COLOURED WIRE AS AN ALTERNATIVE MATERIAL FOR MACRAME JEWE LLERY: FEASI BI LITY STUDY Nur Syafinaz MohdAnuarand Mohd ZamaniDaud Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan, Malaysia A bst ract Macram6 the art of decorative knotting, using a series of knots to produce ornamental It is a very old crafts that begun at least six centuries ago. This researcir aimed to produce jewelery of various kinds of combinations and analyze the patterns. suitability of macramd technique and combination of different materials to replace the thread into macrame technique. Researchers tried to explore the creation of jewelery by experiment. The experiment exploration would lead to a new jewellery creation on a media or an idea. Latest experiment is based on jewellery (findings) "Macrame in Jewellery Making". The research is to prove on a suitability and combination between different materials to replace thread into the macramd technique leading to the production of jewellery. The research is mainly focused towards the usage material with coloured wire. Research on macramd technique usage this material to gather a lot of valuable knowledge about macrame and suitability and combination between different materials. It gives researchers another inspiration for the development of alternative techniques in order to develop technical skills. This research will also present a new way of looking at jewellery. Most of the research methods were obtained from a combination of available sources such as literature reviews, surveys, personal observations, and experiments. Overall, the use of material as alternative to replace thread is very effective. A11 the materials are chosen can be tied It shows and strongly recommended that through a serious commitment to the investigation of materials and process, both old and new, the students or the artists could expand their visual vocabulary and creativity. Keywords: c0llured wire, macran6, iewellery 493 1. lntroduction Macramd is an art of decorative knotting without using needles or hooks. By using a series of knots, many omamental patterns are created. Macramd can be created using any kind of material. The material that can use is fine thread to make macramd lace or even use leather strips. By a special technique, the macramd craft keeps the knots in place while the work is being done. Macram6 can be tried or created by a person who has a little or no experience. At the same time, macramd can pose a challenge and make it a most demanding craft for many senior afiisans and craftsman. Creation of a decorative piece using the macrame craft requires artistic skill coupled with patience. It may even take many a month to finish a complex piece using high quality macramd work with intricate designs. F ig u re 1 : BalQissa Green wire * Gemstone (turquoise) by Nur Syafrnaz Mohd Anuar 2011 The early history of Macram6 is a bit vague. There is some documentation which indicates that macramd is an ancient knotting craft. The first people to use it are from the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Maoris and the Peruvians. This is an Arabic word meaning a veil of protection, napkin with a finger or a towel. In fact macram6 migrated with sailors, who used a lot of knots in their work. Names of knots are often different but the form of knot is almost same. 494 According to Andes (1971), Macramd is one of the most ancient crafts known to man. The ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Maoris and Peruvians used it. The particular knots have been handed down by sailors through the ages. Macramd is a technique of decorative employing simple basic knots to create a multitude of patterns. The term derives from an Arabic word means braided fingers. The Arabs were known to be the first people to use it in the 13th century. During the next hundred years it spread to South Europe. Sailors have used Macramd extensively as a part time hobby. The craft revival of the 1960s brought the technique to life after decades of obscurity. It remains popular for the making of wall hangings, plant hangers and jewellery (necklace, bracelet and brooch). According to Chamberlain and Crockett (1974), the word macramd credited with an Arabic origin, has today been identihed with sculptural knotting. In Arabic, its meaning is closely associated with fringe; knotting in this context was thought of as a decorative way of working the fingers of a woven fabric, which gave the necessary elements to the work (the end warp threads) Bell, (1979) states that the original meaning of the Arabic word is Migramah, from which the word macramd is derived, is variously rendered as "striped towel", "ornamental finger" and embroidered veil". She said the two most basic knots used in macram6 are the half-knot and the half hitch. Most the macram6 knots are derived from these two. The two derivation most often used are the square knots, which consist of two half knots, and the clove hitch, which is made of two half hitches. She also said that while the qaze for macramd waned in subsequent years, it is now enjoying a renewed and widespread popularity as a technique for making wall hangings, articles of clothing, bedspreads, tablecloths, draperies, plant hangers and other furnishing. 495 2. Macram6 Knots There are many other types of knots utilized in all types of Macramd. In reality has more fifties of different knots have been developed and some of the knots can be used in macramd (Anuar, 2007). fd,Kr$n# i{l!}t6 & y? iir ,:.1.: - -:;I:t::,t: :'j::.,4. t; !- : , '."'-,: i :-:: . ',.':. ',1r.,.::= " !!,r*"d!.iner:.5. Yr ld s* , " ,.;- e '#* ;;;;4 I ll ,{,{,{,{ l.t"{";:;l "1 ! il i i'i' 1't t"tt F ig u I re 2: Type of macram6 knot From several of macramd knots, the researcher chooses only the four knots. There were two basic knots, the Half Hitch Knot and the Square Knot and the researcher decided to choose two more knots. They are the Overhand Knot and the Josephine Knot. They are chosen due to a few reasons. Firstly this is a basic knot wish had a simple shape and is beautiful. After that it is can be bent and tied nicely. The final reason is because this knot is common and versatile. Macramd can be done with almost no tools. ;{r.J F ig u re 3: : i Tying knots using wire. 496 3. Methods This research is a qualitative one by using the experiment method. This method is chosen as the researcher feels that this is the best method for the topic selected' Experiment According M ethod to Sulaiman (2004), experimental method requires the researcher to establish different treatments and study their effect. The result of each experiment is a clear cut interpretation. The research will be conducted with coloured wire materials. The research will look into the aspect of suitability materials to replace thread into the macramd technique leading to the production of necklace. The materials, used are silver wire, coated cable wire and beading wire. The scope will be extended to include all this materials. This result will be used to experiment further on other types of macramd weaving to find the best-suited results. This experiment decide whether this combination will be successful and can be further used as thread in the macram6 technique to produce jewellery' Figu re 4: Experiment Materials Using Macram6 Knot 497 will Sampling Method After the experiments have been done and the results have been obtained, they will be used as samples for reference in the process of producing jewellery. By using this sampling method, the result of the experiment can be used as a progress to the final research. This method is very imporlant because it is closely associated with the experimental method. 4. Resu lts and D iscussion In general, the researcher had found out that uses of coloured wire material which are silver wire, coated cable wire and beading wire as alternative material to produce macramd jewellery is succesfull and effective to be applied. This research objective is to analyze a suitability and combination between different materials to replace thread into the macramd technique leading to the production ofjewellery. Overall, the use of material as alternative to replace thread is very effective. Table 2: Result Experiment Using Macramd Knot M aterial Hardness E lasticity Toughness Tie Aesthetic Sterling Silver Round Wire Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes (22 gatge / 0.6 mm) Beading Wire (0.01 mm) Coated colour Wire (22 gauge / 0.6 mm) 5. Conclusions Jewellery can be universal. Only the individual who wears it can decide if the object is jewellery. This question arose when many of researcher friends, colleagues, who 498 had seen my jewellery usually commented, "Who would want to wear this jewellery?" Researcher pushed to create, to explore, and to build because if researcher do not do so, her role as a lecturer, an educated person will be meaningless. Most of all researcher do it because her simply like to. F ig U * re 4: Sakura Red wire All the works that Gemstone (pearl) by Nur Syafinaz Mohd Anuar 2012 researcher produced is wearable and it should be wearable. After all, as all jewellers and artist know, wearability is not such a difficult design function to fulfrll. To researcher, most materials are acceptable, and size is the matter of what you can persuade the user to wear. The process of making macram6 jewellery and this research project, gave the researcher an opportunity to sharpen her skills. It is the researcher's intention to continue to experiment with suitability and combination between different materials using macramd knots (Half Hitch Knot, Square Knot, Overhand Knot and Josephine Knot). It is important for the researcher to explore alternative techniques for adaptability to studio practice, in order to expand the researcher is technical skill. The researcher hopes that this research would continue to be progressive within its own context and that the researcher is ideas will continue to evolve in the future. 499 rf As the researcher acquired all the experience in doing this researcher gradually came to research project, the realize that the aesthetic quality of a necklace is determined completely by the forms of the materials that the researcher used and the tools that she employed. 6. Recom mendation The researcher has great interests in investigating and experimenting with both materials and macramd processes. The researcher tried to explore a suitability and combination between different materials to replace thread into the macramd technique leading to the production of jewellery. Information gained from these explorations, observations experiments and survey has been shared freely with colleagues and students in lectures and workshops. The researcher hopes that this research jewellery. It shows will also present a new way of looking at and the researcher strongly recommended that through a serious commitment to the investigation of materials and process, both old and new, the students or the artists could expand their visual vocabulary and creativity. R efe re n ces Andes, E. (1971). Practical Macran6, the Colombia Encyclopedia (six edition), Colombia University Press. Bell, C. (1979). Crafts and Hobbies: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creative Skills, Canada: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. Chamberlain, M., & Crockett, C. (1974). Beyond Publications. 500 Weaving, New York: Till Sulaiman, S. (2004). Research Methods for the Social Sciences: Made Simple, Selangor, DSS Publishing Enterprise. Anuar, N.S. (2007). The Potential of Macram6 In Jewellery Making: Mixed Media, Thesis (Master), Universiti Teknologi MARA 501