Mair Cook
MA Textile Design
I am interested in the life of everyday things: the stories they tell and withhold, how they move and may move us, how they behave or misbehave. Objects are our steadfast relations. My designs are rooted in a commitment to utility and beauty, explored through colour, pattern and contrast. Through slow and patient hand-weaving, I craft household sculptures in surprising material combinations. Functional and poetic pieces to live with and to love.
My central motive is to unearth what objects mean to us and how that very meaningfulness could be an answer to more sustainable design and living. I attempt to make or mend thoughtfully designed objects, that will be cherished and preserved precisely because they harness an enduring empathy in the user. I endeavour to strengthen the person/thing bond.
My final Masters collection, Objects as Companions, is a family of three domestic objects: a stool, a hanging room divider and a light piece. I referenced the stripe, colour and undulating form of the ribbon, hinting at the ribbon’s historical, romantic connotations within my designs. Playing with material oxymoron and clashing pattern, my objects exist in a multitude of contradiction, reflecting back at us our complicated humanity. I have loved my objects into life, and now they offer up their companionship; to be used, to be loved.
