We are happy to announce that the first Colour in Design Award for 2019 will be made by a hugely talented rising star in the design world; Domenica Landin. Spotted by CIDA at the Future Heritage exhibition curated by Corinne Julius for Decorex 2018 her fluid metal sculptural work glowed with colour and vibrancy, stopping everyone in their tracks.
We caught up with Domenica to find out more about her and we will be following her progress whilst she makes the award over the next few months. Read on and watch this
1. Where did you study and what was the course title
I studied Textiles at the Royal College of Art.
2. Name of your lecturer – course tutor
My course tutor was Dr Lynn Tandler.
3. Creative mission statement
I once read an interview that Olafur Eliasson did for the Guardian, where he mentioned that (in the context of creating art) when having an idea, intuition, feeling, or subconscious thought, it is better to go back and ask where it came from than to immediately decide where it is about to go. This thought gave me the encouragement to follow a creative path where I reflect more on the intention behind my work, as when you are certain about where you come from, all the rest will follow the main purpose. This is the statement that now drives me creatively.
4. What is your main source of creative inspiration?
Different things inspire me. From a visual point of view, I am interested in seriality, repetition, and progression. I usually look at structures in material objects or systems. On the other hand, from a more conceptual aspect, I am interested in spatial and perceptual experimentation. For example, how the properties of light might alter how we perceive our surroundings.
5. How important is colour in your work and how do you choose and narrow down colours?
After coming across Lois Swirnoff’s theory of Dimensional Colour, which states that colour should be considered as an additional physical dimension alongside other more commons aspects of a shape, such as height, width, and depth, I began to consider colour more seriously. I now seek to explore how colour informs volumes and spaces.
When narrowing down my colour palette I use an intuitive approach. I usually print out my designs and put them on the wall. During this process, I try to understand what the colour is telling me in relation to the material, shape, and concept of my work. If a colour doesn't seem to contribute to this purpose, I start to slowly reduce my colour palette.
6. Tell us about our creative process.
At first, I start off by doing textbook and visual research. This process usually takes me a long time. I try as much as I can to talk to people from different areas of expertise to reflect on my work from different points of view. Along with this process, I explore material and visual narratives by doing mood boards and rough material experiments. This is followed by a thorough process of selecting materials, reflecting on the concept, and editing the work. When concept and material seem to be coherent, I can start prototyping.
7. What are you working on now?
I am currently freelancing and developing print work for a couple of companies. I am also working on different applications for open calls and competitions.
8. Where do you want to be in 3 years’ time?
I would like to be working as an installation artist and running my own art practice. I would also like to be exploring different mediums, scale, and doing collaborations with different professionals. I am also hoping to start exploring education as a career.
9. Creative high point?
During the final year of my degree, when I realised I didn’t have to force myself to use yarn to represent my work. This is when I started to think about textiles in an abstract way and came across the aluminium I currently use in my work.
10. Creative low point?
I struggled to contextualise my work, as in terms of process, I was somewhere in between textiles and sculpture. I was trying very hard to fit into a category and repeatedly found myself apologising for not fitting in any. It was only when I stopped caring about categories and labels when my work started to take shape.
11. Is there one person during your studies/life who has really made a difference to your success? – Maybe in terms of encouraging you when you were at a low point, pushing you in different directions, unlocking your potential, etc.
During my academic path, inspiring tutors, classmates, and friends supported my work, and gave my strong words of encouragement that push me to keep following my vision. There is one tutor in particular, Neil Musson, who contributed to the way I now approach textiles. We discussed the idea of thinking of textiles as a way of creative thinking. Textiles can be about tactility, perception, and bringing different materials and processes together. All these concepts can be abstracted and applied in a figurative way to open new dialogues in the field of textiles.
12. What makes you really happy?
Times when I do activities that inspire my creativity and purpose. For example, watching a good movie or performance, visiting an inspiring exhibition, reading a good book, etc. I recently went to the Space Shifters exhibition at the Hayward Gallery and found myself filled with new thoughts and ideas. When the input is fulfilling, I feel inspired and happy for days.
13. What is your favourite colour?
Blue. I feel there’s a figurative depth to the colour blue that links to my interests on space and visual perception.
Image credits: Pengduowen Li, Ivy H. Lin
Social media: @nikari_o
Website: domenicalandin.com
Email: domenicalandinb@gmail.com