Different materials and substances can possess very different properties. Latex for example can be natural, synthetic or artificial, and be employed for a wide range of items and objects.
Natural latex consists of rubber in particle form in an aqueous base or milky serum and is obtained by tapping the Hevea Brasiliensis tree. This concoction containing water, rubber and solids including resinous and proteinous materials, ash and sugars in roughly equal amounts is employed to produce natural rubber, a substance we encounter in our lives in mattresses, gloves and balloons, just to mention a few items. Guinan An, a graduate from the MA Textile Futures programme at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design has been exploring further the possibilities of latex.
An's "Latex Exposed" project consists indeed in challenging natural latex and our preconceptions about this material: by microwaving latex coloured with dyes obtained from vegetables, the artist and designer created a series of vessels and a collection of jewellery pieces.
All the designs made with this technique represent the changes latex goes through. Naural latex is indeed concentrated by three main methods - centrifuging, evaporation and creaming, An seems to have found a new way to concentrate it and reinvent its properties, experimenting with it and giving it an innovative consistency and unexpected texture.
Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Guinan An: I was born in China and grew up in a small village near the city of Haerbin in the North Eastern province of Heilongjiang. Rural Heilongjiang is a beautiful place with mountains, forests and rivers, though it can get extremely cold in winters, sometimes as low as -35C°! My early schooling was in China, but I moved to the UK to attend college. I lived in Edinburgh, where I studied English, and Manchester, where I studied Business, IT and Fashion & Clothing for four years. More recently, I stayed in London, where I completed a BA in Surface Textiles for Fashion at London College of Fashion in 2008, and I have now just completed my MA in Textile Futures at Central Saint Martins. I currently live just outside London where I am considering my next project and future direction.
What prompted you to follow the Textile Futures course?
Guinan An: I was initially attracted to the course by the idea of trying to form a link between Science and Art. This is a narrow interpretation of the course, which looks at much more than just the links between art and science, but it was my first impression. I interpreted the course as looking to the future and trying to incorporate modern developments in material technology, for example, into artistic design. Personally, I love to experiment with materials, generally just to see what I can do and what kind of new and interesting forms I can create. Textile Futures seemed to offer an underlying reason for doing this: the idea that the world is developing rapidly, scientifically, socially, economically, and that art and design should keep up and even try to jump ahead of the curve.
What's the most important thing you learnt there?
Guinan An: So many things! I think some of the most important learnings I have taken are the importance of a solid concept from which subsequent designs can flow, the value of an interconnecting idea or theme that flows through all the work, pieces and activities in a project (it can be a tenuous link - in some ways it should be tenuous and stretch the imagination), and that such a link forms a personalised foundation and a lens through which further ideas can be channelled and brought into clean focus.
What inspired you to start experimenting with latex?
Guinan An: The concept uncerlying my work was that there is so much more we can do with materials with which we are - or we think we are - already familiar. Latex is a common material, we all know it and we all imagine it in a certain way, generally the same way (a membrane, like a ballon or surgical glove, for example). The attraction of working with latex stood in the fact that I could do other things with it, I could treat it differently, act as though it was a completely new material - my preparation of the samples looked indeed a lot more like "cookery" than anything else - and therefore produce different results. What I have tried to capture is the idea that new, unexpected results can be found by simply looking at common materials in different ways. Exploration is always possible.
Which were the properties of latex that fascinated you the most?
Guinan An: The versatility of the material, as well as what it is. Natural latex has many properties, for trees and plants it is both a healing element and a defensive one and for me natural latex is both very resilient and environmentally sustainable, and can handle many forms. I was able to create hard, robust pieces as well as soft malleable items. And different treatment and preparation of the latex meant that from the same amount of the same material I could design items of vastly different characteristics: create vessels, accessories, even shoes started to emerge.
Did you find any stages of the latex project difficult or challenging?
Guinan An: Indeed! But that’s part of the fun. A large part of my processes were in microwaving the latex, but to determine the right methods of preparation, the right microwave power, the right microwave duration (and small changes in these factors lead to very different results...) required a lot of experimenting, a lot of trial and error phases and improvement processes. Many unexpected outcomes were uncovered in surprising ways (the moulding materials used and small additives to the latex dramatically affect the properties of the material, for example) and one challenge was continually incorporating these discoveries into my designs. Additionally, one core principle of my project was to use all natural materials (for the latex this was relatively easy as natural latex is available) and this meant a great deal of thought needed to go into my colourings. In fact, the dyes in my final pieces are homemade (our of fruit and vegetables) to guarantee the sustainability of the work.
You did jewellery but also vessels using latex: do you see yourself more like an artist or a fashion/accessory designer?
Guinan An: I think that if anything I see myself as a designer more than an artist, but I don’t think I’ve ever made a conscious distinction in my mind. I let my work carry me in whichever direction it takes and every project I have ever done has involved me in studying, learning (and developing) new techniques and skills. This project was more about design, and materials, the next could be about anything. But my passion is for developing materials, doing new things with materials and trying to find new and sometimes unusual applications for materials, so I probably am leaning more towards design in this manner.
Which disciplines inform your work apart from fashion and art, science?
Guinan An: I try not to restrict myself to disciplines deliberately (though obviously my own experiences and abilities do this for me in many ways), but yes, science plays an increasingly larger role in my work and in the way I develop my concepts. In my most recent projects I have generally started with some scientific premise, and made an effort to research and understand the scientific theories behind the concepts. For example, my short project on Magnetism, though eventually moving more towards an aesthetic outcome, was grounded in the science and I spent time studying the theory of magnetism (which is actually very interesting, but also complicated!). I like the idea that science can inform art and hope that art can also inform science (and particularly like the idea that the two areas should be intertwined and not separate, something I think we will see more and more of in the near future).
Is there a material you'd like to experiment with in future?
Guinan An: There is no material I would not like to experiment with! Magnetic materials are very much on my mind at the moment, but I would like to spend time experimenting with all materials.
What are your future plans?
Guinan An: To continue working on projects, playing with materials and producing designs based on the less familiar properties of certain materials, exhibiting the results on my website and at design fairs. I am considering taking on freelance work at the moment, but am open to any opportunities that may come along.
All images in this post courtesy of Guinan An; "Latex Exposed" video by Ossi Jalkanen.
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