DISK HANGING RESEARCH

Considerable research has gone into creating the disk hangings and I am at a point where I may seriously change course. Does one have to recognise when an aim is just not possible? Or too difficult to achieve? My worry is that I will want the finished hangings to be perfect and that I am wasting time trying to achieve something which is just not working.

As I have mentioned, I contacted a boron drum maker in Ireland to ask how he makes the frame. He suggested 3 layers of ply bent round a template. The 4-5 in deep 5 ft diameter frame appears to be stable and hopefully will take the tension of the fabric when it is stretched over it. This allows me to make two frames to place against a wall. These will not be viewed from both sides so hopefully will work. Although I have done a lot of sampling, I still have to create the designs (which I have felt uninspired to do until the mounting is sorted out).

I have also researched suitable fabrics extensively. It must not be translucent and show the frame. It must be able to maintain tension across the 5 ft. and 6 ft diameter shapes. I think I may have to use two layers of fabric. Trying to find a dense enough stretch fabric is proving a problem. I managed to find stretch linen which I rather like. Just like linen but doesn't crease in the same way. However, I sourced it from a mobile stall (really nice barrow boy from London) and cannot find it elsewhere. I cannot find a thick stretch cotton except cotton jersey which I do not feel is suitable. It would run if cut. So, I have yet to find 'the' fabric for this project.

I was offered a tanker, Genesis, for my show and was so excited about that but when Whale Tankers mentioned insurance, I was worried about the tanker perhaps being gouged or damaged. I feel rather bereft about that. However, I was keen to have a 'tanker footprint' as part of my show. Initially, I was simply going to draw a tanker shape on the floor and hang silk tanker hangings around that. However, I do like the idea of hanging disk hangings length ways, like the body of the tanker represented in silk.

It was thought that 6 hangings would be appropriate, hung about 1m apart to allow visitors to walk between them, each one representing a part of the tanker.

As these will be seen from both sides, I am having problems working out what to make the frames with. I can have them cut in wood or perspex but would this be stable enough to take the tension of the cloth? These would all be 6 ft diameter. Pipe could be used but after tests, we found it twisted and flexed and probably would not hang absolutely square.

Another problem is how to fix the fabric to the frame as it will be visible from both sides?

So - I am just going to have to make some up and see what happens. These I would like to be in silk, translucent but not too see through, so probably georgette or crepe de chine.

If anyone has any ideas about these frames, I would be so pleased to hear them.

After cutting and assembling a 5 ft diameter disk, blocks were placed around the shape so that the ply could be placed around that. This was done in sections and built up until there were three layers of ply glued together in three sections. The sections slot together and are then screwed in place.

I have considerable research to do on these hangings but wonder if it is just too much work when I really just want to be creating silk hangings.