Textiles

Personnel

Textiles is staffed by a specialist teacher. The Department is situated in purpose resourced studios accommodating printed, embroidered, woven and fashion facilities.

        

Curriculum

Textiles at Oxford High School is creative in approach and allows students to explore the artistic aspect of fabric design through a range of materials and techniques. Fabric decoration, creative stitchwork, fashion and 3D design projects allow students to experiment with a variety of skills such as screen printing, batik, silk painting and machine embroidery. All work in the department is project based with themes such as insects, fish or landscapes.

    

At GCSE, AS and A2 courses are followed through the OCR Art (Textiles) syllabus. Students produce personal themes for study and work varies from large scale panels to fashion accessories. Students produce both practical and written work revolving around a variety of sources. Recent coursework submissions have included printed fabric inspired by the theme of "Decoration" fashion / costume pieces suggesting Art Nouveau style, Sugar Plum faries and reflections of trees on water. All students produce a thesis in Year 12 on the evolution of textile art, design, function and fashion.

         

In Year 13 a more individual extended essay is developed. Past examples have included the Victorian corsets' influence on present day fashion, punk, dead or alive and 2nd world war fashion.

        

    

Extra-Curricular Activities and Achievements

Students studying for GCSE & A Level art, design and textile courses are given the opportunity to visit museums and galleries both locally and abroad. Recent study trips have included work at the university Museums and the Pitt Rivers collections in Oxford, The National Gallery, Tate Modern and Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Talks are organised at these venues on aspects of art related to coursework projects and students are encouraged to develop sketchbook themes. An understanding of both the ideals and working practices of contemporary and historical artists’ forms an integral part of all Art studies at examination level.

    

Pupils are also offered the facility to participate in a sketch book finding / study trips abroad. This takes place in October each year and destinations such as Paris, Barcelona and Italy are explained. Museums visited include the Picasso Museum, Museé D’Orsay, Rodin Collection, (Paris) MNAC, Textile Museum, Miro Collection (Barcelona) and the Italian art centres of Venice, Florence and Sienna. Approximately 40 students take part in these visits.