Cloth and Culture

This weekend i visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester to view the Cloth and Culture Now Exhibition. I wished to research for my Approaches to Surfaces brief and discover more Textile Artists. I enjoyed the Gallery, not only the installations but the quiet studious ambiance as one leaves the busy Oxford Road and steps into calm. As I sit here now the works that spring to mind are quite varied. I like the simplistic pure design of Mare Kelpmans' Estonian National Embroidery 9th and 10th (above). This is Lasercut polyamid and is for me reminiscent of hand cut snowflakes made as a child. I find the installation beautifully magical and respect the Artist for not making the work overly complicated. Kelpman works in Estonian national patterns but uses new technology. This fusion of the old and the new keeps the work modern and cutting edge with a nod to her Estonian roots.

Another Textile artist i admired was Auste Jurgelionyte, she is a felt-maker and animator from Lithuania. I love the idea of those two mediums working together, which inspires me and opens my eyes to the scope available within the Textile Arts. This work appeals to me, as from a distance it looks as if it could have been created with Oil Pastels or Wax Crayons. Then once near you see the texture and coalition of the fibres bringing an organic and fluid feel. Felting is something i have never experienced and i am becoming increasingly fascinated by it. So much so i have searched out a tutor and hopefully shall begin learning the traditional skill in the new year.