Between The Wars Part 2

Print inspired by The Art Deco movement, planes and machinery. The Art Deco movement (1925 to 1939) was an elegant, functional and modern design style, which celebrated a time of innovation, decoration and decadence. Deco design is characterised by the use of mathematical geometric shapes, symmetry and repetition. Deco influences are found in architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic art, painting, film and fashion.

It is important when designing to look at the work of other designers. I was really inspired by Holly Fulton’s A/W 09 range. Her prints were clearly inspired by the Architecture of The Art Deco era. Her prints are bold, beautiful and brave. I took great inspiration from Fulton’s work.

I was really inspired by a photograph I had taken of a print of a skull and cross bone that decorated a tanker at RAF Cosford.

I began to play around with some designs, I wasn’t really having much luck till I found another photograph from Cosford of an engine I had taken.

I paired the two images together and began altering the scale to see what would work best as a printed length of fabric. After a short while I had a design that I was satisfied with.

I wanted my design to look dark yet delicate and I feel that my final design communicates this; the skull and cross bone is a menacing image that symbolises death and destruction. Ultimately all the planes, tanks and machinery I saw and photographed at RAF Cosford are built for one purpose that purpose is war.

The next step was to get my final design onto a coda trace so it could be exposed onto a slik screen so I could begin to print my final length of fabric.

Final length of fabric.