Shakira Shaikh

I am Shakira Shaikh, I work with textiles, using natural dying, re-using fabrics, digital designs, bleach stencils and handcrafting and much more. My approach to my work is with an imaginative mind and thinking ahead, showing repeat print designs in a commercial style with depth and character, but with a positive and creative outlook towards my prints with an aspiration to produce neat prints that are suitable for interior features.

For my Final Major Project, the first intention was to do a project inspired by the four seasons, however, it did not really relate to me in any way, I felt like it would not be something I could show to my full potential, so it would not result in great finished pieces. So, I changed my idea completely and decided on creating a set of interior lighting designs that would be inspired by flowers, but more specifically the study and development of flowers; by looking at more components of the flower than just the flowerhead, for example, the stem, the leaf, the inside of the bud and the inside of bulbs. When a flower is cut in half there are amazing textures, marks and colours that you can see also in the bulb of the flower including the skin.

Altogether I felt this theme had a link to a personal part of my life which began in my childhood, where I would go exploring with my family, I would take my camera, or a phone and I would take photos of flowers that I came across which was a very satisfying part of my life. It continues into the present day. However, for experimentation purposes, I wanted to focus on my strengths and new ideas and mediums that I knew nothing about to show a set of mixed techniques to create my project and extend my knowledge. From screen printing, heat transfer, bleach printing and stencil printing combined with fabric manipulation and even to welcome new techniques of natural dying and interior making for the first time in my life.

This project was able to give me some difficult challenges along the way; for example, the changing of my project a few weeks in, which set me back a bit and the making process of the lighting interiors, when I misjudged the measurements of the lampshade and how one of them did not come into production due to the shape and how it needed to fit around the wire.

Overall, my finished set of interior lighting makes me feel satisfied with the outcome and how each one needed different styles of experimentation. The prints showed me a new understanding of a variety of media, however, I feel I could have done better with the finishing touches of the lampshades, with some of the shapes and measurements of the fabric. Saying this I feel happy that they do show links to my theme, the study and development of flowers.