Jessica Clarke

The theme of my project is concerned with birds and is mainly inspired by photography. I am fascinated by freedom of movement through flight, and by the colours and textures of birds’ plumage. These have informed much of my experimentation, and I have tried to incorporate freedom of movement, lightness, colour subtlety and shading, and interesting surface texture in my work.

I have been greatly influenced by the work of several photographers. Andrew Zuckerman’s extraordinary photographs have particularly inspired me, in which he eliminates all background, allowing the viewer to focus fully on the details of each bird. Ryan McGinley and Luke Stephenson have been influential because of the uplifting colour and sensitivity of their work, and Kristin Vicari, whose free-spirited and expressive work I find exciting.

I enjoy fabric manipulation and experimentation, layering fabrics and combining print with manipulated fabrics. Printing on sheer fabrics with pigment creates a sheer/opaque tension, suggestive of lightness and flight.

Striking, feminine and layered, with dashes of playful humour, my aim is to create fabric for the luxury fashion industry. My core values are quality, imagination and the unexpected. Colour, concept and form converge to surprise and uplift the wearer.