Peroni Collaborazioni – the final countdown


Peroni Collaborazioni update. We have just eight days until hand-in, My esteemed collaborator Shaun Samson is currently out of town juggling other commitments, and I have a jam-packed week ahead. Oh and then there’s the small matter of how are we going to display our final piece at the showcase event on November 3rd? Ha, no pressure then.

However I have complete faith that all will turn out well. Since my last blog post Shaun has been busy in his lab, trying out a devore process on different fabric samples. We decided that fabric experimentation was going to be our translation of the brief ‘Italian style‘ – a nod to all the innovative textile craftsmanship that has come out of Italy. Using a devore paste, Shaun brushes the chemical on areas of cloth, letting it burn into the fabric, eating away at any plant-based fibres and leaving behind the remains. We tried it on a number of fabrics and as you can see in the pictures and video, it’s quite labour intensive and not that pretty. Ah but wait till you see the final version!

What has been so nice about the project is seeing Shaun’s creative process in action. It’s that thing where you don’t know quite where you’re heading but you play with ideas until you get some results. (This actually means Shaun often works through the night, I guess when you’re on a roll you just have to go with it…)

When we met up last week we also looked at Shaun’s sketches for the shape of the piece and agreed on his signature tunic-shirt shape. Now to get the shirt made up in our hand-made fabric and finished in time for hand-in. It’s the final countdown…