Ode â l’Oubli. Textile Books of the late Louise Bourgeois (NYT article)

I am always interested in connecting the textile world to the larger world of Art. And I've been thinking quite a bit about Louise lately as I write about contemporary art for my upcoming BORO book. If you have a moment, I think it's worth your time to read both the NY Times Art & Design article (link below) and a background piece by Lark Crafts on Louise Bourgeois' textile books.

-- Yoshiko

Louise Bourgeois, the famous French-born American artist, passed away this year in late May at the age of 98. Known most for her abstract, psychologically charged sculptures in bronze, marble, resin, and wood, she also worked extensively in fabric during her later years. Her relationship with her mother, a weaver, deeply influenced her work (to wit: her bronze spider sculptures). For an artist whose primary sources of inspiration were childhood memories, this return to textiles seems fitting as much of her youth was spent in the family’s tapestry restoration business.

One of these textile works of art (and the word syntax is chosen deliberately - foremost a work of art, one that happens to be made of textiles) is "Ode â l'Oubli" (2004), or "Ode to Forgetfulness," described as an "extraordinary and poignant object" in an excellent review by the New York Times. "Ode â l'Oubli" is a tactile diary composed of 36 fabric-on-fabric pages -- pieces snipped from Louise's clothes, some kept away in a storage closet, some dating as far back as 1920s. She cut, pinned or basted the pieces, which were then sewn into the final work by Mercedes Katz, a seamstress who has long worked with the artist.

More photos available in the Lark Creek article.

Recap: Style 2010 Show & Sale (via SF Chronicle)

Check out the SF Chronicle article (read it here) recapping the recent event, STYLE 2010, Palo Alto Art Center's wearable art show & sale. The article features images from various artists including Gabriel Russo, our friend & WSN web member whose insightful and hilarious SCHMATTA STORIES (nyc garment district in 1960s) we've mentioned on this blog once before.

Shame we didn't hear about this sooner (it just passed this weekend, Apr 24). The roster of participating artists included several of our shibori friends: Angelina DeAntonis, Ellen Hauptli, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Carol Shanks.

Excerpt:
"Designer Gabriel Russo... salvages the rustic Japanese fabric known as boro and creates pockets from the lining of old kimonos, for patchwork-style vests. He also "excavates" tailoring details from vintage men's blazers to attach to wool gabardine shirts."

"It has to have a certain texture for me, and I love it if it's damaged and restitched. That's where the beauty of it is for me, where I can apply my aesthetics to balance it," Russo said.

photos courtesy G. Russo

Event: "Experimental Textiles" Lecture & Reception (May 13, UC Davis)

On May 13, UC Davis will present:
"The Art of Fashion: Experimental Textiles"
experimental works by Kinor Jiang, professor of textiles at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in collaboration with talented designers drawing on and paying homage to their cultural and artistic heritage. Focusing on applications of fashion design and abstract aesthetic forms, this archive of experimental textiles includes metallized and etched metallic fabrics created from technologies of physical and chemical treatments.

Lecture & Reception, May 13, 2010 (Thur)
@ Design Museum of UC Davis
5:45-6:00 Reception opens (light refreshments provided)
6:00-7:00 Artist Talk
7:00-7:30 Mingling and museum walk with the artist/s

If you are interested in carpooling from the Bay Area to Davis, get in touch with Yoshiko at yiw [at] yoshikowada.com

Exhib: Ethicus Collection (Apr 5-6, Coimbatore IND)

If you happen to be in India right now soaking up the beautiful textiles & craft traditions there, perchance you'll be lucky enough to find yourself in Coimbatore where you can see ETHICUS, the ethical fashion collection of our friends and Slow Fiber Studio soulmates, Mani Chinnaswamy & Vijayalakshmi Malani Nachiar, of Appachi Cotton.

ETHICUS Collection
April 5th & 6th, 9a-8p
Sarvaa Hall, Hotel Rathna Regent
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Come by and see beautiful designs in 100% organic cotton handloom & ahimsa silk, crafted by skilled artisans on traditional jacquard handlooms, using natural and eco friendly dyed yarns.

See more information on their facebook page

Exhibition: REinvention (Mar-Apr, San Francisco)

Join us in San Francisco for the exhibition, "Reinvention: Selected Works from California Textile Artists" held in conjunction with the RE-Invention conference at SF State University. Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Jean Cacicedo, Yoshiko, and many more fellow fiber friends will have work in the show. Come by!

REINVENTION
Exhibition March 18 − April 22, 2010 || Hours M-F 10a-6p
Reception: Friday, March 19 @ 5-8p
CONFERENCE March 19-24
see website for details

From the website:

LIFE IN THE ARTS is a constant process of invention and reinvention. Techniques change, new materials emerge, inspiration evolves along with the world in which we work. Artists reinvent themselves as they mature or change creative paths. It’s an exciting time to be a creative individual and change is in the air. "Reinvention: Selected Works from California Textile Artists" features textiles and fiber based artwork from the speakers, presenters and workshop leaders of the Reinvention Conference taking place at San Francisco State University March 19 − 24. The artists of Reinvention embody the range of modern textiles, utilizing techniques both traditional and innovative to provide a forum for issues relevant to today's society. This exhibition was curated in collaboration with Victor De La Rosa, Assistant Professor of Textiles / New Practices and co-sponsored by the Surface Design Association, Studio Arts Quilts Associates and the San Francisco State University Art Department − Textiles.

Exhibition: Traversée - Travesía (Montreal, Mar-Apr)

For our friends up north:

Diagonale, Centre des arts et des fibres du Québec, is hosting its "Mois de la fibre et du textile" édition 2010. Highlighting this event is a traveling exhibition featuring artsts of Argentina and Montreal whose works explore themes of identity, migration, and the common problems facing their large cities, both north and south alike.

Traversée - Travesía

Projet d’exposition entre Montréal et Buenos Aires
du 11 mars au 11 avril (11 MAR - 11 AP)

Vernissage et lancement du Mois de la Fibre et du Textile
Jeudi 11 mars à 17 h
Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges

Featured artists, Buenos Aires: Florencia Vitón, Ester Nazarian, Eliana Castro, Hernán Sansone, Josefina Laratro, Mercedes Fidanza, Paloma Catalá del Río, Verónica Longoni, Luis Marte. Montréal: Alanna Lynch, Claudia Bernal, Lise Létourneau, Lyne Girard, Nicole Panneton, Héloïse Audy, Natalie Rolland, Karen Tam

From the website: "Exposition collective d’artistes membres de Diagonale et d’artistes d’ Argentine, qui explorent les thèmes de l’identité, de la migration et les problématiques sociales et culturelles auxquelles les grandes villes font face, au nord comme au sud. Cette exposition voyagera ensuite vers Buenos Aires en juin." www.artdiagonale.org

Symposium: ARTWEAR (June '10, MN)

Registration deadline for Textile Center's biennial symposium, "ARTWEAR," is May 1! ARTWEAR will be held June 2-8, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN. Enjoy stimulating lectures, comprehensive workshops, and inspiring exhibitions. The event also includes a runway show, trunk show, and more.

REGISTER by MAY 1, 2010
Register early to secure your desired workshops. Space is limited. Click for information. Please note: although registration materials are online, you cannot register online. Call us at 612-436-0464 or print your form and mail or fax to 612-436-0466

Conference: "CONFLUENCE" submissions by Mar1

MARCH 1 deadline for proposals and submissions to CONFLUENCE Conference 2011. Submission guidelines can be found here

CONFLUENCE is an international textile conference hosted in presented by the Textile Center and Surface Design Association. Workshops, demonstrations, lectures, exhibitions, and special events will be hosted throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Key Conference Dates:
June 4-8, 2011 Pre-conference workshops
June 9, 2011 Exhibition Day:
June 9-12, 2011 Conference Sessions
June 13-17, 2011 Post-conference workshops

More! Exhibition: “Transformation: Material • Magic • Memory” (Hong Kong)

Part of the open fashion lecture series hosted now at HKPU's ITC Fashion Gallery is the exhibition, “Transformation: Material • Magic • Memory." This is the first of its kind at the Institute of Textiles & Clothing. Please join us for this landmark exhibition.

EXHIBITION
“Transformation: Material • Magic • Memory”
Institute of Textiles & Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Curated by Yoshiko I. Wada, President of World Shibori Network

The Fashion Gallery
Fashion & Textiles Resource Center MN109
March 1 - 26, 2010
* private viewing March 3, 3:00pm with special MC, Mr. Konstantine Kouros

Featuring works by nine internationally renowned artists/designers from Japan, USA, India, Switzerland, and Australia, including Junichi Arai, Jean Cacicado, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Padmaja Krishnan, Tsuyoshi Kuno, Mascha Mioni, Rahul Mishra, Barbara RogersYoshiko I. Wada. The exhibiton highlights works by contemporary artists who pay homage to their rich traditions of cultural and artistic heritage while successfully capturing a forward movement by experimenting with new approaches.

Open Lecture: "Transformation. Material Magic. Memory" by Yoshiko Wada (23 & 25, Hong Kong)

For our friends in Hong Kong:

Hong Kong Poly Tech University's Institute of Textiles & Clothing (ITC) Resource Centre Fashion Gallery has been very busy. Last year, they put on the exhibition "Innovative Cloths of Junichi Arai" and also organized "Metallic Sound: works by Kinor Jiang & Junichi Arai" at the Bonington Gallery in Nottingham, UK. Next week ITC is hosting a lecture (and workshop) by Yoshiko I Wada and you're all invited! (open to public, registration requested, seats very limited)
view previous HKPTU blog posts here
----
From ITC:

You are cordially invited to attend Public Lectures on "Memory, where what is new is what is old" and "Transformation, magic materialized" by Ms Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, President of World Shibori Network.

Lecture I: Memory, where what is new is what is old
23 Feb, Tuesday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
ITC Resource Centre (MN109)
Some analysis of Japanese fashion design specificity and its translation seen in other designers. The on-going circulation of old feeds into new; low culture transforms into high culture; gender play; raw and refined. The lecture may touch upon the changing mode of technology, materials/consumer taste driven by social and political changes, using historical evolution in kimono industry.


Lecture II: Transformation, magic materialized
25 Feb, Thursday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
ITC Resource Centre (MN109)
A wide range of possibility in material transformation. Explanation of fabric type, treatment processes, texturing and dyeing methods. Also how to transform 2D to 3D; a piece of cloth into kinetic sculpture which is a live fashion. Revisiting the magic of cloth and fiber and how technology impacts them and designers mind.

CONTACT: Yuki Cheng at 27666511 or email tcyuki@inet.polyu.edu.hk.
Lectures are open to public, registration requested, seats very limited.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
"WHERE INNOVATION MEETS APPLICATION"

Behind the Scenes of Textile Conservation (Mar 19, San Francisco)

Ever wonder how the professionals do it? Textile Conservators Sarah Gates and Beth Szuhay are offering a specialized tour for Textile Arts Council members. This is a rare opportunity for the public to see how professional museum staff care for, store, and prepare the Museums’ textile collection for exhibit. The conservation laboratory consists of a “dry” space for examination and stitched treatments, a “wet” space for aqueous treatments, and a dye lab. Participants will get to see the state-of-the-art facilities and the specialized equipment, including the dye machine.

Friday, March 19, 1:30 PM
Behind the Scenes: The George & Marie Hecksher Textile Conservation Center
de Young Museum, San Francisco
$30 per person – space is strictly limited

To reserve: call TAC office 415 750-3627 or email at tac [at] famsf.org

Australia Naturally (6 Feb-8 Mar '09)

Lucky day for Australian textile enthusiasts. For those of you who didn't get a chance to see the lovely exhibition, "Australia Naturally," held at the Paris American Academy gallery this past November, drive on over to Strathnairn Homestead Gallery.

[6Feb - 8 Mar 09] "Australia Naturally"
at Strathnairn Homestead Gallery (Australia)

A glorious exhibition of small shibori works created exclusively by World Shibori Network Australia members as a showcasing of their use of natural and synthetic dyes. These works have recently been on exhibition in Paris as part of the 7th International Shibori Symposium at the Musee Quai Branly. 90 Stockdill Drive, Holt, ACT (20 min drive from Civic) || weekends 10.00 - 4.30

Thanks to Joan James, WSN-Australia rep, for forwarding this info.