The warp and weft blog...

Fashion & Textile Lab, Carmarthen School of Art @ Coleg Sir Gar

2016-03-23T00:24:00.001+00:00

Rita Parniczky

2016-03-02T22:20:00.001+00:00

-Ray Vault I, detail with sunlight, 2014, medum: nylon monofilament, rayon and iridescent threads, 155 x 68cm

Rita Parniczky is an exceptional weaver, who has developed an extraordinarily unique aesthetic and technique, that I'm pretty sure I've never seen before...... the holy grail for all creatives.

Entitled The X-Ray Series, Rita hand-weaves exquisite panels whereby warp threads distort and undulate from their expected vertical, linear path. These poetic structures are emphasised by the choice of rayon, monofilament, and sometimes other metallic yarns. Whilst they are wonderful to examine in any setting, they truly come alive when they interact with light, whether it be natural or artificial.

Rita rightly has an ever-growing list of accolades for this body of work, the latest being the prestigious Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon which will be celebrated by a forthcoming solo exhibition at Contemporary Applied Arts, opening on June 24th 2016.

Rita is based at the brilliant Cockpit Arts Holburn studios, where she has received invaluable business support and mentoring from their in house advisors. You can read a fantastic article about her story, and how she's been supported by Cockpit Arts here

And to conclude, a quote from the wonderful Richard Humphries

`In woven textile design most of what is seen has already been made before. But just once or twice in a generation there is a designer who immediately you can recognise as a person who has the loom craft, the inspiration, and the courage to push the boundaries of weave to a new and innovative level. Rita Parniczky is that talented exceptional designer who combines the meticulous attention to the detail and originality, which is revealed in her perfection on the loom.`

Richard J. Humphries MBE FRSA Upper Bailiff of The Worshipful Company of Weavers in 2016

http://www.ritaparniczky.com/vault-series/

Untitled, 2013, medium: nylon monofilament and cotton threads, 120cm x 90cm

Untitled, 2013, medium: nylon monofilament and rayon threads, 180 x 120cm

X-Ray Towers, detail with natural light, 2012, medium: nylon monofilament, cotton and iridescent threads, 84 x 100cm

Mike Friton

2016-02-05T22:14:00.000+00:00

Back in 2005 (ish) I visited the Technitex show in Frankfurt in my capacity as a Visiting Research Fellow for the Smart Clothes & Wearable Technology research group in the University of Wales, Newport. Whilst pausing for a much needed coffee break I got chatting to a gentleman called Mike Friton sat next to me at the coffee bar. When I said that I was a weaver, his eyes lit up and he asked if I'd like to see some handwoven cloth he'd made. From his rucksack he unravelled a length of cloth woven with an undulating weft! I then discovered he was one of the senior designer-innovators at the Nike 'Innovation Kitchen', responsible for some of the most iconic footwear developments, including the braided footwear. It was fantastic to speak to someone with a passion for textile construction, who'd taught himself to weave in order to explore how to create more mouldable fabrics from the footwear perspective.

Above you can see some one his on-loom experiments, with the curved reed he made for his loom.

We stayed in touch, and a few months later it was with great pleasure that I was able to introduce him to Peter Collingwood to discuss warp and weft threads not following the expected linear vertical and horizontal paths.

http://www.nikeblog.com/2013/02/12/video-profile-of-sneaker-innovator-mike-friton/

Mike now works independently, although still consults for Nike and other footwear companies. Making is at the core of how he designs and innovates - as well as weaving, braiding, origami and kirigami are some of the methods he uses to develop ideas. You can find out more about him in this wonderful short film, and of course on his website.

The London Cloth Company

2016-02-04T22:24:00.000+00:00

Film by Thomas Webster

After observing from afar for awhile with jaw-dropped admiration, I was lucky enough to hear Daniel Harris speak at an event in Wales a couple of years ago about The London Cloth Company, the micro-mill he had founded in the heart of London. His enthusiasm is utterly infectious and I still can't overstate my awe for this seemingly insurmountable ambition to set up a mill. In London. The first for over a century.

He's passionate about the machinery and has been rescuing and resuscitating neglected looms and ancillary kit from all over the UK, which he now uses to primarily weave to commission for an illustrious list of international clients, including Ralph Lauren, Daks and Hardy Amies.

(c) The London Cloth Company http://www.londoncloth.com/store-3/#!/Large-Checked-Woollen-Blanket/p/52164461/category=9998006

(c) The London Cloth Company http://www.londoncloth.com/store-3/#!/100-Cotton-Rope-dyed-Indigo-&-White-Herringbone/p/52743433/category=13958080

(c) The London Cloth Company http://www.londoncloth.com/store-3/#!/Small-Individual-Swatches/p/52743799/category=13958080

PET Lamp

2016-02-03T22:19:00.000+00:00

How seriously cool are these awesome handmade lamps? Do check out the PET LAMP website to see more inspirational images and maybe make a purchase to support artisan makers across continents.

Craft in the Bay, Summer Show Focus on Weave open exhibition

2016-02-03T22:11:00.001+00:00

This year, the annual open submission exhibition at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff (Wales, UK) has a focus on weave. This can be in any material or craft process, not just a loom woven textile.

Deadline for applications - 31st March 2016.

All details can be found following this link.

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

2015-07-21T00:00:00.001+01:00

"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).

Eleanor Pritchard

2014-03-25T00:17:00.000+00:00

Eleanor Pritchard is a creator of seriously elegant and easily covetable blankets, cushions and a recently added upholstery collection. Sophisticated colour palettes woven in wool, are realized in double cloth and other clever structures. With an ever-growing international clientele, its easy to understand why business is flourishing. It goes without saying I adore the work, but I also really admire the careful styling of all the shots of her products.

In her own words:

I have always loved playing with colour and pattern. My work often has a mid-century quality and I feel a strong affinity for the aesthetics and design philosophy of this era. Alongside this runs a deep interest in vernacular British textiles and I see much of my work as a re-interpretation of these traditions and techniques for a contemporary audience.

All images reproduced with kind permission from http://www.eleanorpritchard.com/home.htm

Dash + Miller

2014-02-28T00:12:00.001+00:00

Dash + Miller is a brilliant weave design studio based in Bristol, established four years ago. Founded by the talented Juliette Bailey and Franki Brewer, they specialize in producing clever woven samples and meterage for businesses across the spectrum of fashion and interiors. Clients have included Habitat, Pringle of Scotland, DAKS, Jonathan Saunders, Mulberry and Calvin Klein Home.

They work out of an beautiful studio in a converted old schoolhouse. High ceilings and white walls make the shelves of yarns sing and the work on the looms command your attention. I visited them recently to discuss all things 'weave' and left very inspired but with severe studio envy. Their neatly ordered and perfectly labelled storage and lack of clutter made me return home to have a good tidy up of my mess. Not that you'd guess, should you saw it...... (a work in progress).

Their latest design work to hit the high street is as part of the Best of British range for Marks and Spencer SS14. The line can be found in M&S stores at Marble Arch and Kensington in London, Edinburgh, Bluewater in Kent, and Camberley in Surrey, as well as available online.

There are two garments in this first collection showcasing Dash + Millers unique collaboration with UK ninth generation silk weavers, Stephen Walters & Sons. Two-tone graphic jacquard's have been selected for a Bomber jacket and dress.

Hope that this collection proves to be a sell-out, not only in recognition of Dash + Millers excellent work with Stephen Walters, but also to serve as encouragement to M&S (and other UK retailers) to start bringing more manufacturing back on-shore.

Work experience opportunity with Anna Champeney in Spain

2014-02-19T23:22:00.000+00:00

Are you BA2, BA3 or graduate weaver looking for a short work placement?

Anna Champeney Estudio Textil is in a position to offer a voluntary full-time placement of up to 3 weeks in end May / June 2014 at the textile studio in north Spain, with accommodation included in the picturesque mountain village of Cristosende.

Pretty amazing opportunity to get a little Spanish sunshine and work in picturesque surroundings.....

Penny Wheeler

2013-11-25T23:06:00.000+00:00

Last month I was really delighted to see this piece of work at the annual Portal graduate showcase exhibition at Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre in Cwmbran. I had seen images of the work by Penny Wheeler beforehand online, and they were intriguing enough for me to know that I HAD to see the work in the flesh. Those that know my work will understand when I say that I'm very drawn to the power of the unwoven thread as much as the woven thread, hence my admiration. Its not often that I manage to get along to exhibition private views these days, but this one I managed and so I was particularly pleased to meet Penny at the event. She very patiently chatted with me about her work whilst I attempted to keep my very busy 19month old from careering into the ceramics on display (hence not often going to exhibition pv's at the mo......)

A recent MA graduate from Bath School of Art, Penny has a wonderful sense of colour, and the trailing threads offer the perfect counterbalance to the structured woven cloth. I also love her use of the inlay technique, drawing with thread on the surface of the cloth.

The Portal exhibition has now travelled to Oriel Davies in Newtown, where you can see the work until 2nd January.

Penny is also part of a very interesting new textile collective called Seam. The members are based in and around Bath and have a forthcoming exhibition, which I'd suggest is a must-see event for your diary should you be nearby:

Hiroko Takeda

2013-08-10T23:00:00.002+01:00

I studied alongside Hiroko Takeda at the Royal College of Art, and so have long admired this seriously clever weaver. After a thorough grounding in Japanese textile traditions, a career as commercial textile designer in Japan then followed, before deciding to come to the UK to undertake an MA in woven textiles at the RCA.

Upon graduation she was unsurprisingly snapped up by the ground breaking Larsen Studio in NYC. After nearly a decade working there, she founded her own studio practice in Brooklyn, and has since worked on many inventive commissions and projects within the domestic and contract furnishings field. Recently she designed the panel drapery for ski resort in France. Other exciting projects include creating work for the Christian Dior boutique in Milan, Beverly Hills and Shanghai for the VIP room wall.

Hiroko has an absolutely innate sensitivity to yarn and finish, and it never ceases to amaze me how she can take recognisable weave structures into such new territory. And I can't describe how much I covet the wrap in the picture above.......

Do check out this interview for more insight as well as her beautiful website.

Louise Tucker

2013-07-18T23:36:00.000+01:00

Louise Tucker creates extraordinary hand woven lighting that is incredibly desirable and very cleverly executed. She will be launching her latest collection at TENT this coming September, and is definitely a name to watch. Expect a beautiful exhibition of elegant, covetable work......

From her press release:

Welsh designer Louise Tucker will be showing her collection of contemporary lighting at London’s premier design event, Tent, as part of London Design Week 2013. A graduate of the Textiles Masters course at Chelsea College of Art and a weave designer with experience working within the Indian Silk industry, Louise is a designer who has been continuously fascinated by the possibilities of natural materials and woven structures.

Launching her studio earlier in 2013, Louise has aimed to develop a practice that blurs the boundaries between craft and design.

‘I want to make meaningful interior products that showcase the sophisticated beauty of natural materials.’

Over the last few months Louise’s hand crafted designs have been seen at major design events. These have included an exhibition with London’s dynamic exhibition organisers Designersblock as part of the Milan Salone 2013 and showcasing with the University Arts London’s Selected stand at Pulse London.

Supported by the Arts Council Wales, Louise will be exhibiting at Tent with a new range of PREN woven lights. Inspired by traditional weaving techniques and organic forms, the PREN lighting range has been woven out of sustainably sourced specialist wood veneer. Each PREN light pattern is developed by continuously making intricate small scale model. The design is only finalised when the organic forms balance with the subtle beauty of the wood to create a sophisticated simplicity. The woven forms not only create a sculptural object but a delicate light feature. Being a handmade product every light piece is unique and represents the time and care of the maker.

Weave: A One Day Symposium: Stroud International Textiles, 11th May

2013-04-08T10:58:00.000+01:00

Weave: A One Day Symposium: Stroud International Textiles

Helga Matos

SPRING SELECT APRIL 27 – 26 MAY 2013
Presented by Stroud International Textiles

Saturday 11 May 2013
‘Weave’ is a one day conference will bring together a diverse group of experts to explore weaving and woven structures. The day will discuss how weaving has progressed and developed while continuing to delight in traditional textiles skills.

Confirmed contributor speakers are Laura Thomas; Nadia-Anne Ricketts; Eleanor Pritchard; Tim Parry-Williams; Deirdre Woods; Helga Matos. Philippa Brock (Chair);

These are inspirational designer makers who test the boundaries of textile material and experiment with how far those boundaries can be pushed. The work they produce is exciting, beautiful, intelligent and inspiring.

The day will bring opportunities for makers and designers to contribute their specialist skills and knowledge of materials and encourage new systems and processes. The day will explore and discuss new techniques while basking in the pleasure of woven cloth.

Each contributor strives to push the expected boundaries of woven textile working with design, architects, fashion, science and interior design
Tickets:
Full price £70
Concessions full time students, unemployed and Friends of SIT £40
Early Bird Tickets: Full Price £60 Students Early Bird £35
Early Bird tickets end on March 30

This includes a light lunch and tea/coffee on arrival.
Advance booking through www.sitselect.org symposium booking page.

A bookshop run by Yellow-Lighted Books will be present.

Booking
To book a ticket please go to www.sitselect.org or www.stroudinternationaltextiles.org.uk and navigate to the symposium page where you will find full details on how to book online or if you prefer you can send a cheque to SIT office.
Or book through Tourist Information centre on 01453 760 960

Venue: Stroud College in Gloucestershire GL5 4AH
Contact Stroud International Textiles on 01453 751056 / info@stroudsit.org

Eleanor Pritchard

Tim Parry Williams

Weave Waves, a collaboration between Scanner and Ismini Samanidou

2013-03-15T20:40:00.001+00:00

Crafts Council commission – Weave Waves - brings together sound artist Scanner and textile designer Ismini Samanidou to explore the connections between craft and sound.

Weave Waves has been commissioned for the Crafts Council’s new touring exhibition Sound Matters: Exploring sound through forms, launching in May 2013, which looks at how and where the worlds of sound and craft collide.

The dynamic online space – www.weavewaves.org.uk – will show the process of the collaboration between Scanner and Ismini Samandiou via ‘chapters’ which will be uploaded weekly.

Scanner and Samanidou have been inspired by the visual and technical similarities between the digital software they use and the physicality of code used both in music and weaving.

Samanidou recognises code as tactile and visible and Scanner sees code as hidden and veiled beneath the surface but they both use a shared language of zeros and ones – of binary code.

A presentation of their collaboration to date will be shown at FutureEverything in Manchester at 4 Piccadilly Place, from 21-24 March.

This presentation at FutureEverything will be in the form of a film and sound piece driven by their shared interests in scale and location and includes a mapping of the urban environment and soundscape of Manchester.

Following Weave Waves at FutureEverything there will be a series of conversations and interviews broadcast on Resonance FM (London 104.4 FM) and available online, which will focus on the artists and makers featured in Sound Matters, including Scanner and Samanidou.

Visiting Weave Waves at FutureEverything

4 Piccadilly Place
Manchester
M1 3BN

Wednesday 20 March*: 9-7pm
Thursday 21 March: 9-6pm
Friday 22 March: 9-7pm
Saturday 23 March: 10-6pm
Sunday 24 March: 10-6pm

*FutureEverything runs from 21-24 March however there will be an opportunity to see Weave Waves on Wednesday 20 March.

Weave Waves is a FREE event

About Scanner

Robin Rimbaud, aka Scanner, is a conceptual artist, writer and musician working in London. He explores the experimental terrain between sound, space, image and form, creating absorbing, multi-layered sound pieces that twist technology in unconventional ways.

www.scannerdot.com @robinrimbaud

About Ismini Samanidou

Ismini Samanidou designs woven fabrics for interior spaces, ranging from one-off pieces to limited edition textiles. Technology is an integral part of her creative process, her pieces woven mainly on industrial computerised looms.

www.isminisamanidou.com

About FutureEverything

FutureEverything is an art and digital innovation organization based in Manchester, founded in 1995 around an annual festival of art, music and digital culture. The award-winning organisation runs year-round digital innovation labs on themes such as open data, remote collaboration, urban interface and environmental mass observation. The FutureEverything festival each year presents the work of 300 artists across its art, music and conference strands, and is conceived as a ‘living lab’ for participatory experiments on art, society and technology.

In March 2013, FutureEverything presents the Summit of Ideas & Digital Invention, a one-off event that has been designed to showcase a wide range of digital innovation projects from international artists and developers as well as hosting their annual conference. In preparation for the 20th Anniversary of FutureEverything in 2015, the Summit in March and the next festival in 2014 have been designed specifically to demonstrate that at its core, FutureEverything is about innovation in all forms, be it in research, digital media or contemporary arts and music.

www.futureeverything.org @FuturEverything #futr

About Sound Matters

Sound Matters is the newest Crafts Council touring exhibition. It will explore the connections between craft and sound, investigating how and where they collide. It will feature the work of seven makers/artists that are seeking to explore and expand the boundaries of sound and craft. Musician and author David Toop is curatorial advisor for the exhibition which will launch in May 2013.

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/about-us/press-room/view/2013/weave-waves-explores-craft-and-sound/

Feasibility Study: Weave sampling & short runs facility

2013-03-13T21:39:00.000+00:00

I am currently undertaking some research for a feasibility study into providing support services to the weave sector. I have compiled a short survey aimed at designer-makers and small businesses and I would be hugely grateful if you could fill in should you fall into these categories.

I know how pressurized everyone's time is, but I hope that the information gleaned from this survey will help secure funding for a much-needed weave facility which could directly benefit UK-based weave businesses in the future.

I am working to an very tight timescale to submit this feasibility study and so I would be extremely appreciative to receive your valuable answers, by this coming Saturday 16^th March.

Please do forward this info onto anyone you think might be interested and keen to offer their thoughts.

Many thanks.

Eduardo and Maria Portillo

2013-01-22T22:23:00.002+00:00

Detail of Nocturno

Nocturno

Yesterday I received these images by email from the extraordinarily talented Eduardo and Maria Portillo, and they quite frankly, made my heart skip a beat. The images show their work that is in a current exhibition 'Azul Indigo' in Caracas celebrating their exquisite use of indigo dying. But its not just about dying: the weave structures and dramatic yarn combinations take the colour exploration to another level. The work is utterly absorbing both from afar and up close: I love the way the ordered grid structure ripples, undulates and surprises as a result of the different yarn characters.

The artworks aim to capture the various shades of blue that take us through the day; from the inky midnight blue sky, to a sky laden with rain, to the transparent air of the afternoon tinged with golden sunlight.

The exhibition is on until the 27th January. Sadly I won't be able to indulge myself with a trip to Caracas, but should you be nearby, you must go and savour this exhibition....

Detail of Nubes

En la Noche

Detail of En la Noche

Al Amanecer

Detail of Al Amanecer

Detai lof La Noche

The artists image reflected in an indigo dye vat

UPDATE, 15th March 2013

Here is some text that Eduardo and Maria have sent me translated from the catalogue that accompanies the exhibition. Enjoy.....

A Blue Journey

by María Dávila & Eduardo Portillo

Blue, color of multiple meanings, is also the color of hope. Every day dawns and the blue accompanies us in the sky, in the sea and in the distant mountains.

We see the blue in the morning but in the afternoon shows transparent with yellow and white. At night it darkens and with the moonlight follows a blue air. With the stars, in the morning, when it's almost dawn, the blue is still there.

Ten years ago, in 2002, when we found the indigo blue and draw travel lines to see the color of the peoples of Southeast Asia, of the desert´s blue men , the Andean textiles and blue jeans, the eternal blue.

Indigo is obtained from various plants containing "indican" and Indigofera tinctoria L is the most used. As it is insoluble in water, requiring an alkaline medium and a reducing agent to become soluble. When the vat takes an amber appearance, the fiber is immersed there, extracted and with the air contact indigo oxidize to become blue color.

In ancient times, due to its complex preparation process, the indigo vat was restricted to the hands of specialists. Its transformation from yellow-green to infinite variety blues was full of magic and rigor.

In Venezuela still grows wild the indigo plant which was the base of an important industry for the country in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

In the highlands of Mérida there remains the memory of using this dye in wool blankets.

The discovery of synthetic indigo in 1880 revolutionized the way to obtain the blue in the world, in a few years replacing the use of natural indigo.

Today indigo culture remains in traditional communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America and in a wide universe of contemporary artists who see in its process a synthesis of history, culture and life.

In the mountains of southwest China, where the golden evening light bathes their endless and steep terraces planted with rice, Dong people wears blue, almost black, their cotton fabrics dyed in indigo that seems to become waterproof paper after going through a slow and fascinating process of immersion in the juice of some plants and systematic exposure to the sun.

In northeast Thailand, indigo is full of superstition and alchemy. In every home the recipe for its preparation is different, secret ; add brown sugar, pineapple, tamarind, liquor, prove it, smell it, they keep it "alive". There all hands are blue; for a moment everything is blue.

In southern India still there are some indigo plantations, where the rhythmic "dance" of blue bodies in pools of indigo oxygenates the obtained extract , which should be processed until the dye is achieved.

In the Andes, in Africa and Japan, the art, study, research, trial and error are present in every indigo vat. To travel in search for Indigo could be itself a motive for a lifetime, every "vat" is different, each vision is unique, we decided to try to find our own blue. After this intense experience, we interlaced the blue with our searchs and then brought them into the loom.

After a necessary pause we have resumed the pleasure found years ago, exploring the art of indigo dyeing, immersed in their vats again and over again, and we brought it to textiles structures that move us to get closer to blue moments of everyday: the night, the moon, the sky, the clouds, dawn, dusk, moments of everybody, moments filled with blue.

We have tried to fuse into the blue the silk from Mérida, moriche palm from the Orinoco river´s delta, the wool of the Andes, and cotton, dyed in indigo and complementing it with other natural sources of color (cochineal, eucalyptus and onion) and with metallic yarns.

The space is constructed using blocks and mosaics born from triple weave , which is based on the interlacement of three layers of warp yarns advancing simultaneously and independently while is weaving each one of them, therefore it should be weave three times the length of the fabric obtained.

The various combinations of blues are revealed by Taqueté, an ancient textile structure , based on the sequences of three or four colors yarn groups in the weft or in the warp

Today we celebrate the encounter, a blue vision of the world, a vision about the universal indigo blue, navigating the collective imaginary of some moments of the day and we endevour to get them into the space of the wide textile world.-

Dec 2012

W&Q

2012-12-01T22:07:00.000+00:00

How exciting is this?! I can't tell you how much I just love this work: some of my favourite preoccupations of saturated colour, graphic patterns and triaxial weave constructions have been explored to such dramatic effect by this wonderful new design duo W&Q. They have taken an entirely fresh approach to traditional bamboo woven furniture which has so much market potential..... I can't wait to see this work available commercially. Do check out their website for lots more inspiring images.

Jason Collingwood

2012-11-19T00:14:00.000+00:00

Jason Collingwood is a master rug weaver of international repute, in demand for both his work and his teaching. He hand-weaves wonderfully graphic designs that have gravitas and great visual impact. Do check out his online gallery, as he has a huge catalogue of inspiring designs that can be commissioned in whatever colours you might choose. These are some of my personal favourites......

Linda Green

2012-10-30T00:47:00.001+00:00

I first saw Linda Greens work at the brilliant Follow a Thread exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre. It was one of the best exhibitions I'd ever seen celebrating textiles, which saw me visit and revisit the show time and time again. One of the bodies of work that kept drawing me back was the exquisite 'Exploring Structure' series by Linda, a tapestry graduate of the Royal College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art.

A series of 21 miniature woven studies were created on pieces of found wood, shells and other ephemera upon which the textile remained. It's a delightful depiction of the fact that to weave, you just need 'something' to hold your warp threads taught, for you to then interlace the weft over and under. I love the fact that the 'loom' is not only a functional tool, but an imperative part of the resultant textile artwork. The series was displayed in a linear landscape arrangement, propped up on a shelf against a wall, and the pieces seemed to just dance from one to another. The tiny scale commanded you to look closely and appreciate the minutiae of the fibre and yarn surface in a way that you'd otherwise overlook.

The exhibition toured to Dovecot after it left Ruthin Craft Craft Centre, and you can see some more images of Linda's work in situ, as well as some of the other exhibits on the Innovative Craft Flickr photostream

Jane Harper

2012-10-29T23:00:00.002+00:00

Jane Harper is the 2012 recipient of the Peter Collingwood Charitable Trust Award for innovation in weaving. The award aims to recognize excellence for a loom-based textile and I know that this years winner would certainly have piqued Peters curiosity. Jane has created some highly complex multi-layered constructions which have become truly 3-dimensional once off loom. The layers are separated and held proud from the ground cloth with insertions of acrylic sheet.

Jane is recent Textile Design graduate from Central Saint Martins, and this work is from her final degree collection which she entitled Collapsable Constructions. She has now moved back to her home city of Manchester where she aims to use her award towards setting up her own studio. She hopes to develop her structural textiles into functional works that could be used in an interior context.

Do check out her new website for more images of her degree work.

Ismini Samanidou, Crafts Study Centre

2012-09-30T23:19:00.000+01:00

My blogging and exhibition visiting activity has been somewhat curtailed in recent times due to me very happily becoming a Mum. However, at the beginning of September I was delighted to be able to stop at the Craft Study Centre in Farnham en route home from Canterbury, to visit Ismini Samanidou's solo exhibition entitled Topography: recording place - mapping surface. Now extended until the 6th Oct, the show is absolute treat, giving an insight into Ismini's design process as well as presenting intriguing jacquard woven lengths. I always relish the opportunity to see samples, design sketches, mood boards, colour studies, yarn wraps etc, as they demonstrate pure, instinctive exploration that has yet to be synthesized into the 'final' work. The wall of cloud study samples was perhaps my favourite part of the exhibition for this very reason. Structural explorations of diverse surafce qualities in unusual yarns on the dobby handloom made a very welcome compliment to the jacquard woven artworks which I am so familiar with. It was also a delight to see her handmade fan reeds which were made whilst on a British Council residency in Bangladesh. These were used to weave some exquisite fabrics, which you can see alongside.

So, I urge you in the few days left to catch the exhibition before the work travels to the Center for Craft Creativity and Design in the USA. There is also a beautiful and insightful catalogue to accompany the show.

wisteria, momijigari, siberia and thread installation

'Cloud weavings'

Siberia lengths and cloud weavings

Watercolour and yarn wrap colour study

Hand woven fabric of varying density

woven interpretation of the texture photographs

Hand made fan reeds

Hand made fabrics woven with the hand made reeds

CNC routed wood replicating woven surfaces

Sian O'Doherty

2012-09-20T00:03:00.000+01:00

Sian O'Doherty is one of my very talented graduates from the BA Textiles course I teach on in Coleg Sir Gar. She won the Lucienne Day Award at New Designers this year, and has many other accolades under her belt including the second prize in the Hand & Lock embroidery competition in 2010. Her final year collection was an ambitious exploration into highly complex quadruple cloth structures incorporating hand manipulated floats and an eye-popping colour palette. Some of the woven structures were developed into digital prints for upholstery and covetable cushions covers. This is a weaver to watch: she's going places......

Photographs by Dan Staveley

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

2012-08-31T11:44:00.000+01:00

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

A GREAT opportunity: Weave lecturer job vacancy, Chicago

2012-08-31T11:32:00.001+01:00

FULL-TIME FACULTY TEACHING POSITION IN FIBER AND MATERIAL STUDIES
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
http://www.saic.edu/about/jobs/faculty/index.html

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Fiber and Material Studies announces a full-time, tenured or tenure track-position, beginning August 2013. The department seeks candidates with accomplished studio practices who are proficient in both hand and machine, and analog and digital technologies as applied to textiles/fiber and material studies, preferably with experience in Jacquard weaving. S/he will lead the curricular and pedagogical direction of the weaving area. The ideal candidate should be versed in historic and critical dialogue/theory as related to the field within a broader contemporary art and cultural discourse. Rank and salary are competitive with peer institutions, and are commensurate with quality of scholarship or practice, extent of teaching experience, and current professional standing.

The Department of Fiber and Material Studies encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the investigation of relationships among concept, materiality, and process in contemporary art. Students use a broad range of media and methods with emphasis on the integration of textile, fiber and material study traditions, within an expanded contemporary art context. The department currently has five full-time faculty and up to fifteen part-time faculty. It has up to 20 dedicated MFA students, and over 750 undergraduate enrollments in 60 courses each year.

Responsibilities The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate students in an interdisciplinary art school, advise graduate students in a tutorial environment, and maintain an active professional practice. S/he must be capable of performing administrative duties and provide vision and direction as the department chair on a rotating basis.

Qualifications The ideal candidate has an MFA, a nationally/internationally recognized practice, a strong exhibition record and/or is accomplished within his/her field of cultural production, and a minimum of three years experience teaching at the college level or commensurate experience.

Application Procedure By Monday, January 7, 2013 please submit an application at saicfaculty.slideroom.com <http://SAICfaculty.slideroom.com/> . You will be asked to create an account, then complete the application which is a combination of fill-in fields and uploaded documents. Complete the fields for contact information, educational background, and professional references. Required files to upload include: a cover letter stating your interests and qualifications; résumé; artist statement; a statement of teaching philosophy; sample syllabi for an undergraduate studio course employing weave, print, or material construction methods; a brief description of a graduate-level seminar; and portfolio/support materials/visual documentation as appropriate.

Overview of SAIC's search process: After the submission deadline, a search committee composed of faculty reviews applications to identify up to 20 semifinalists for telephone interviews (usually by February). From this pool, a select group of three finalists are invited to campus to give a public presentation of their work, interview with the search committee, interact with students (both formally and informally), and discuss the position in detail with the Dean of Faculty (in March and April). The final candidate is typically identified by or before April. Positions begin in late August.

The School does not publish salaries, as each offer reflects the expertise, qualifications, and unique experience of the candidate. The School's search process typically concludes in the spring, and positions begin in late August.

About SAIC: A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to 3,000 students from across the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, the school is one of the largest private schools of art and design in the country with programs reflecting current practices in art. SAIC's educational philosophy is built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design that provides unparalleled opportunities for students to develop their creative and critical abilities. Renowned faculty are leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC's resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing. Numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. Multiple galleries on campus provide students with opportunities to exhibit their work for professional development. Extended partnerships with organizations and institutions city-wide, provide students intern- and externships across Chicago.
The School currently enrolls over 3,000 full-time, degree-seeking students in 15 studio departments and 8 academic departments. There are 150 full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty and visiting artists, and 500 adjunct and part-time faculty supported by 300 staff.
Degree tracks include the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio; BFA with Emphasis in Art Education, Art History, or Writing; BA and MA in Visual and Critical Studies; BIA (Interior Architecture); Master of Architecture; Master of Design in Designed Objects or Fashion, Body and Garment; Master of Fine Arts in Studio or Writing; Master of Arts degrees in Arts Administration and Policy; Art Education; Art History, Theory, and Criticism; Art Therapy; New Arts Journalism; Teaching; and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation.

EOE: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is committed to creating a diverse community of faculty and students, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered on the basis of their qualifications for the position without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender-related identity, marital status, parental status, military or former military status, and any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.