MTU Crawford College of Art & Design

What is the course about?

This course introduces students to a range of materials, techniques and equipment involved in textiles art making. Students study the art, techniques and processes involved in fibre manipulation. The fibres used are wool, flax, silk, and soya bean fibre amongst others. Students learn how to manipulate the fibre to make various types of felt including nuno felting (felting on fabric), needle felting and 3d manipulation. The course also introduces students to fundamental stitching techniques (both manual and machine stitching), basketry, fibre sculpture, vessels, wire and reed 3D construction techniques. Employing a range of textile processes, the student creatively explores and develops their ideas. Students also learn the art of papermaking with paper and silk fibres. 

Download the course FAQ pdf here

Tutor Profile

Helen O’Shea is a Cork based textile artist who has exhibited internationally. She has developed a practice of sculptural making that directly engages with issues of waste and recycling. By using/reusing existing materials, she creates forms that mimic the natural world and engage our relationship to it.

After exploring Creative Textiles in Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa 2007-09, and Fine Art Textiles 2010-12 in MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, O’Shea attained a degree in Contemporary Applied Art in 2017 MTU CCAD. Then went on to undertake a MA by Research in 2021 in MTU, where she focused on new narratives for waste Plastics.

Since graduating O’Shea has exhibited widely in London with Ting-Ying Gallery, as part of Collect Art Fair with Design Crafts Council Ireland, in the Venetian Homo Faber Event 2022 and Hauser & Wirth London.

Course Accreditation

These part-time, evening courses provide students with an opportunity to experience the potential of visual arts practice, through sustained engagement with materials, techniques, processes, research and art contexts.  Each course is an accredited module (5 credits) on the National Framework of Qualifications, where 60 credits equate to the workload of a full-time academic year on a degree programme.  It may be possible, therefore, to use these credits as part of one of our full-time programmes in the Department of Fine Art and Applied Art.  Students interested in pursuing this option should contact crawford.enquiries@mtu.ie and bear in mind that they would need to submit work for assessment at the end of the module.

Contact

Course Enquiries:
crawford.enquiries@mtu.ie

For more information & to apply:
https://www.mtu.ie/courses/craccxxd6/