Carmel Mc Elroy Harrison

IKEA PS ESKISTUNA - Designers Carmel Mc Elroy and Greame Findlay about IKEA PS ESKILSTUNA “Textiles are extremely versatile and expressive materials, and we wanted to use them to design a really fun but highly practical piece of furniture. IKEA PS ESKILSTUNA stool is made by hand weaving yarn around the steel frame. The seat is soft and comfortable to sit on, without a cushion or traditional upholstery. The yarn itself is the cushion. The materials are simple, and the stool is simple to produce and recycle. We hope that IKEA PS ESKILSTUNA shows that designers can do pretty fun and innovative things by combining traditional materials and techniques in new ways.” Frame: Steel Seat: Wool Width: 42cm Seat diameter: 31cm Seat height: 45cm IKEA PS ESKILSTUNA stool is made of a steel frame wrapped in red woolen yarn. The yarn is wound in many layers, giving a sense of a traditional filling material. The stool is stackable and so space-saving when not in use.

Cocktail Clogs - This project is the third in the series of the cocktail stick collection. I have developed a pair of shoes that is made from cocktail sticks. The cocktail stick has inspired me to experiment with form, construction, movement and sound. These experiments have involved fusing the sticks and industrial materials such as polyurethane rubber, resin and p.v.a glue. In this project I am using the traditional method of clog making. I have created a block of wood which is turned on the lathe to make the clogs. The material research to date has been crucial to the final design. By creating my own block of sticks I am able to turn the block on the lathe to form the shape of a clog. The effect created through turning is a honeycomb pattern. I am also exploring colour and the scale of the sticks e.g. sate sticks and dowels. My exploration with the wooden cocktail stick emphasises both the visual and functional surprise of using familiar materials and processes in new ways.

'Hands On' glove finger rug - Designed by TWINE www.twinestudio.com This lively, interactive flooring concept has been created by combining traditional techniques with industrial materials. Knitted woollen fingers are fixed in rubber to form a soft, cushioned surface on a flexible base. The concept is inspired by the repeated modules in carpet pile. In our initial development stage we constructed the modules by hand, creating our own three dimensional fabric. We then devised a way of producing the fingers industrially and approached a glove manufacturers based in Scotland who was able to knit the fingers to our specifications.

STITCH light shades - The delicate, organic see-through forms mould themselves into intricate and elegant lights. My work is concerned with the physical allure of materials. Using a unique construction process of stitching, I can create a spiralling structure, which casts ambient shadows around the room.

The little black cocktail dress - I have developed a fabric that is made from approximately 160,000 dyed cocktail sticks. This project was an exploration of the connections between fashion and art that looks at the appeal of clothes in relationship to the body. Similar to armour, the cocktail dress extends the body’s boundaries creating a protective layer. The dynamic relationship between the optical and tactile effect, adds new meaning to the term, ‘the little black dress’. The fabric of sticks comes to life when on the body, becoming flexible and audible with a gentle rippling effect.