a-room-a-loom

Its been so loooooooooooooooooooooong!!!! 

Well here is an awesome piece to come back with an say hello to the blogosphere... A-Room-A-Loom. A wonderful project, devised by Julia Sherman over in the states, and run in numerous artist-run-spaces there. 

Basically a giant warp strung up across an area which is then woven with all different kinds of media - both textile and non-textile - depending upon the choices of the weaver. It is best summed up by Sherman herself:

" "A Room-A Loom” spans the space of the gallery, creating an environmental loom. The loom itself is really simple and anyone can be taught to to use it in about 5-minutes. People are invited to gather together the material of their choice and to contribute to the collaborative textile. The project began at Workspace in North East Los Angeles, and was recreated at artist-run spaces all over the country. Materials used thus far have included weeds, old clothing, Halloween costumes, computer cables, bubble wrap, plastic bags, John Baldessari’s toilet-paper, Sheep Dog fur, raw wool, yarn, pants, jeans, blankets, burlap sacks, palm fronds, pom-poms and more. This project has been re-created at Copy Gallery in Philadelphia, PA, SEA Change Gallery in Portland, Cairo in Seattle, Goonies in Vancouver and Swimming Pool in Chicago."

All pictures here are taken from the artist's website. If you've got a few minutes check out the video at the end of this post where Sherman talks about the history and future of the project. Radical! xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLtb_wT1bk

when craft becomes art... Ian Hundley

Still on a textile tip - US based Ian Hundley uses the ages-old (and often female) tradition of patchwork to re-create aerial maps that he finds in books. The resultant pieces, to me, are like giant abstract paintings, though wonderfully tactile with that quilted uneven surface.

What interests me particularly is his use of colour... there must be some kind of meaning or intention behind his palettes... city or urban centers are often brightly multi-coloured, while the surrounding landscapes and river systems are harmonious or gentle tones and patterns.

Something else that I find intriguing is that patchwork in general was (and is still) so often used to tell stories, document architectural structures and record family histories... in a way Hundley is still doing this with his use of patchwork. Enjoy toucans!!

Janet Echelman

As you know I have been pursuing some textile sculpture ideas of late.. mainly those that have to do with the manipulation of a single thread. I have come across this rather amazing lady from the US who is just.. well.. inspiring to say the least. Most of her work uses the public environment as a canvas on which to imprint her incredible textile forms and with the use of light at night and, sometimes manipulating the physical environment, there's a lil' bit of magic that occurs.
Structurally speaking the thread is netted together, similar to that of a dream-catcher, and suspended in numerous ways usually with the aid of large metal circular shapes within the pieces and huge supports strategically placed around the outside. Have a look.... and, if you are as in love as I am, have a watch of the interview with Janet at the end.
Peace. xxxxx

a little more of that thread stuff... gabriel dawe

So following on from last week and all the love the thread-art got, I thought I'd take a look at another beautiful installation artist who uses thread in a similar way and has a distinct love of colour that makes me a lil bit swoony... Gabriel Dawe.
She's pretty amazing... enjoy. xxx