Little digital print silk patches, appliqued onto 'Visible Mending'. I feel the contrast of textures works well with these but still think there is work to be done. However time is evaporating fast; decisions and stitches need to speed up.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Monday, 4 March 2013
Escape From Troy: Abstracting A 400-Year-Old Baroque Masterpiece
Escape From Troy: Abstracting A 400-Year-Old Baroque Masterpiece:
It’s one of the pivotal moments of the Aeneid (what, you only skimmed the Wiki synopsis?). Aeneas, with his aging dad on his back and his buxom wife at his side, hightails it out of a burning Troy, on his way to found a new city in the west: Rome. Virgil’s high drama (and “Aeneas’ bulging muscles”) inspired Simon Vouet’s 1635 painting Aeneas and His Family Fleeing Troy--which has come to represent precise anatomy and realism of Baroque painting.
Knowing what we know about Vouet’s 17th-century masterpiece, it’s hugely fun to examine After Troy, a series of four paintings by Pieter Schoolwerth that abstract the original painting’s four figures into a whirlwind of gesture and line. Schoolwerth, who is a Lower East Side fixture (and record label owner), began the series by printing out a pixelated copy of the Vouet painting and having at it, picking and choosing which elements to “erase” with his brush. Then, he traces over the ghostly pixelated remains, abstracting bodies in motion with jagged shards of paint and lines of oil pastel. It is, as Miguel Abreu Gallery describes it, a “pulverized” version of the original. The fifth painting does a similar job on another depiction of Aeneas’s flee from Troy--Lionello Spada’s 1615 version.
It’s not hard to connect the conceptual dots between Schoolwerth’s technique and his subject matter. Aeneas is fleeing an ancient city of tradition and glory to struggle with the violent, modern canvas of the future. Schoolwerth, in his own way, is engaged in a similar struggle to reconcile the “antiquity” of painting with the past century of Modern painting. Yet he’s quick to point out that he’s not critiquing historical epochs as much as he’s using them as a formal jumping-off point.
“I’ve never been particularly interested in . . . critiquing or subverting previous traditions,” he told Bomblog last year, “but rather I prefer to use paintings from the past as the raw material upon which to ground my entire practice.”
[H/t Contemporary Art Daily]
Lower East Side painter Pieter Schoolwerth takes on Simon Vouet’s 1635 painting of Aeneas fleeing Troy in a series called After Troy.
Knowing what we know about Vouet’s 17th-century masterpiece, it’s hugely fun to examine After Troy, a series of four paintings by Pieter Schoolwerth that abstract the original painting’s four figures into a whirlwind of gesture and line. Schoolwerth, who is a Lower East Side fixture (and record label owner), began the series by printing out a pixelated copy of the Vouet painting and having at it, picking and choosing which elements to “erase” with his brush. Then, he traces over the ghostly pixelated remains, abstracting bodies in motion with jagged shards of paint and lines of oil pastel. It is, as Miguel Abreu Gallery describes it, a “pulverized” version of the original. The fifth painting does a similar job on another depiction of Aeneas’s flee from Troy--Lionello Spada’s 1615 version.
It’s not hard to connect the conceptual dots between Schoolwerth’s technique and his subject matter. Aeneas is fleeing an ancient city of tradition and glory to struggle with the violent, modern canvas of the future. Schoolwerth, in his own way, is engaged in a similar struggle to reconcile the “antiquity” of painting with the past century of Modern painting. Yet he’s quick to point out that he’s not critiquing historical epochs as much as he’s using them as a formal jumping-off point.
“I’ve never been particularly interested in . . . critiquing or subverting previous traditions,” he told Bomblog last year, “but rather I prefer to use paintings from the past as the raw material upon which to ground my entire practice.”
[H/t Contemporary Art Daily]
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All Mapped Out:
>> Isabelle OC beat me to her mapped out post but the origin is the same. My faithful Acne scarf printed with an old map of Stockholm on it has served me well in the printed map front. The fresh influx of printed map activity from Carven's resort collection has been tempting enough but when paired with captivating birds of flight made out of maps or pleated map dresses seen at The First Cut paper art exhibition, it only exacerbates the need to get some new mapped out garments in my life.
Claire Brewster's intricately cut-out vintage map birds made me wish I was the sort of person that put away money for a rainy day to buy an extravagant piece of art. Brewster creates movement and breathes life into old maps and atlases with incisions, mimicking birds in flight, swarms of insects or tropical plants. They're often installed standing away from the wall or foundation board so that they cast complicated shadows that make the cut-outs look like they're fluttering about on the walls. I've got my eye on any one of the London map pieces by Brewster to start my spiralling downfall towards being one of those people who say "Oh, I'm a collector..."
Carven printed jacket, skirt and wedges from Matches Fashion, Carven printed dress and shirt from Net a Porter.
Elisabeth Lecourt is perhaps the most common answer on Google if you search for "map dress". Her famous series "Les robes géographiques" reach almost iconic levels, when it comes to being blogged and reblogged, so much so that I suspect some people are looking at these flat pleated dresses and wondering whether they're actual wearable garments. It would be criminal to leave Lecourt out in an exhibition about artists who cut, sculpt and manipulate paper.
Christopher Raeburn made some incredible new strides in his Deploy/Flight S/S 13 collection. The signature lightweight macs and nylon outerwear is injected with femininity seen in the trapped lace parkas and a delicate looking ripstock lace looking like a camouflage pattern. The most impressive part of the collection though was the "Remade" element, which is always present in Raeburn's design ethos. Raeburn came across a cache of old 1950s military escape maps that were printed on lightweight silk so that they wouldn't get destroyed in the rain. Raeburn didn't even have to transfer any print to a wearable fabric as they were already printed out for him, ready to make playsuits, bomber jackets and dresses. Up close, it's fascinating to make out the physical geography on the maps but from afar, it's a beautiful print that looks anything but upcycled or reused.
This 1970s vintage Chloe dress has been hanging around the Merchant Archive website for a while. What with their starry clientale these days with fans such as Florence "and the Machines" Welch, it's surprising that there's anything left to be honest. I might falter and give in to this dress anytime soon though if nobody shares my love of this abstracted colourful globe pattern.
Chris Kenny's piece Capella is based on a galaxy formation of found map pieces. For him it's "a fetishistic accumulation of data" - an observation of human presence in a world divided up by unnatural territorial borders.
Finally, trusty Etsy (which has somehow become more interesting than eBay in terms of unique pieces...) has a mapped out specimen, printed with the highway routes of USA and set into a diagonal window pane shift dress.
Claire Brewster's intricately cut-out vintage map birds made me wish I was the sort of person that put away money for a rainy day to buy an extravagant piece of art. Brewster creates movement and breathes life into old maps and atlases with incisions, mimicking birds in flight, swarms of insects or tropical plants. They're often installed standing away from the wall or foundation board so that they cast complicated shadows that make the cut-outs look like they're fluttering about on the walls. I've got my eye on any one of the London map pieces by Brewster to start my spiralling downfall towards being one of those people who say "Oh, I'm a collector..."
Carven is no stranger to maps printed on garments. Guillaume Henry's girl has always tended to be a bookish creature, travelling in her head by flipping through atlases. Last summer she was skipping around a bright chartreuse-tinged map of Maine. This time round, she's closer to her home turf, bounding about an old engraving of Paris. Now's the time to say cheesy French phrases like "Ooohhh...trés jolie!" There's no way you can't feel that old cartography printed on to cute blazers, A-line skirts and blouses is anything but jolly/jolie. The temptation would be to buy the whole lot and skip around the streets of you guessed it, Pareeeee...
Carven printed jacket, skirt and wedges from Matches Fashion, Carven printed dress and shirt from Net a Porter.
Elisabeth Lecourt is perhaps the most common answer on Google if you search for "map dress". Her famous series "Les robes géographiques" reach almost iconic levels, when it comes to being blogged and reblogged, so much so that I suspect some people are looking at these flat pleated dresses and wondering whether they're actual wearable garments. It would be criminal to leave Lecourt out in an exhibition about artists who cut, sculpt and manipulate paper.
Christopher Raeburn made some incredible new strides in his Deploy/Flight S/S 13 collection. The signature lightweight macs and nylon outerwear is injected with femininity seen in the trapped lace parkas and a delicate looking ripstock lace looking like a camouflage pattern. The most impressive part of the collection though was the "Remade" element, which is always present in Raeburn's design ethos. Raeburn came across a cache of old 1950s military escape maps that were printed on lightweight silk so that they wouldn't get destroyed in the rain. Raeburn didn't even have to transfer any print to a wearable fabric as they were already printed out for him, ready to make playsuits, bomber jackets and dresses. Up close, it's fascinating to make out the physical geography on the maps but from afar, it's a beautiful print that looks anything but upcycled or reused.
This 1970s vintage Chloe dress has been hanging around the Merchant Archive website for a while. What with their starry clientale these days with fans such as Florence "and the Machines" Welch, it's surprising that there's anything left to be honest. I might falter and give in to this dress anytime soon though if nobody shares my love of this abstracted colourful globe pattern.
Chris Kenny's piece Capella is based on a galaxy formation of found map pieces. For him it's "a fetishistic accumulation of data" - an observation of human presence in a world divided up by unnatural territorial borders.
Finally, trusty Etsy (which has somehow become more interesting than eBay in terms of unique pieces...) has a mapped out specimen, printed with the highway routes of USA and set into a diagonal window pane shift dress.
Featured Designer: Marta Spendowska
Featured Designer: Marta Spendowska:
Happy Friday pattern lovers! Today I am featuring the wonderful work of Marta Spendowska. Marta is from Poland, but is now based in the ol’ USA where she works as an illustrator, surface pattern designer and web designer. “Today I think in repeats, watercolors and HTML. Pattern and motif creation happens a second after I close my eyes. Coding for me is like discovering the perfect shade of turquoise. It’s all the same joy.”
Marta has been successfully selling her illustration (mainly portrait and perfume illustration) artwork on FAB.com, she’s been licensed with Deny Designs and the new European venue YouArtMe. She hopes to work in fashion illustration more and more. To see more of Marta’s work please visit her website.
I hope that you had a wonderful week filled with the work that you love. We are busy over here gearing up for the Sellable Sketch Workshop, working on repeats with the fantastic designers who registered for the UGTR workshop and creating prints for a number of Summer & Fall ’14 collections. It is a whirlwind!
Have a great weekend!!!
Happy Friday pattern lovers! Today I am featuring the wonderful work of Marta Spendowska. Marta is from Poland, but is now based in the ol’ USA where she works as an illustrator, surface pattern designer and web designer. “Today I think in repeats, watercolors and HTML. Pattern and motif creation happens a second after I close my eyes. Coding for me is like discovering the perfect shade of turquoise. It’s all the same joy.”Marta has been successfully selling her illustration (mainly portrait and perfume illustration) artwork on FAB.com, she’s been licensed with Deny Designs and the new European venue YouArtMe. She hopes to work in fashion illustration more and more. To see more of Marta’s work please visit her website.
I hope that you had a wonderful week filled with the work that you love. We are busy over here gearing up for the Sellable Sketch Workshop, working on repeats with the fantastic designers who registered for the UGTR workshop and creating prints for a number of Summer & Fall ’14 collections. It is a whirlwind!
Have a great weekend!!!
Liz Collins: Touching the Void
Liz Collins: Touching the Void:
Garments, Installation, and Performance
Residents of the New York Tristate area need a little reprieve from the weather and what better way to get some creative warmth but to visit artist and designer Liz Collins hybrid knitted art and fashion installation, which opens to the public on February 15th at Manhattan’s Textile Art Center (TAC).
Collins is known globally for her use of machine knitting to create unique clothing, textile, performances and installations. In 2005, Collins kicked off her installation performance art with Knitting Nation—her perspective of working in the textile and fashion industries—which consisted of numerous uniformed knitters and manually operate knitting machines. The show examined how people interact with machines, global manufacturing, trade and labor, brand iconography, and fashion.
Touching the Void is part structural and part surreal, Collins turns the TAC into a knitted cave made from post-consumer garments and other textiles. The installation consists of innovative knit constructions that have been inspired by bodily protuberances, growths and sinkages. Both deconstructed and reconstructed “blob” shirts hang from inflated spheres; the walls are built up like a padded room with piles of knit fabric and large wall pieces. Collins investigates the “void” via her sculptural textile and garments by blending graphic and figurative knitting with washes of ink gradation.
This exhibit also marks Collins return to fashion. On display will be a varied collection of limited edition unisex sweaters made in Peru, which will be sold by the artist during the month-long installation and exhibit. The show features an interactive venue in which visitors with a panache for fashion and modeling can participate in a live lookbook shoot that will run during the duration of the opening.
The TAC space isn’t a new venue for Collins. Fifteen years ago she had her first collection of sweaters shown off on mannequins in Patricia Field’s store window, downstairs from TAC. “It’s amazing to full circle and present some of my favorite, and most wearable pieces on the same site; and finally be able to stage a a show where my art and clothing are co-existing in the space,” said Collins.
Visitors to the exhibit will be able to interact with garment and the knit sculptures, and will have the opportunity to see the details of the interrelated fixed elements.
Touching the Void opens on Friday, February 15th at the Textile Arts Center, 25 West 8th St, New York, NY. A reception will be held from 6pm until 8pm. The entire show runs through March 15th.
For more information about Liz Collins, visit www.lizcollins.com.
Courtesy of Liz Collins
Residents of the New York Tristate area need a little reprieve from the weather and what better way to get some creative warmth but to visit artist and designer Liz Collins hybrid knitted art and fashion installation, which opens to the public on February 15th at Manhattan’s Textile Art Center (TAC).
Collins is known globally for her use of machine knitting to create unique clothing, textile, performances and installations. In 2005, Collins kicked off her installation performance art with Knitting Nation—her perspective of working in the textile and fashion industries—which consisted of numerous uniformed knitters and manually operate knitting machines. The show examined how people interact with machines, global manufacturing, trade and labor, brand iconography, and fashion.
Touching the Void is part structural and part surreal, Collins turns the TAC into a knitted cave made from post-consumer garments and other textiles. The installation consists of innovative knit constructions that have been inspired by bodily protuberances, growths and sinkages. Both deconstructed and reconstructed “blob” shirts hang from inflated spheres; the walls are built up like a padded room with piles of knit fabric and large wall pieces. Collins investigates the “void” via her sculptural textile and garments by blending graphic and figurative knitting with washes of ink gradation.
This exhibit also marks Collins return to fashion. On display will be a varied collection of limited edition unisex sweaters made in Peru, which will be sold by the artist during the month-long installation and exhibit. The show features an interactive venue in which visitors with a panache for fashion and modeling can participate in a live lookbook shoot that will run during the duration of the opening.
The TAC space isn’t a new venue for Collins. Fifteen years ago she had her first collection of sweaters shown off on mannequins in Patricia Field’s store window, downstairs from TAC. “It’s amazing to full circle and present some of my favorite, and most wearable pieces on the same site; and finally be able to stage a a show where my art and clothing are co-existing in the space,” said Collins.
Visitors to the exhibit will be able to interact with garment and the knit sculptures, and will have the opportunity to see the details of the interrelated fixed elements.
Touching the Void opens on Friday, February 15th at the Textile Arts Center, 25 West 8th St, New York, NY. A reception will be held from 6pm until 8pm. The entire show runs through March 15th.
For more information about Liz Collins, visit www.lizcollins.com.
The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Holly Levell
The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Holly Levell:
Holly Levell is a textile artist from the UK who specialises in soft sculpture.
“I am inspired by my daily surroundings and the unnoticed aspects of life and how as an artist I can change the status and meaning of the humble object using my personal textile craft technique. It’s the idea of taking something that is overlooked in life and catapulting it into the spotlight.
“My current work comes from exploring ideas for the objects that feature in our day to day lives. I began to focus on shopping and started stitching a flat bean can in my room, it made me think ‘I wonder if I can make this completely from stitched textiles?’ softening the idea and creating a soft, nostalgic object. Supermarket stitch had begun!
“Originally I had no idea how to go about making them so it was a bit of trial and error. All of the objects have been taken apart and re-sewn together at least 10 times until I get the ketchup bottle lid to look just right or the ring pull on a coke can to look as though you could actually pull on it.
“I never thought about it until I began this work but we all have sentimental memories and a certain fondness for the foods and products that surround us in our lives, a bottle of Heinz Tomato ketchup in the middle of our table at home has become as much a staple piece of furniture as the table and chairs we sit at.”
I love a good soft sculpture and Holly’s choice of subject matter brings a smile to my face. Akin to the work of Harriet Hammel, Holly takes ordinary objects and makes us reconsider them by producing them in soft format.
Technically adept and well chosen, Holly’s work is great fun and a terrific example of the form. Find out more about Holly at her website.
Holly Levell is a textile artist from the UK who specialises in soft sculpture.
“I am inspired by my daily surroundings and the unnoticed aspects of life and how as an artist I can change the status and meaning of the humble object using my personal textile craft technique. It’s the idea of taking something that is overlooked in life and catapulting it into the spotlight.
“My current work comes from exploring ideas for the objects that feature in our day to day lives. I began to focus on shopping and started stitching a flat bean can in my room, it made me think ‘I wonder if I can make this completely from stitched textiles?’ softening the idea and creating a soft, nostalgic object. Supermarket stitch had begun!
“Originally I had no idea how to go about making them so it was a bit of trial and error. All of the objects have been taken apart and re-sewn together at least 10 times until I get the ketchup bottle lid to look just right or the ring pull on a coke can to look as though you could actually pull on it.
“I never thought about it until I began this work but we all have sentimental memories and a certain fondness for the foods and products that surround us in our lives, a bottle of Heinz Tomato ketchup in the middle of our table at home has become as much a staple piece of furniture as the table and chairs we sit at.”
I love a good soft sculpture and Holly’s choice of subject matter brings a smile to my face. Akin to the work of Harriet Hammel, Holly takes ordinary objects and makes us reconsider them by producing them in soft format.
Technically adept and well chosen, Holly’s work is great fun and a terrific example of the form. Find out more about Holly at her website.
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The Cutting & Stitching Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery, the must-have embroidered art book by Mr X Stitch !
Sakir Gökçebag – Installations Made Out of Toilet Paper
Sakir Gökçebag – Installations Made Out of Toilet Paper:
Who would think that something so, um, ordinary could become something so beautiful? Turkish-born artist Şakir Gökçebağ turns your average rolls of toilet paper into beautiful, and downright elegant, installations.
The Trans-Layers I and Trans-Layers II exhibitions will make you re-think what it takes to make art, with his use of the mundane and everyday to create delicate patterns and forms in these whimsical wall pieces.
Share This: Twitter | Facebook | Discover more great design by following Design Milk on Twitter and Facebook.
© 2013 Design Milk | Posted by Caroline in Art | Permalink | 3 comments
Who would think that something so, um, ordinary could become something so beautiful? Turkish-born artist Şakir Gökçebağ turns your average rolls of toilet paper into beautiful, and downright elegant, installations.
The Trans-Layers I and Trans-Layers II exhibitions will make you re-think what it takes to make art, with his use of the mundane and everyday to create delicate patterns and forms in these whimsical wall pieces.
Share This: Twitter | Facebook | Discover more great design by following Design Milk on Twitter and Facebook.
© 2013 Design Milk | Posted by Caroline in Art | Permalink | 3 comments
Future Heirlooms-Kelsey Viola Wiskirchen
Future Heirlooms-Kelsey Viola Wiskirchen:
I recently stumbled upon the work of Kelsey Viola Wiskirchen when I was researching a call of some kind and when I stumbled upon it…my mouth went agape with excitement. I found her style of drawing with thread incredibly sensitive and was totally intrigued by her conceptual approach towards community. Kelsey has experimented with working with communities and creating communities through the healing power of the thread in many ways and that has resulted in everything from sophisticated exhibitions to quirky “happenings.” But to observe her exploration and empathy, compassion and genuine interest in others via her work is really inspiring and exciting. So this is the first step to getting to know her work a little more, join me…
Tell us a bit about your background?
I grew up in Kirksville, Missouri and spent most of my time running around outside, doing craft projects, and making a mess in my mom’s kitchen. My dad thought I would grow up to be a scientist because I was always peering at plants and bugs. My Grandma Wiskirchen taught me how to hand-embroider when I was 7. She drew flowers onto a piece of fabric and had me stitch over her lines. Some of my fondest childhood memories and best education happened on her farm. What is your background/education as an artist? Are you formally trained in craft and fibers?
I received my BFA in Fibers from Truman State University, and my MFA in Fibers from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University.
Can you give us a 3 sentence or less artist statement of your current body of work?
Cloth serves many functions – warmth and protection, art, and in many cases, it empowers the people who create it by giving them a means to support their families. My textile work is a reflection on experiences shared with individuals and groups of people, and the stories that have been shared. I am most particularly interested in communities of women, and the passing on of stories and traditions through generations.
How does working with embroidery/stitching affect the conceptual aspect of your work? What drew you to stitching?
Stitching is the process that I am most naturally inclined to do. I benefit from the meditative effects of this work, and find that time stitching provides a balance to the time I spend with others. My community work is focused on helping others find healing and empowerment through textiles, so there is a direct relationship to my choice to use it in my personal studio practice. As a drawing medium, thread and fabric have expressive and tactile qualities of dimension and texture. I stitch onto loosely woven fabric so that the images can cast a shadow and be layered to create depth. In this way, transparency symbolizes the impact that time and distance have on the memory of shared experience.
Can you talk about the role of “community” in your work?
Community is a broad term – Sometimes my work actively involves a specific public community, and sometimes it is a more quiet reflection on individual community members I have spent time with. My work and my life rely on being with others. When I was learning to weave, I realized that no matter how badly I was feeling on an individual day, the softness of thread and the repetition of working with my hands was a cure for what was troubling me. I want to share this with others, which has led me to a life involving teaching and community outreach through textiles. I have learned that working together is a natural means to conversation and comfort with others. I enjoy both teaching and learning, so I often seek out experiences where I can do both. When I was with PAZA, the women’s cooperative in Bolivia, I taught sewing to the young girls while learning the traditional weaving from one of the mothers. Working with members of the community (whatever community I find myself in) gives me a sense of purpose, and the theme carries over into my artwork.
On your website your refer to duality and how your work and use of thread discusses the duality of life, can you talk about this a bit?
The more I engage with others, the more clearly I see connections between diverse groups of people. Similarly, the creation and use of cloth is universal. The physical materiality and pliability of thread appeal to my sensibilities. For me, it is the perfect means to create a tangible object out of something as intangible as conversation, memory, and experience. I see thread as a symbol of duality— representative of individual fragility and strength when woven into cloth. In contemporary society, we are faced with both our past and our future, the duality of tradition and innovation. It is vital to preserve our histories while moving forward together. I believe that collaborative efforts are a key to solving many of the world’s problems, and the people I meet give me great inspiration and optimism for the future.
Annette B. Weiner and Jane Schneider say it perfectly in the introduction to Cloth and Human Experience, “Cloth metaphors echo from many parts of the world, both today and in the past. Social scientists and laypersons regularly describe society as fabric, woven or knit together. Cloth as a metaphor for society, thread for social relations, express more than connectedness, however. The softness and ultimate fragility of these materials capture the vulnerability of humans, whose every relationship is transient.”
What lead you to make your installation “handed on” lifesize? How do you think that the way the work was installed affected the viewers understanding and interaction with the work ?
I hoped for viewers to physically experience the work by walking among the images of the women. Viewing a small image can be a passive experience. I stitched the life-sized figures onto transparent fabric so that layering and shadow would become elements of the work, and so the physical presence of a viewer walking through would also become a layer in the installation.
What did the text element add to the overall exhibit?
Each portrait included a line of text which was a part of the individual woman’s story. When hung from the ceiling, I leveled each work so this line of text was at the same height throughout the installation. The line became a visual continuity, to represent the connection between each of the individuals represented.
There was an additional text element (mentioned in the question below), in which I collected stories from the public and stitched each story onto a panel of woven fabric. Throughout the course of the exhibition, I continued to collect more stories. This was a way for viewers of the work to become an active participant. I was in the gallery space with my loom, weaving fabric for these stories to be stitched onto. This collection is still ongoing. I am interested in what gets passed down through generations, and what memories people have from women in their own lives. If anyone reading your interview is interested in sharing a story, they are more than welcome to email me!
Can you talk about the projects where you incorporate the public, inviting them to be participants in the work?
My project Us Together involved embroidering with community members. I built a large embroidery hoop, about 15 feet in diameter, and invited anyone who wanted to stitch to take part. I hoped for the action of sewing to become a means for conversation, and was thinking about the idea of a round-table discussion, and also the history of knitting circles. I stitched with children, adults, men, and women. It was fun to find out each individual’s motivation to participate. One woman found out she was going to be having a daughter and wanted to learn to embroider baby clothes. Some of the participants already knew how to embroider and wanted to sit and talk while embroidering a design. The challenge with projects like this is giving up aesthetic control. Each person who participated became an owner of the work. For me, this work was about the interaction and the process, rather than the end result.
For my project Handed On, I collected stories in writing. I asked participants to share a memory of something they learned from their mothers, grandmothers, or other woman in their life. For this project, I wove the fabric and stitched the stories. My goal was to document the stories that were shared in the form of a tangible, physical woven object. The public was less involved in the physical creation of the work, but I was still facilitating a means for individuals to contribute their stories.
My absolute favorite part about working with the public is hearing the stories people have to tell. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to learn about people’s histories and incorporate them into my work.
You have worked with a number of weaving collectives in other parts of the world- how has this affected your ideas towards art? weaving as part of history? and women’s roles?
In 2010, I spent a month in Bolivia with Projecto Artesania Zona Andina (PAZA), a women’s weaving cooperative consisting of three generations of women weaving and sewing together to support their families. There, I learned the double-weave technique that the Bolivian women have been using for centuries to create fabric for clothing, coverings, and chuspa shoulder bags. In 2011, I spent the summer in Limpopo, South Africa with Mapusha Weaving Cooperative, a women’s weaving cooperative with a similar purpose. The women of Mapusha create watercolor-like tapestry weavings 5 meters high on a loom made of boards with nails spaced each centimeter for tying the warp threads. More information about these cooperatives can be found at www.pazabolivia.org and www.mapusha.org.
I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the women in these cooperatives. The rich history and tradition is part of what I love about using textiles in my work. I think about the people who have woven all throughout time – I use textiles as a mode of expression, but am very aware of the utility and history of weaving. I have been inspired to meet women in other parts of the world finding empowerment through creating textiles. They are sustaining a tradition that has been passed down through generations, but they are also creating unique works of art and continuing to try new things.
What is the next direction or step for your work?
Right now, I am focusing on the St. Louis community. Craft Alliance has several community outreach programs that I am involved in. I am also volunteering at the Crime Victim Advocacy Center in St. Louis. I am collaborating with a social worker to facilitate an art therapy group there for victims of trauma. We use weaving as a way to discuss and practice mindfulness and meditation.
In the studio, I am working on developing the way I use thread as a drawing medium. My most recent work involves exploring the density of thread as a way to create depth and space in an image. I am also working on sculptural book forms with layers of fabric which include images and stories from the community members I have been working with.
You are currently at am artist residency can you tell us about that experience for you?
My residency at Craft Alliance in St. Louis is for 12 months, so I have an entire year of focused time to develop a new body of work. I need time for experimentation, research, and conversation to experience growth in my studio practice. Craft Alliance has provided me with many resources in the community. I have a designated studio space, I teach fiber art classes to community members, and am surrounded by other artists for feedback and camaraderie. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do this for a whole year!
What was the last really inspiring work of art you saw and why?
Last week I saw a video work, Street, by James Nares at the St. Louis Public Art Museum. He filmed people on the streets of Manhattan and slowed the footage extremely, so a quick glance or blink became a slow, deliberate gesture. The facial expressions he captured in slow, panning shots had me mesmerized for nearly an hour. Although quite different from most work I spend time looking at, it inspired me to think about the subtle interactions we have with others.
What do you struggle with most as an artist?
Finding time to do everything! I want to give 100% of my time to the studio and 100% of my time to teaching, and that alone is 200%. In addition to my residency at Craft Alliance, I am teaching Fiber Art at Truman State University. I am always doing research and trying to learn new techniques. I also love to bake and grow plants. I want to become fluent in Spanish and have been trying to learn to play the guitar for almost 10 years. My book list grows exponentially faster than I can read them all. At least life is never boring!
Where can we see your work?
My website, www.kelseyviola.com
This link is to a video about my work by Chakris Kussalanant (This recently won best video in the textile category of the Global Skin Vimeo competition.)
My studio at Craft Alliance is open to the public. It is located at 501 N Grand in St. Louis, MO. My work is on exhibit at Craft Alliance, and I also teach community classes there. Information about Craft Alliance, and the catalog of classes can be found at www.craftalliance.org
In June, I will have an exhibition at Craft Alliance showing the work produced during my residency. I will also have work on display at the Surface Design Association conference this summer in San Antonio, Texas at Anarte Gallery.
Look for more from me featuring Kelsey’s work.
Until next time keep your needle threaded.
Joetta Maue is a full-time artist, writer, and curator with a focus on the art of the needle. Her most recent body of work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. Joetta exhibits her work throughout the United States and internationally, and authors the critical blog Little Yellowbird as well as regularly contributes to Mr. X Stitch.
I recently stumbled upon the work of Kelsey Viola Wiskirchen when I was researching a call of some kind and when I stumbled upon it…my mouth went agape with excitement. I found her style of drawing with thread incredibly sensitive and was totally intrigued by her conceptual approach towards community. Kelsey has experimented with working with communities and creating communities through the healing power of the thread in many ways and that has resulted in everything from sophisticated exhibitions to quirky “happenings.” But to observe her exploration and empathy, compassion and genuine interest in others via her work is really inspiring and exciting. So this is the first step to getting to know her work a little more, join me…
Tell us a bit about your background?
I grew up in Kirksville, Missouri and spent most of my time running around outside, doing craft projects, and making a mess in my mom’s kitchen. My dad thought I would grow up to be a scientist because I was always peering at plants and bugs. My Grandma Wiskirchen taught me how to hand-embroider when I was 7. She drew flowers onto a piece of fabric and had me stitch over her lines. Some of my fondest childhood memories and best education happened on her farm. What is your background/education as an artist? Are you formally trained in craft and fibers?
I received my BFA in Fibers from Truman State University, and my MFA in Fibers from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University.
Can you give us a 3 sentence or less artist statement of your current body of work?
Cloth serves many functions – warmth and protection, art, and in many cases, it empowers the people who create it by giving them a means to support their families. My textile work is a reflection on experiences shared with individuals and groups of people, and the stories that have been shared. I am most particularly interested in communities of women, and the passing on of stories and traditions through generations.
How does working with embroidery/stitching affect the conceptual aspect of your work? What drew you to stitching?
Stitching is the process that I am most naturally inclined to do. I benefit from the meditative effects of this work, and find that time stitching provides a balance to the time I spend with others. My community work is focused on helping others find healing and empowerment through textiles, so there is a direct relationship to my choice to use it in my personal studio practice. As a drawing medium, thread and fabric have expressive and tactile qualities of dimension and texture. I stitch onto loosely woven fabric so that the images can cast a shadow and be layered to create depth. In this way, transparency symbolizes the impact that time and distance have on the memory of shared experience.
Can you talk about the role of “community” in your work?
Community is a broad term – Sometimes my work actively involves a specific public community, and sometimes it is a more quiet reflection on individual community members I have spent time with. My work and my life rely on being with others. When I was learning to weave, I realized that no matter how badly I was feeling on an individual day, the softness of thread and the repetition of working with my hands was a cure for what was troubling me. I want to share this with others, which has led me to a life involving teaching and community outreach through textiles. I have learned that working together is a natural means to conversation and comfort with others. I enjoy both teaching and learning, so I often seek out experiences where I can do both. When I was with PAZA, the women’s cooperative in Bolivia, I taught sewing to the young girls while learning the traditional weaving from one of the mothers. Working with members of the community (whatever community I find myself in) gives me a sense of purpose, and the theme carries over into my artwork.
The more I engage with others, the more clearly I see connections between diverse groups of people. Similarly, the creation and use of cloth is universal. The physical materiality and pliability of thread appeal to my sensibilities. For me, it is the perfect means to create a tangible object out of something as intangible as conversation, memory, and experience. I see thread as a symbol of duality— representative of individual fragility and strength when woven into cloth. In contemporary society, we are faced with both our past and our future, the duality of tradition and innovation. It is vital to preserve our histories while moving forward together. I believe that collaborative efforts are a key to solving many of the world’s problems, and the people I meet give me great inspiration and optimism for the future.
Annette B. Weiner and Jane Schneider say it perfectly in the introduction to Cloth and Human Experience, “Cloth metaphors echo from many parts of the world, both today and in the past. Social scientists and laypersons regularly describe society as fabric, woven or knit together. Cloth as a metaphor for society, thread for social relations, express more than connectedness, however. The softness and ultimate fragility of these materials capture the vulnerability of humans, whose every relationship is transient.”
I hoped for viewers to physically experience the work by walking among the images of the women. Viewing a small image can be a passive experience. I stitched the life-sized figures onto transparent fabric so that layering and shadow would become elements of the work, and so the physical presence of a viewer walking through would also become a layer in the installation.
What did the text element add to the overall exhibit?
Each portrait included a line of text which was a part of the individual woman’s story. When hung from the ceiling, I leveled each work so this line of text was at the same height throughout the installation. The line became a visual continuity, to represent the connection between each of the individuals represented.
There was an additional text element (mentioned in the question below), in which I collected stories from the public and stitched each story onto a panel of woven fabric. Throughout the course of the exhibition, I continued to collect more stories. This was a way for viewers of the work to become an active participant. I was in the gallery space with my loom, weaving fabric for these stories to be stitched onto. This collection is still ongoing. I am interested in what gets passed down through generations, and what memories people have from women in their own lives. If anyone reading your interview is interested in sharing a story, they are more than welcome to email me!
Can you talk about the projects where you incorporate the public, inviting them to be participants in the work?
My project Us Together involved embroidering with community members. I built a large embroidery hoop, about 15 feet in diameter, and invited anyone who wanted to stitch to take part. I hoped for the action of sewing to become a means for conversation, and was thinking about the idea of a round-table discussion, and also the history of knitting circles. I stitched with children, adults, men, and women. It was fun to find out each individual’s motivation to participate. One woman found out she was going to be having a daughter and wanted to learn to embroider baby clothes. Some of the participants already knew how to embroider and wanted to sit and talk while embroidering a design. The challenge with projects like this is giving up aesthetic control. Each person who participated became an owner of the work. For me, this work was about the interaction and the process, rather than the end result.
For my project Handed On, I collected stories in writing. I asked participants to share a memory of something they learned from their mothers, grandmothers, or other woman in their life. For this project, I wove the fabric and stitched the stories. My goal was to document the stories that were shared in the form of a tangible, physical woven object. The public was less involved in the physical creation of the work, but I was still facilitating a means for individuals to contribute their stories.
My absolute favorite part about working with the public is hearing the stories people have to tell. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to learn about people’s histories and incorporate them into my work.
You have worked with a number of weaving collectives in other parts of the world- how has this affected your ideas towards art? weaving as part of history? and women’s roles?
In 2010, I spent a month in Bolivia with Projecto Artesania Zona Andina (PAZA), a women’s weaving cooperative consisting of three generations of women weaving and sewing together to support their families. There, I learned the double-weave technique that the Bolivian women have been using for centuries to create fabric for clothing, coverings, and chuspa shoulder bags. In 2011, I spent the summer in Limpopo, South Africa with Mapusha Weaving Cooperative, a women’s weaving cooperative with a similar purpose. The women of Mapusha create watercolor-like tapestry weavings 5 meters high on a loom made of boards with nails spaced each centimeter for tying the warp threads. More information about these cooperatives can be found at www.pazabolivia.org and www.mapusha.org.
I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the women in these cooperatives. The rich history and tradition is part of what I love about using textiles in my work. I think about the people who have woven all throughout time – I use textiles as a mode of expression, but am very aware of the utility and history of weaving. I have been inspired to meet women in other parts of the world finding empowerment through creating textiles. They are sustaining a tradition that has been passed down through generations, but they are also creating unique works of art and continuing to try new things.
What is the next direction or step for your work?
Right now, I am focusing on the St. Louis community. Craft Alliance has several community outreach programs that I am involved in. I am also volunteering at the Crime Victim Advocacy Center in St. Louis. I am collaborating with a social worker to facilitate an art therapy group there for victims of trauma. We use weaving as a way to discuss and practice mindfulness and meditation.
In the studio, I am working on developing the way I use thread as a drawing medium. My most recent work involves exploring the density of thread as a way to create depth and space in an image. I am also working on sculptural book forms with layers of fabric which include images and stories from the community members I have been working with.
You are currently at am artist residency can you tell us about that experience for you?
My residency at Craft Alliance in St. Louis is for 12 months, so I have an entire year of focused time to develop a new body of work. I need time for experimentation, research, and conversation to experience growth in my studio practice. Craft Alliance has provided me with many resources in the community. I have a designated studio space, I teach fiber art classes to community members, and am surrounded by other artists for feedback and camaraderie. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do this for a whole year!
What was the last really inspiring work of art you saw and why?
Last week I saw a video work, Street, by James Nares at the St. Louis Public Art Museum. He filmed people on the streets of Manhattan and slowed the footage extremely, so a quick glance or blink became a slow, deliberate gesture. The facial expressions he captured in slow, panning shots had me mesmerized for nearly an hour. Although quite different from most work I spend time looking at, it inspired me to think about the subtle interactions we have with others.
What do you struggle with most as an artist?
Finding time to do everything! I want to give 100% of my time to the studio and 100% of my time to teaching, and that alone is 200%. In addition to my residency at Craft Alliance, I am teaching Fiber Art at Truman State University. I am always doing research and trying to learn new techniques. I also love to bake and grow plants. I want to become fluent in Spanish and have been trying to learn to play the guitar for almost 10 years. My book list grows exponentially faster than I can read them all. At least life is never boring!
Where can we see your work?
My website, www.kelseyviola.com
This link is to a video about my work by Chakris Kussalanant (This recently won best video in the textile category of the Global Skin Vimeo competition.)
My studio at Craft Alliance is open to the public. It is located at 501 N Grand in St. Louis, MO. My work is on exhibit at Craft Alliance, and I also teach community classes there. Information about Craft Alliance, and the catalog of classes can be found at www.craftalliance.org
In June, I will have an exhibition at Craft Alliance showing the work produced during my residency. I will also have work on display at the Surface Design Association conference this summer in San Antonio, Texas at Anarte Gallery.
Look for more from me featuring Kelsey’s work.
Until next time keep your needle threaded.
Joetta Maue is a full-time artist, writer, and curator with a focus on the art of the needle. Her most recent body of work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. Joetta exhibits her work throughout the United States and internationally, and authors the critical blog Little Yellowbird as well as regularly contributes to Mr. X Stitch.
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