Dani Marti

 Cast concrete Sydney, Australia Westfield, Urban Art Projects, John Wardle Architects & Mark Llewellynn Photography



 Cast concrete Sydney, Australia Westfield, Urban Art Projects, John Wardle Architects & Mark Llewellynn Photography



 Cast concrete
Sydney, Australia 
Westfield, Urban Art Projects, John Wardle Architects & Mark Llewellynn Photography

 

 Cast concrete
Sydney, Australia 
Westfield, Urban Art Projects, John Wardle Architects & Mark Llewellynn Photography



 Cast concrete
Sydney, Australia 
Westfield, Urban Art Projects, John Wardle Architects & Mark Llewellynn Photography

Beige, 2008
Nylon, polyester,leather & rubber on wood
260 x 190 x 14 cm

Beige, 2008, detail
Nylon, polyester,leather & rubber on wood
260 x 190 x 14 cm



George, 2001
polypropylene, nylon and polyester on wood
200 x 610 x 8 cm



George, 2001, detail
polypropylene, nylon and polyester on wood
200 x 610 x 8 cm

       Here's another example of me thanking the wonders of Google. A couple of weeks ago my mind wandered and I found myself googling images of 'extreme weaving' (yes, I know, I'm a weave nerd)...... and up popped a picture of the cast concrete images you see above. A big WOW moment.

Dani Marti is an artist producing woven panels of huge scale. Ropes, braids, strips of leather, rubber and chains are woven into giant twills, hopsacks and tabby structures. I long to see this work in the flesh, as I'm sure the impact must be utterly striking. The colour, textures and pure graphic impact of these panels is really exciting.  However the translation of these qualities into cast concrete is just brilliant. I love the idea of bringing the artisan, hand made textures into the architectural environment, and the huge scale of these familar surfaces must garner a huge level of curiousity.

Please do visit Dani's website - there are so many wonderful images to look through. For those of you in Australia, there is a solo exhibition coming up at the Newcastle Region Art Gallery opening on the 17th September until the 13th November.

John Paul Morabito

Plain Weave with Stripes 2009

Wool, weaving, burning, 84" x 45". Photo credit: Nick Ghiz



Plain Weave with Stripes (detail) 2009

Wool, weaving, burning, 84" x 45". Photo credit: Nick Ghiz



Strip Construction (detail) 2010
Silk, rayon, weaving, burning 33" x 69". Photo credit: D. James Dee

 

Tonal Warp Stripe 2010

linen, ramie, weaving, burning 96" x 27" x 23". Photo credit: D. James Dee



Tonal Warp Stripe (Detail) 2010

linen, ramie, weaving, burning 96" x 27" x 23". Photo credit: D. James Dee

 

Two Block Float Weave, 2009

Silk, weaving, burning 83" x 8" x 6". Photo credit: D. James Dee



Two Block Float Weave (detail) 2009

Silk, weaving, burning 83" x 8" x 6". Photo credit: D. James Dee

 John Paul Morabito produces beautifully woven cloth that he then begins to destroy through carefully applied burns and scorches.  I've only seen the work online and in print, but I long to see it in the flesh: there is a real poetry in the presentation of the work which I find quite absorbing. The work appears hung eloquently within space, which emphasises the handwoven delicacy of the fine threads. I also find myself wondering if any 'burnt cloth' smells remains.... I hope so.

In his own words:

I am interested in hand labor. Hand processes manipulate materials to create both form and content in my artwork. I begin at the loom, building cloth line by line. Once woven, the work is destructed either through an immediate intervention or a slow, mediated process. In all cases, the cyclic relationship of creation and destruction is at the heart of the work.  

Of late my work has concerned itself with the actions of hand weaving and systematic burning. The process of weaving cloth by hand and then repeatedly burning it is an act of creation juxtaposed with an act of destruction. This sacrifice of cloth woven by my own hands is not a violent act. It is rather a quiet meditation. The holes are not burned quickly with ravaging flames. Instead each hole is made individually and slowly to create a contemplation of each moment that has been burnt away.  

Inherent to this work is the compulsory behavior of the obsessional. I am particularly interested in how this behavior relates to the death drive and it is this thanatological compulsion that is the impetus of the work.

Perhaps left over from when we first realized our mortality, we have built into us a yearning for all things impermanent. To be human is not only to create but also to destroy. Called Thanatos, the death drive draws us to the end. I find myself in some ways ruled by Thanatos. There is a need to make and a need to destroy, neither can be ignored.  

The hand that makes is the hand that destroys.

Laura Daley

The River Thames by Night (detail)



The River Thames by Night

 A little while ago I was invited to the University of Creative Arts to talk about my work and to do tutorials with the textiles students. One of the final year students I met was Laura Daley who showed me some utterly exquisite samples which I knew were going to develop into something showstopping. I'm therefore delighted that she went on to win the prestigious British Contract Furnishing Association (BCFA) Award at New Designers last month. 

Her graduation collection of work is a highly sophisticated interpretation of photographs of city lights by night. Hand-dyed spun silk weft yarns have been hand-woven in satin and sateen constructions that perfectly capture the essence of her photographs. She has also managed to bring a fresh aesthetic to the ancient art of ikat weaving through her judicious eye for composition and restraint.

I look forward to watching her career develop...... I feel quite sure she's going places.