R E V I E W E D
STORY BY
G erry C raig
I n t e l l i g e n t
T e x t i l e s
C en ter for C ra ft, C re a tiv ity
& D esign
Inspired D esign: Jacquard &
Entrepreneurial T extiles
M ay 20 - A u gu st 22,2008
and January 2-9, 2009
H endersonville, N orth C arolina
w w w .craftcreativityd esign .org
Above:
Rachel Wingfield,
Loop Biowall,
2007, lace-
like three-dimensional
textile, woven of fiber-
glass rods {dimensions
variable).
Opposite left:
Joanne Berzowska,
Krakow: A tVoven Story
of.Mentor}' and Erasure
,
2006, Jacquard weav-
ing, cotton, conductive
yarns, thermochromie
inks, electronics {h. 41
in, w. 75 in, detail).
“ Inspired Design: Jacquard & Entrepre-
neurial T extiles” surveys five 21st-century
creative grow th areas o f innovative textiles
and digital technologies. Designed as such,
the curatorial frame was neither restrictive
nor conceptual but a representative sam-
pling o f the use o f technological means to
both technical and conceptual ends. T he
premise o f the show w as not the aesthetics
or the content o f the weavings but rather
a look at production methods accomplished
by the linkage o f computer to loom. W hile
this resulted in an exhibition experience
that felt slightly random w hen w ork was
not separated into the five groups, it was
clear that the show w as one vehicle within
a larger project.
T h e exhibition, w hich is traveling
around N orth Carolina, its accom panying
international conference and the faculty
training at the Jacquard C enter in H ender-
sonville, N orth Carolina, are intended to
encourage textile design and production in
new technologies, most previously unavail-
able on a small scale. T he five textile design
grow th areas are defined as Smart T extiles,
Perform ance and Interactive T extiles,
Boutique Clothing T extiles, Exclusive In-
terior T extiles and Public and Private
T extile Com m issions. T h e exhibition had
w ork in each area w ith varying definitions
o f “ function,” although not all traditionally
defined functions o f cloth, such as C hristy
M atson’s innovative w eavings w ith copper
w ire that conduct sound when touched.
W h ile process is still central to all o f the
w ork, some shared language o f artistic
intent made the boundaries betw een areas
seem quite permeable.
A s m ight be exp ected , Sm art T extiles
and Perform ance and Interactive T extiles
overlap. Barbara L ayn e’s
Lucere,
2006,
is a Jacquard-generated im age o f a tornado
w ith tw o lightening bolts and a second
panel o f a w oven circuit board image com -
bined w ith actual L E D lights that respond
w hen the view er m oves closer. R evealing
the m icrocontroller and sonic sensor to
the view er is sym pathetic w ith current art
practice, w hile its location w ithin the
landscape suggests that earth responds to
our presence, and this may unleash na-
ture’s w rath . Joanna B erzow ska’s
Krakow:
A Woven Story o f Memory and Erasure
,
2006, em ploys conductive yarns and ther-
m ochrom ic inks (an active pigm ent that
changes color w ith tem perature changes,
such as the view er’s body heat) w ith cus-
tom electron ic controls to generate resis-
tive heat, creating dynam ic patterns that
evolve into n ew im age configurations.
A historic K rak o w street scene, w oven on
a Jacquard loom from Photoshopped im -
ages, includes pedestrians that fade until
they disappear, a haunting rem inder o f the
loss that m igration creates, w hether by
choice or political upheaval.
T h e artists represented in Public and
Private Commissions address equally topi-
cal content, w ith Patricia M ink’s
Farm
Ghost 1,
2007, another m editation on loss
and displacement. A complex surface and
visual structure o f Jacquard-woven damask,
inkjet printing, em broidery and quilting
conjoins material and image into a phenom-
enological experience. Sara Clugage creates
an ironic W arhol re-mix, w eaving pop cul-
ture icon Britney Spears in seductive poses
in front o f a background o f holy text and
the words Adam Kadm on (G od in material
040 american craft feb/maro9
