Independent Primary/Secondary Research Project

The brief for our next project was so find a place where you feel inspired and collect research to develop into ideas for our sketchbooks. I'd always been inspired by the Native Americans, the way they'd use natural resources to make clothes, jewellery and their equipment to hunt or cook. I looked for exhibits/collections in the London and saw the British History Museum had a collection on Native American which was great. I went around taking pictures and doing a few sketches. One thing I noticed at the museum was that there was alot of decoration in the things they made. It was interesting to read how they would make beads from shells, stones, wood and many other resources that they could find. Beading/Embroidery was an art form, a way to express their american culture. I like their colours, because they used what they could find they were limited but the brown/red tones were really inspiring. Their use of decoration has really inspired my to try their techniques of beading/embroidery/weaving/pottery etc. I found the whole room inspiring but what I loved most and cant wait to develop is their use of pattern in rugs and pottery. They use only geometric shapes quite similar to aztec and even islamic patterns. There was lots to see from pots to clothes and jewellery. This has really got me in the mode to do more research into this beautiful culture. It will be interesting to see not how they did things but what the meaning was to what they did. It makes me wonder if the same methods of doing things are the same nowadays or if they change it because they have more resources to use.