Exhibit at PNW Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum: Yarn Cloth and the Pull of the Earth
Name:
Exhibit at PNW Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum: Yarn Cloth and the Pull of the Earth
Date:
February 9, 2022 - May 1, 2022
Website:
http://qfamuseum.org
Event Description:
Artist Statement
This work is a collaboration - gravity and the material properties of fiber are my co-creators.
Hanging lines of handspun yarn become expressive marks against the ground of handwoven cloth, encouraging appreciation of twist and interlacement.
I think of these as composite, three-dimensional line drawings. Each line is unique to the fleece and the type of preparation it was given. As I draw with yarn, the materials speak their own expressive characteristics.
Here, you are invited to witness the fiber-yarn-cloth continuum, to see what cloth really is, at a fundamental level. See how lines of suspended yarn create planes, how they define and delineate space, vision, and relationship.
This work is a collaboration - gravity and the material properties of fiber are my co-creators.
Hanging lines of handspun yarn become expressive marks against the ground of handwoven cloth, encouraging appreciation of twist and interlacement.
I think of these as composite, three-dimensional line drawings. Each line is unique to the fleece and the type of preparation it was given. As I draw with yarn, the materials speak their own expressive characteristics.
Here, you are invited to witness the fiber-yarn-cloth continuum, to see what cloth really is, at a fundamental level. See how lines of suspended yarn create planes, how they define and delineate space, vision, and relationship.
Our human interaction with cloth is why I do this - an ongoing exploration, expression, education. The cloth you see here is woven with a backstrap loom. The backstrap, or body-tensioned loom, is a weaving technique used throughout the world. It does not require a built loom, but is instead an interactive process. The weaver tensions the warp yarns with the body, using ties and sticks to regulate sheds and heddles. Various configurations allow for plain weave or patterning, and the main factor in what can be achieved is the weaver’s skill.
Each weaving lineage teaches and passes down a refined set of skills that suit the type of fiber, the desired cloth, and the cultural values of the place and time. Backstrap weaving is a form of interaction and integration with materials, place, time, and body knowledge - an evolving lifelong practice.
Each weaving lineage teaches and passes down a refined set of skills that suit the type of fiber, the desired cloth, and the cultural values of the place and time. Backstrap weaving is a form of interaction and integration with materials, place, time, and body knowledge - an evolving lifelong practice.
