Una BURKE
Shortlisted 2010

work shown : Intimidates Piece
Wearable art piece constructed from vegetable tanned leather with brass fittings
(click on picture to see larger image)

Project

Since completing my MA in Fashion Artefact at the London College of Fashion in January 2009, my final collection of eight obscure, conceptual, sculptural body pieces, has received a phenomenal amount of interest from photographers and stylists throughout the world. As a result of all this media attention, I have been requested to design and make a collection of handbags and belts for shops in Milan, San Francisco, London, New York and Los Angeles. I currently do not have the resources to develop the prototypes for these new styles and so this award would enable me to buy the materials necessary to do this.

My main reason for applying for the Golden Fleece Award, however, is because I would like to move home to Ireland to set up my leatherworking business yet I also have no funding to go about achieving this goal either. I currently live in London as I have access to leather workshops where I can split and skive my leather as necessary. I would however much prefer to rent a studio in Dublin and rent or buy the machinery so that I can start to develop commercial pieces in order to generate a steady income. I will then use some of this income to continue making three to four selected wearable art pieces per year, for the purpose of photo-shoots and exhibitions, as these are the pieces which receive media attention and continue to heighten my profile on an international level.

The stockists and fashion stylists with whom I already have connections have said it should not affect our working relationship if I am based in Dublin. I am currently working on getting a PR company to represent me and the award would also help very much with this until I am earning enough money to pay their fees.

Artist Statement

Through my work I continually aim to create objects which are both visually captivating and technically challenging. They are pieces of wearable art that are indefinable as particular garments, preventing them from being placed into the conventional categories of the fashion industry and they can be displayed very comfortably in a gallery environment, arousing emotions and feelings within the viewer. Free to exist just as the forms they are, these pieces can be interpreted independently by each individual.

Using traditional leatherworking techniques to produce these evocative, conceptual creations, I hope to encourage a new and more modern appreciation for leather craftsmanship, presenting the possibilities achievable through the use of this material in both the areas of art and of functional design. I am extremely passionate about my craft and I feel very saddened by the fact that there are so few leatherworkers left in Ireland when this trade has been such a remarkable part of our culture and heritage. In order to counteract this, I intend to set up some sort of night class to teach the leatherworking skills and techniques that I have learned. I would like to eventually develop and expand my leatherworking studio so that I would have work spaces available to members and students and they would have access to the necessary facilities, machinery and equipment. I can only hope that these steps will bring back a new awareness and understanding of this beautiful skill of leatherworking.

Website : http://www.unaburke.com