the glimpse of a petticoat as it swooshed out beneath the main skirt added an extra swish to the outfit.
1950’s petticoats often sported flock details in surprisingly intricate decorative designs. Flock offered a cheap surface finish but also provided a certain stiff-ness to fabrics which helped to hold up
Finding Flock For flock collectors who hunt for unusual flocked examples, internet auction sites can offer some very interesting exam-ples.
The search through various international auction sites reveals a wealth of flocked examples for sale. Using search terms flocked, flock and fuzzy wuzzy can help highlight items.
Many sellers are unable to identify flock -sometimes this can be a bonus but oc-casionally it can be disappointing when a purchased item arrives and is not flock. As flock is often misunderstood as dam-ask or velvet, care has to be taken in ensuring the item for sale is indeed flocked..
Certain flocked items always appear to be available: inflatable mattresses, cur-tains, table runners and flocked lingerie. Browsing the auction listings uncovers unusual items too- especially when look-ing through American listings.
A recent ebay purchase (see figure left) is a pretty flamingo - a nodding/bobbing head ornament that is an unusual take on the common nodding-head dogs.
Internet auctions Internet auctions enable virtual shopping and the opportunity to browse through a myriad of items from international sell-ers. Here we highlight some information re-garding some internet auction sites —please note that we do not endorse these sites and cannot be held responsi-ble for your use of them. The information is provided to highlight possible sources where flock can be tracked down. eBay Founded in 1985 eBay is apparently the world’s most successful internet auction site. uBid specialistauctions.com This site allows you to snap up items without the bidding process. AuctionAddict.com For further information see: http://auctions.nettop20.com/
Fashion 1950’s underskir t
Page 3 Flock Friendly Group
Newsletter We aim to publish the next newsletter at the end of September 2008. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter please email Kirsten with news, questions and images accord-ingly: [email protected] We are particularly keen to feature crea-tive work with flock -design, artwork, fashions etc. and to showcase the work of manufacturers of flock and flocked products. The newsletter is distributed digitally and enjoys a wide international distribution. Readers are many and the newsletter reaches wide and diverse audiences.
Manufacture
The flock industry provides important and exciting methods of flocking and creates a wealth of flocked products which are evident across a variety of contexts.
The interiors of car glove boxes and the furry strips of car window trims often show how flock is used as a quality finish to minimise wear, to avoid vibration and to offer protection.
We’d like to feature as many examples from the flocking industry to show how and where flock is manufactured and used.
We’ve great contact with a number of international companies and aim to fea-ture their work within the newsletter. We are always keen to here from manufac-turers!
In search of flock…… A recent visit to the Magma Product Shop in London revealed a clutch of green flocked ‘Moss’ pencils on sale. Designed by Sirampuch Samumpai from Thailand, the pencils are wonderfully furry and evidence an unusual use of flock. At a £1.00 each , these wonderfully extravagant items offer cheap gifts for those who love a bit of flock.
Magma sells design books, publications and unusual design items. The shops are great for clever ideas, design books and magazines.
These pencils were purchased at the Magma Product shop:
MAGMA 16 Earlham Street,, Covent Garden London WC2H 9LN 0207240 7571
The Flock Friendly Group (FFG) has been formed as a specialist interest group to promote and celebrate all things flock. The FFG aims to provide a meeting point where flock can be shared - to develop and en-courage an interest in flock and its history and uses; to further the under-standing, appreciation and enjoyment of flock by all. The FFG aims to bring together people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of interest and experience in flock to promote and disseminate their personal and professional flock experiences. The FFG as a forum aims to provide information and to link artists, designers, manufacturers, organisations, institutions, researchers and scholars etc; to contribute to flock’s promotion and development internationally. The FFG aims to create a series of future flock-related events and activi-ties to further promote and celebrate flock. It is hoped that an annual flock meeting will be established to encourage wider awareness and ap-preciation of flock cross discipline and cross culture – to bring together flock fanatics and flock experts. If you are interested in joining the Flock Friendly Group please contact us. Flock Friendly Group Membership is free. We’d like to include your flock news, views, activities and devel-opments in future newsletters. We’d particularly like to showcase the work of designers, artists, craftspeople and companies that work with flock. Should you be interested in holding the flock exhibition at your venue - or be interested in a flock workshop - please contact us. If you have images, text, information or web links please contact us so we can feature accordingly. We look forward to hearing from you! Kirsten Hardie [email protected] Pam Langdown [email protected]
Brown Abrams, President of Colorado based FiberLok company USA reports that the company has 10 flock-related USA patents that have been allowed and will issue or have just issued (this does not include foreign filings and issued patents). The company expect to be quite busy with the launch and commercialization of these new technologies which relate to their core capability—multicolor flock printing. For more information about the com-pany please see: http://www.fiberlok.com/
