The choice of my final dissertation proposal hasn’t been obvious and immediate from the start. In fact, at a certain point, I decided to take a step back and observe more objectively who I am as an artist and where I am heading to.
I started at Cardiff Met as a Textile Designer and discovered myself, one year and a half later, to be half way towards being a Maker. I take inspiration from my surroundings, both physical and digital, to create not only decorative, but also useful artefacts combining different techniques acquired during my studies. I also understood the importance of the awareness regarding Eco sustainable practices, in a time where the textile industry is one of the most polluting ones and where the design process of an artefact is the first step to make the difference regarding all of its life cycle. I also wanted to create something to which I could apply all my skills in combination with different techniques and materials such as paper/fabric manipulation, stitch, print, laser cutting, ceramic and woodwork, to name a few. It is already some years i had in the back of my head to create a room divider and once i started the total overview of my research, it just seemed the perfect product to see applied my knowledge to, in the most creative way i could imagine. My chosen product is, in fact a useful, decorative and versatile artefact that can be easily adapted to different spaces which translates into the possibility to also have more variations of it. Sustainable is another important keyword of my course of study and thanks to the high number of charity shops around South Wales I have the opportunity to employ only, or mainly, reclaimed materials in the creation of my artefacts. This leads to the possibility of an unlimited range of different materials leading to unique, hand made products.
Second of all it is also important for me to not only design a decorative and useful product but also one that has the potential to sells. A medium-high end quality product that I can have as a side job while working for others, in order to achieve the necessary experience to enter and get to know my market, before becoming a 24/7 self employed. A first research in the Furniture market seems, at first glimpse, to support my choice, giving reassuring numbers. According to Statista, in fact, the revenue in the Furniture market amounts to US$ 313.139m in 2018 with an annually growth of 2%.
Pinterest research on room dividers/screens:
Having said that I am totally open to modify or change my chosen product if by any chance I step into essential elements able to influence the outcome I am expecting to achieve.
Anda Avramescu 