Online exhibition: From Back to Front, curated by Jessica Hemmings

"From Back to Front is an online curatorial project which gathers together recent examples of tapestry weaving that expose their construction: warp threads are left dangling, even the frame of the loom remains integral to some finished works. These visible traces remind us of the vast potential of the woven structure. Exhibitors include Ann Cathrin November Hoibo, Emelie Rondahl, Jennifer Hunt, Katharine Swailes, Lucy Brown (pictures below), Nicole Pyles & Tonje Hoydahl Sorli."

Commissioned by the American Tapestry Alliance and the Laffer Curatorial Program

With due thanks to Jessica Hemmings for sharing this information with me, via her email newsletter.

Lucy Brown, 2009-10, 99 x 138 x 40 in., EPI variable. Rayon (upholstery) cord, vintage and second hand garments, negligées, lingerie. Photo: David Ramkalawon. (Installed at the Rochester Art Gallery, England).

The Architecture of Cloth, Colour and Space Symposium: October 27 2012

A One Day Symposium on the theme of The Architecture of Cloth, Colour & Space Saturday 27 October in the Chapter House Room, Gloucester Cathedral Now, more than ever, we live in a climate where diversification and the exchange of ideas across several different disciplines is paramount; to survive creatively we have to apply our skills broadly but with finesse and personal signature. In keeping with the exhibition title: The Architecture of Cloth, Colour and Space this symposium aims to engage you in the working practice of exceptional people across the several disciplines the title defines. A colour theorist who engages with computer technology and paint, an artist who wraps facades with colour, an architect who circumnavigates the world through food and innovation, a weaver bridging the commercial craft divide, a textile artist creating installations for outside spaces; they all bring something different to their respective worlds and ours. Join us in the monumental gothic space of Gloucester Cathedral for a day of creative provocation and glorious debate. This promises to be a day of innovation, inspiration and enquiry with discussion and discovery at the heart of the conference. Speakers We are pleased to announce that confirmed keynote speakers and contributors for the symposium are:

Ptolemy Mann - Chair Margo Selby - international textile designer who builds fabrics on a hand loom using structure and fibre combinations that transform threads into three dimensional forms. Margo has rapidly become recognised as a pioneer within contemporary textiles winning numerous craft and design awards and being involved with high profile design projects such as Eureka with Design Nation and Hidden Art Select. She is passionate about design and has a positive approach to working alongside other designers and companies with a similar ethos. Sophie Smallhorn - artist and colour consultant. Her work explores the relationships between colour, volume and proportion. She creates simple abstract sculptural pieces which act as vehicles to hold compositions of colour. More recently her work has evolved onto a larger format with architectural projects including a large colour installation for the Olympic stadium. Talking about this transition of scale in her work and how the area between an open ended art commission and the constraints that are particular to a design brief have both inspired and informed her creative process. Sophie has created a series of works for the Olympics Stadium in London - here she is in an interview. Garth Lewis - designer and painter who works with colour in innovative and inspiring ways using the digital 'Chromafile' * with hands on painting and printing. Colour and Space will reference his own painting practice and supporting research with colour and computing. He will also demonstrate the uses and effect of colour, with reference to his book, '2000 Colour Combinations' 2 and the software program Virtual Colour Course, to be published in 2012. Anna Glasbrook - Textile Artist Alex Haw - architect and director of award winning practice atmos - a practice dedicated to rethinking and improving our spatial world across the scales, from furniture to urban design. Alex will be speaking on the metaphor and practice of weaving in architecture; on the search for sensuality and comfort and narrative trajectories; on threading meaning through spatial experience. All have international reputations for their work and drive forward innovation in textile design, colour practice and architecture. Tickets from Stroud International Textiles Prices include lunch and refreshments. There is an Early Bird discount until October 15th: book before 6 pm to take advantage of this offer. Book online or call us on +44 (0)1453 751056 Early Bird Booking £45 Full/ £25 Concessions(includes students and Friends of SIT) From 6pm October 15th £55 Full/ £30 Concessions

Textile Matters: Structure & Surface symposium, 19th May 2012

TextileMatters: Structure & Surface

A Bath School of Art & Design, Textile Research Centre symposia event

Images L-R: Ann Richards; Jun Tomita; Lotte Dalgaard; Ptolemy Mann, Lotte Dalgaard; Ptolemy Mann; Ann Richards

Celebrating international contemporary woven textiles practice
 
Speakers:        Ann Richards (UK) / Lotte Dalgaard (Denmark) /
Ptolemy Mann (UK/US) / Jun Tomita (Japan)
 
Coinciding with a number of exciting publications and exhibitions by these four leading international weavers, this mini-symposium will celebrate very personal yet inter-related approaches to woven textiles practice - From deep research into material and structure to create textured and shaped cloths, to the extensive use of traditional and evolved dying and colouring techniques for contemporary applied art and design.
 
In conjunction with The Handweavers Studio & Gallery (London), the event will include book signing of new titles by the speakers, as well as the chance to purchase specialist weaving materials. Chrome Yellow Books will also be offering a fantastic range of textile and related titles.
 
Convened by Tim Parry-Williams, Senior Lecturer Textiles [Woven], Bath School of Art & Design, this is the inaugural event of the new Textile Research Centre at Bath Spa University’s Corsham Court Campus.

Date: Saturday 19^th May 2012, 10am - 4pm

Location: Bath Spa University, Corsham Court, Corsham, Wilshire, SN13 OBZ
 
Tickets (to include light lunch and morning/afternoon refreshments):
Full rate £45 / Students (NUS registered) £20

Booking (BY MONDAY 14^TH MAY):

Contact: Adele Milton (Bath School of Art & Design, Reception)
Tel: 01225-875533 or Email: a.milton@bathspa.ac.uk

Local information - Bath Spa University, Corsham Court Campus webpage:
http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/services/corsham-court-centre/
 
Travel to Corsham:
By rail - Chippenham (nearest) / Bath Spa + Taxi (bus services from Bath Spa)
By car – Public car parks in the town a short walk from the Court campus
 
Recommended accommodation:
Corsham – Guyers House http://www.guyershouse.com/
Bath - Holiday Inn Express http://www.expressbath.co.uk/
Bath – Hilton http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/BATHNHN-Hilton-Bath-City-hotel-/index.do

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.

Off the loom: woven explorations and applications in art, science & industry, Stroud International Textile Festival, Sunday 8th May, 2011, 11-4.30pm

I’m delighted to announce that I am hosting a forthcoming day of talks as part of the 2011 Stroud International Textile Festival, that will celebrate some of the innovative applications and aesthetic explorations in contemporary weave practice.

With a respectful nod to tradition, the invited speakers are all forging new ground within the fashion, science, furnishings and art spheres taking weave into dynamic new arenas. From e-textiles to art for architectural spaces, each speaker is a pioneer in their discipline and is taking their expertise into unexpected arenas.


Speakers:

Laura Thomas, artist, curator and design consultant. Well known for her trademark encapsulation of delicate textile structures in acrylic resin, recent significant commissions include a Museumaker project to design a triptych window for The Beaney Museum and Art Gallery in Canterbury and a vessel presented to Cricket Australia from the Welsh Assembly Government to commemorate the Ashes being played in Cardiff in 2009. A recipient of a Creative Wales Ambassador Award from the Arts Council of Wales, Laura is currently developing new bodies of work in residence at the Ruthin Craft Centre.


Asha Peta Thompson, is a founding partner of Intelligent Textiles Ltd (ITL)along with Stan Swallow. Asha is an expert in woven technical textiles, specifically electronically active ‘e-textiles’. The ITL patented processes have been applied to many products and principles from heated bedding to iPod connected garments. Recent press coverage has focused on their partnering with the Ministry of Defence to develop embedded technical functionality into military clothing, predominantly as a replacement for conventional cables in soldier systems.


Kirsty McDougall, is one half of Dashing Tweeds, Britain’s latest tweed textile company. Opening up a contemporary arena for a classic quality fabric, Dashing Tweeds has created a range of tweeds for the 21st century, designed by photographer Guy Hills and weaver Kirsty McDougall. Quirky colour palettes, inventive yarn combinations and sophisticated tactile qualities have taken the traditional tweed into uncharted territory, winning them fans across the fashion world. Of particular note is their LumaTwill™ range which is a fusion of technical sportswear with elegant tweed cloth. Light reflective yarns punctuate the woollen checks, so when worn at night it illuminates as light hits the fabric.

Melissa French, artist, designer and coordinator of the Puff & Flock textile collective. Melissa’s practice sees her span the commercial and conceptual sphere. A graduate of the renowned MA Textile Futures at Central St Martins, Melissa has garnered a reputation for work that questions the expected application of woven textiles. Her Urban Upholstery concept takes textiles beyond decoration. This time-based work integrates various metals in her woven fabrics to enable them to endure time and weather whist evolving through natural rusting or oxidising. Inspired by graffiti, urban guerrilla movements and traditional interior textiles and design, Melissa wants to bring an element of beauty, pattern, design and ultimately surprise to the urban landscape.


Ptolemy Mann, artist and architectural colour consultant. Renowned for her impeccable eye for colour, Ptolemy produces striking ikat dyed woven artworks for corporate, commercial and domestic spaces, which have been exhibited and specified all over the world. Working with a UK manufacturer, she has also recently added limited edition mill woven cloth to her repertoire, suitable for cushions, drapes and other applications. Ptolemy is also in demand as an architectural colour consultant, bringing vibrant palette’s to the usually colour-shy world of external facades, as well as devising internal colour schemes for healthcare environments to aid way finding and psychological well being.


Tickets are available from the Stroud International Textiles website:

Cost: £40/£35 (Students/Friends of SIT)

£5.00 for light lunch


There are limited tickets available particularly at the concessionary rate. The last weave symposium I was involved in (warp+weft at the National Wool Museum) ended up with a waiting list of disappointed people, please do book asap!


I look forward to seeing you there!