Final year project
One Year [Read more]
One Year: Close-up of Patchwork Quilt #1
My quilt is unfinished as of the time of uploading these pictures. This is a close-up of the upper-quarter of my 210x100 cm quilt. The quilt will be exhibited on a bed.
I am heavily influenced by my own diary, where I doodle, write, and collage images and patterns. I transferred these elements into my quilt as well through applique, embroidery, and embroidered text. Since my work tackles both my experience in lockdown and craft discourse, I chose to also represent the theme of domesticity. One way of doing this was deploying household materials, or “found canvases”, such as pieces of blankets, tablecloths, rags, tea towels and pillowcases. I was inspired to do this by artist Orly Cogan, who tackles the same theme in her fibre art.
One Year: Close-up of Patchwork Quilt #2
Since the quilt acts as my lockdown diary, I discuss personal issues I had to tackle in 2020-2021, mostly spurred by spending excessive time indoors with nothing better to do than over analyse and fixate on petty problems. In this case, I am retelling my struggles with my body image, which reemerged in quarantine. By representing a patch showing the Instagram interface, I am acknowledging the impact of technology on my state of being in a time where I spent too much time on my phone.
One Year: Close-up of Patchwork Quilt #3
Through a mix of dark angular and fluid shapes, I aim to represent a moment of tension.
One Year: Stitch Detail #1
One Year: Stitch Detail #2
Alexandra Mitrutoiu
I created a diary quilt documenting my experience in lockdown.
I am a fibre and digital artist, passionate about craft discourses, having written my First-class dissertation on its relevance in the age of manufacture. I combine all three elements in my final project: a patchwork quilt detailing my experience in lockdown, with each patch acting like a diary page.
Throughout my years in university, hours upon hours of hand-embroidery developed my acute eye for details and my perseverance. With my placement year at MTC Coventry, where half of my tasks pertained to digital design, I became versed in both traditional and digital art. In lockdown, I further worked on digital design, illustration, and video editing, which you can find on my Instagram or Youtube.
I took this interdisciplinary approach in my last year of university, where I created prototypes and drawings digitally, which I then transferred into my fibre art.
In my year at MTC Coventry I collaborated with various departments for creative projects. My involvement with the Media and Marketing team opened my eyes to this domain, which I would like to pursue after graduating. So, I enrolled into the Digital Media and Society MA at Loughborough. I hope to combine my MA and my BA and start a career in creative marketing or art directing after I finish my studies.
Final year project
One Year
Work Experience
On my placement year, I was Artist in Residence at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Coventry. MTC develops and provides innovative manufacture technology, in affiliation with the industry, academia, and other institutions. So I was part of an eclectic environment of engineers, researchers, designers, marketers, and many others. I worked alongside another Loughborough Fine Art student .
We primarily had to create artworks to decorate their numerous interior spaces. Moreover, we were there to offer creative solutions to other departments, organise art-related events, and do whatever creative miscellaneous task we were given. For example, I undertook the creation of media content such as brochures, booklets, newsletter formats, and event banners/posters, since I was versed in digital design and illustration. We also organised art-therapy workshops.
The highlight of my placement year was curating an exhibition showcasing Loughborough Fine Art students and MTC employees. Hard work and close collaboration with many departments had gone into the event. The evening was a success, with 50 artworks and 80 attendees, fine catering, an open bar, and an overall inviting atmosphere for students to network with industry professionals while showcasing their art.
In 2017, I completed a one-month internship at Carioca Studio, the biggest creative advertising company in Eastern Europe. Founded by Graphic Arts graduates Dragos Traistaru, Andrei Stoleru and Dragos Coman, the company’s philosophy relies on applying the creative background of its founders to advertising, resulting in state-of-the-art campaigns for high-profile clients like Heineken, Nissan Patrol, Vodafone, and Pepsi. As intern, I shadowed the Graphic Design and Marketing departments, as well as assisted on set, helping assemble the lighting and photography equipment. I learned how to use software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Z-Brush, as well as observed the decisions made in imagery and typography that contributed to successful marketing campaigns. It was there that I realised how powerful digital media was in informing the public’s decisions, patterns of consumption, and opinions.