Textile Tuesday

Yesterday's presentation of Textiles and Tea was spectacular as usual. It presented a couple who work across graphic arts, ceramics, spinning and weaving, working on commission for interior designers and architects.

We didn't see spinning in action but you will see some  upholstery they spun and wove to their design.

Their main activity now is weaving with wire! Which is as technically difficult as it sounds. Silk warp, wire weft.

They had to have special metal beams made for the looms after the wire shredded the wood beams!

Anyway here they are

Here's the purpose-spun and woven upholstery fabric in action on a chair they designed.

A chandelier, with one of the team for scale, woven wire, bronze areas and LED inset lights.

This is why they use a silk warp. Flexibility. Transparency.

And now they've moved into laminating their woven pieces in glass so as to be able to show them in public spaces without damage. Touching the wire can easily damage it, and as those of who have exhibited tactile work know, the public wants to touch. I've had fragile paper works damaged that way.

See the work sandwiched between glass.  It's heat laminated, permanently fused.

They have an upcoming installation involving ceramics which they couldn't say much about yet, it being a client work in progress. And several big pieces in progress for a private home in Dubai, that must be a showplace.

They are very much plan and execute workers. Complete vision of the product, and then they make it, following every detail of their planning. 

The polar opposite of fine art, this is  skilled artisanal work. In art such as painting the materials are a partner with a voice in how the work develops, often not what the painter had imagined at the outset. It reveals itself as it develops.  Fine art uses the artist to channel the message. 

Just an inserted note here: fine art is an often misunderstood term. It's not a judgment saying the work is just fiiiiine! It's a specific technical term meaning complete. From the Latin finis, ie finished. A work of fine art has no function beyond being seen and experienced. It doesn't mean it's wonderful, just that it's complete in itself.  

Functional art which weaving often is, is equally beautiful, as are ceramics and other functional works. None is better than any other. They're just descriptive terms, not qualitative judgments. And there are weaving and ceramic pieces and other pieces which are designed to be seen not used, which operate as fine art. 

It's all very confusing, but it's good to realize it's not about quality or value, just about labels. And that's a whole other discussion! One day.

In this work we're seeing today, the materials are very much the secondary voice in the work. This kind of weaving has to be calculated and planned meticulously in order to work.

It's also a function of doing commissioned work. The design is created, approved and executed. Which is why some of us have always declined commission work despite pressure from would be buyers. Our work doesn't operate to orders and resists meticulous planning. But all power to those who do, and make a living. Different folks, different strokes, different lives. 

This couple works together in their century-old California house, with multiple looms at work at any time, so their life and work are one entity. 

The presenter mentioned that there's a Handweavers Guild of America YouTube channel on which these presentations are uploaded, which they hadn't said before. I took a look, and it goes way back, well worth a visit to see the videos I've been reporting on.

I can't convey the personality of the artists in these posts, so I'd recommend you check the YouTube channel, because they're such great people to see and experience. This couple in particular radiates mutual love and it was so good to see. 

Thank you, HGA, for another gift.