Final Project – Leaving Tracks

This project looks at creating textiles for a hypothetical space where athletes and ex-athletes can go to talk about their sport needs after leaving their sport due to retirement or injury.

Having been engaged in athletics since 2012, both at my home track of Little Marlow and through the university, I have a strong connection to Hammer and Discus Throw and have seen many other athletes drop out of the sport due to illness, injury, fatigue and boredom. I experienced this myself when undergoing cancer treatment and found myself without my usual support network of coaches and other athletes.

I believe it is important therefore to bring awareness to the support needs that athletes, amateur, hobbyist or professional, may have once retiring from their sport. Leaving Tracks aims to bring joy to a space that will be used to discuss potentially difficult topics, to celebrate what athletes have achieved through their participation in sport and how they may take these skills on to the rest of their lives.

Exploring Rotational and Linear Elements through Combining Yarns

With the project being inspired by athletics and being aimed at athletes, inspiration was taken specifically from the Hammer and Discus Throw events. Each of the throws has a mix of rotational and linear elements within their technical models, that require tension between the athlete and implement. Yarns were manipulated around a core to distort this usually linear form with elements of rotation, and by using elasticated and stretch yarns that bunch when released from tension.

Exploring Layered Designs through Knit

Both Hammer and Discus Throw are categorised as ‘long-throws’ and are performed within a cage to keep spectators and other athletes safe. This concept of a safety net ties in well with creating a safe space for athletes to come and talk about their needs after retirement and, as such, layering of nets was a key visual inspiration throughout the project, resulting in layered knit outcomes.

Exploring Linear Designs through Weave

The weaves are based on the number 8, as this in an important number within athletics as a whole, but also the throws events as it is generally considered a ‘perfect’ competition if you get two warm-up throws and six straight throws. The warps were wound in multiples of eight, as were most of the wefts, with some single orange yarns added for emphasis.

Inspiration

Initial imagery was taken from my home athletics track with it’s green track and netting as well as the orange hazard cones, and yellow cage pulleys.