For my final year project, I chose The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, reinterpreted in 1970s India for Contemporary/ Bollywood dance. This provided a challenge for me; pushing my creativity, imagination and design skills further. This novel provided the opportunity to design for both human and animal characters, allowing full exploration in how these could be perceived on the human form. Choosing the Design with Textiles pathway afforded me the chance to explore unique underwater textiles and add detail to my characters’ designs. Lockdown enabled me to think alternatively, taking everyday objects and creating exciting forms with them. This resulted in experimental 3D embroidery being a key feature within my designs, enabling clear recognition of the characters’ underwater location. The use of CAD has been vital this year, due to limited access to campus, providing me with an alternative tool to create textile pieces. Blending the 1970s with Indian culture and the underwater theme, all while making it suitable for dance, provided an exciting challenge in terms of silhouette and patterns. Throughout my degree, I have expanded my knowledge in construction, design and textiles with a particular focus on the development of my embroidery skills and CAD expertise.
