Dates: 3 October 2015 until 7 February 2016 at the TextielMuseum, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

This autumn the TextielMuseum presents ‘Fiber Futures | Art from Japan’, a showcase of 30 Japanese artists at the cutting edge of the fiber art scene. Covering wall hangings, sculptures, monumental installations, video and architecture, the works on display provide an understated but at times exuberant picture of contemporary Japanese fiber art.

All the featured artists, who include both newcomers and established names such as Jun’ichi Arai, Naomi Kobayashi and Reiko Sudō, use flexible materials that range from silk, washi paper, jute and hemp to steel wire, synthetic fibre and even recycled cocoons. Their methods show a deep respect for tradition as well as an openness to the latest weaving and dying technology.

Tradition & innovation As the Japanese saying oshime kara uchÅ« kaihatsu made – ‘from diapers to the Space Age’ – so wonderfully illustrates, textiles provide for the most basic human needs while also being integral to technical developments in industries such as aerospace. Continue reading →

Tangible Impressions
physical presence in the digital world

One thing is clear; the uneasy balance between physical and digital will be one of the greatest struggles of the next generation. Tom Vavik

‘Tactile’ is becoming a buzzword for designers, journalists, technologists, and futurists alike. In today’s hyper-digitalised world we appear fascinated with the ‘real’: fetishizing the touching of physical materials and surfaces. Tactile is very much in fashion.

Tangible Impressions is a research project exploring this emerging trend; focusing on how, why and what we touch. Through photography, mark making and weaving Stephanie explores these issues and questioned: Whether textiles can record and represent physical presence in our digital world?

Like a hand print in concrete, a dropped programmatic tracking cookie on your browser or in imprint in a memory foam mattress; can textiles be part of a permanent or transient conversation between humans and physical surfaces?

Stephanie Rolph’s practise focuses on material research through practical experimentation, innovation and adaptation of traditional processes. Through weave she has created a collection of textiles that change and evolve through human interaction. Pulling, twisting, brushing, scrapping and stroking captured in highly tactile, conceptual pieces complimented by the quieter, graceful and intriguing pieces. Continue reading →

Hanna Vinlöf Nylén’s work centres around made up narratives inspired by her surroundings, daydreams, memorabilia and experiences.

Hanna’s graduate collection was inspired by how people from different age groups and demographics define their personal space by studying contrasting ways of living.

Hanna is originally from Sweden and moved to London 5 years ago and the concept for her collection originated from her passion for home décor.

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Yasmin Hussain is a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins specialising in the construction of woven fabrics. Throughout the early part of her degree, she produced designs using the more traditional materials such as silks, wools and rayons. Some of these collections were inspired by patterns in her cultural background as well as intricate gates in London and bones.
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Anja Alexandersdottir’s graduate collection was inspired by  from the fleeting and transient qualities found in nature, such as light through the trees, natural anomalies that are volcanoes,  northern lights, and her light leak, double exposure photography.

Working with hand dyed cashmere silk to translate the hazy qualities in her photography into woven fabric she has produced delicate fabrics with subtle colours shifts and light filtering qualities, that are complimented by figurative jacquards depicting the more graphic qualities in the theme.

Anja will be exhibiting  alongside the other Texprint winners at Première Vision Designs in Paris. 15th – 17th September 2015 Continue reading →