Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making as Inquiry-driven Practice

Authors

Etta Sandry, Independent ArtistFollow

Date of this Version

2024

Document Type

Presentation

Citation

Textile Society of America 2024 Symposium

Shifts & Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles, November 12-17, 2024, a virtual event

Comments

Published by the Textiles Society of America

Copyright 2024, the author. Used by permission

Abstract

In Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making as Inquiry-driven Practice I will discuss craft sample making as a valuable practice of critical thought and experimentation. Craftspeople, artists, and designers make samples to practice technical skills and to demonstrate results on small scales. It is process work, typically used to learn a new technique or a hidden step on the way to a final product. However, as a cumulative process of research, material probing, and play, sampling is a critical aspect of design and creation. What can a closer study of sampling reveal about creative practice and knowledge production in craft and beyond? To situate the landscape of material sampling and its study and practice within craft and art fields, I will show examples of archival samplers and instances of sampling in contemporary creative practices. I will discuss my own approach to sample making in my studio-based woven work and contextualize my developing thoughts around sampling as an inquiry-driven method. These approaches are grounded in the role of sampling in teaching and learning environments and I will draw on experiences as a fiber art student, educator, and community practitioner to further discuss the value and potential of sampling practices. In this research, I propose speculative suggestions about sample making as an emancipatory practice of enacting the possibilities found in seemingly fixed systems. Through this presentation I hope to bring more critical attention to sample making and create space for practitioners to discuss the role of sample and swatch making in their work.