Emma Bloor

Trick of the Eye: (Wallpaper) Design – Focusing on the Tactile, Tangled and Distorted

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it” - Vincent Van Gogh

The basis for my two collections, Enchanted Forest and Sunset Grove, was a desire to focus on how visual distortions and tricks of the eye can create beautiful, unusual, often overlooked patterns, inspired by the way I see the world.

Having Irlen Syndrome, synaesthesia and uveitis, I sometimes see spots and speckles which aren’t there, and elements can appear to move about, overlapping onto each other. I wanted to address how it can be interesting, even exciting, to see such patterns, focusing on the positive aspects of viewing the world slightly differently.

I focused on starlings as for me they exemplified this theme: their iridescent and striking colours and patterns are often overlooked, and unseen, from a distance. Through experiments with sublimation printing my designs onto plywood, and the addition of embellishments, I decided that ensuring my designs had a three-dimensional and tactile feel would be paramount.

From my focus of repeat-pattern wallpaper designs, I decided to create two commercially viable collections, exploring other potential uses for my prints. I mainly printed on silk viscose satin and velvet for my final collections. Both emphasise a different key aspect: the former adds a reflective and shimmering element; the latter a tactile, sumptuous feel to the designs.