Eleanor Alice Shillitoe
Textiles
Final year project
Intervals of Silence [Read more]
Interval I, II and III
Interval I, II and III are a series of art installation woven paintings. Each woven panel is 130cm x 60cm and features hand-painted silk to create a melded ethereal quality across the weave, whilst deep colour creates a sense of poignancy, evoking an emotive mood. An extra warp of copper wire has been added to the silk ground, reflecting the metals and monument structures found in the grounds of the Arboretum. These artworks aspire to reflect the unique and changing qualities of the place and its wider surroundings.
Interval I detail
A detail showing structural patterning created with the copper wire warp. This central motif is a placement design exploring composition.
Interval II detail
Detail of Interval II woven panel showing the rich colour intensity and variation created through silk painting the warp.
Monument
Individual visual research painting (42.0 x 59.4cm) depicting the mood and atmosphere of my project. This monument alters and changes in a different light and it is this quality I have translated through the use of wire in my painted weaves.
Avenue
Acrylic and oil painting (42.0 x 59.4cm) depicts the vast scale, sense of space and openness of the Arboretum.
Fine Silk Weave with Wire
Woven on an 8 shaft table loom, this weave is woven in fine unspun silk to achieve a metallic sheen. The wire is distorted on top of the silk ground to create a structural feature and a gradation of twills have been used to create a soft undulating ombre.
Single-end Distortion
Hand-dyed ombre warp woven with a fine silk unspun weft, this weave creates a sense of light and depth through tonal hues with floating golden highlights.
Golden Hue
This weave features an extra warp used as a feature on the surface of a blended golden ground creating a shimmering opulent surface reflecting light.
Eleanor Alice Shillitoe
Eleanor takes a multidisciplinary approach to woven textiles. Unconventional materials are combined with silk painting techniques to create art pieces inspired by landscape and memory.
Initial research is developed from original photographs and studies which translate into paintings. The paintings strive to depict a sense of place and capture ephemeral atmospheres through deep melded colour. The interplay between light and darkness creates an emotive mood, encouraging reflection. Unconventional materials are combined with traditional silks creating innovative and contemporary woven art installations.
Intervals of silence is an emotive woven textiles project based upon monuments and memorials located within the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. The Arboretum is a centre of Remembrance, run by a charity and dedicated to those who have lost their lives, through duty or acts of terrorism since WW2. Lives lost in the wider community are also remembered. It is a year-round space to commemorate individuals; a place of reflection and meaning, where monuments provide a focus for everyone.
Final year project
Intervals of Silence
Awards
'21 Diploma in Professional Studies
'20 Designed Gainsborough's wallpaper collection launched in Paris
'19 Milliken commendation for live project
'19 Designs exhibited at Première Vision, Paris
'18 Designs exhibited at Première Vision, Paris
‘21 Winner of Edward Sharp Fund Prize and work purchased by Loughborough University to be exhibited as part of their permanent art collection.
Work Experience
Stephen Walters & Sons (March 2020)
At Stephen Walters & Sons, I assisted with technical and fabric archiving, photography, and liaised with the technical and graphic design teams on studio administrative tasks. I also had the opportunity to work with their sister company, David Walters Interiors taking photographs of their future collections for social media and marketing purposes. Unfortunately, this placement ended early due to the COVID '19 pandemic.
The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company (September 2019 - March 2020)
Gainsborough is a historical fine silk weaving company and dye house which creates some of the finest interior furnishing fabrics. As a design assistant intern, I helped the designers develop a new woodblock printed wallpaper collection which was launching later that year. I also had the opportunity to work on jacquard commission for clients and Gainsborough’s own collection further enhancing my jacquard, technical and CAD skills.
Margo Selby (June 2019- August 219)
As a studio intern for Margo Selby, I had the opportunity to assist with the design process and weave samples for artworks and the studio workshop. Helping with technical woven tasks and preparing for a trade show were also important tasks. This placement gave me a real insight into running a small business at the forefront of creating innovative woven artworks, which is where my interests lie.