YEAR 11 Fashion and Textiles students got the chance to work with the designer Jennifer Sturrock when they visited London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Jennifer is a designer, educator and writer within the realms of research, public engagement and creative facilitation. Working in a diverse range of environments, her background in Fashion and Textile design led to programme design, development and communication within the arts. She now specialises in design process, creative direction, editorial content, presentation, workshop facilitation and brand experience.
The workshop activity involved research in the exhibition, entitled ‘Fashion in Nature’, followed by a masterclass where King’s Ely students produced sculptural garment designs exploring new methods of construction. Group and one-to-one discussion supported this exciting development of ideas.
Director of Art at King’s Ely, Alison Rhodes, said: “This was a valuable opportunity to work with a successful designer. Jennifer said she felt our students were highly skilled, enthusiastic designers and that they were not afraid to take risks with the garments they produced. They worked in a professional manner throughout the day and their outcomes were extremely inventive, showing both strength and determination.
“This experience was further enhanced by a visit to the temporary exhibition ‘Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up’, which tells the story of her life through more than 200 of her personal artefacts and clothing, many of which haven’t been displayed outside of Mexico.
“It really was an absolute pleasure to see our students produce such ambitious work and how this is now contributing to current coursework.”