F ir s t y o u t a k e s o m e r a w s h e e p ’s w o o l , la y it
o u t , p o u n d it , s p r it z it , r o ll it u p , a p p ly p r e s -
s u r e a n d , v o i l à , y o u ’v e g o t f e l t , t h e s o f t ,
d e n s e l y m a t t e d c lo t h t h a t m a y w e l l b e th e
m o s t a n c ie n t o f m a n -m a d e t e x t i l e s . L o n g
a fa v o r it e o f h o m e c r a f t e r s , f e lt h a s e v o lv e d ,
a s th is s h o w r e v e a ls , in to a t h o r o u g h ly m o d -
e r n t e x t il e a d a p ta b le f o r u s e in s o p h is tic a te d
h o m e f u r n is h in g , fa s h io n a n d in s t a lla t io n
a r t. T h e o b je c t s o n v i e w v a r y w id e l y in c o n -
c e p t a n d s e n s ib ilit y , fr o m fr e e - fo r m o r g a n ic
t o h ig h - t e c h in d u s t r ia l d e s ig n , d e p e n d in g
u p o n t h e t y p e o f f e lt b e in g u s e d ( h a n d m a d e
o r m a n u fa c t u r e d ) . B u t w h e t h e r y o u ’r e m a r -
v e l i n g a t t h e g l o w i n g “ e y e s ” o f L E D -e m b e d -
d e d f e l t s a f e t y c a r p e t i n g ( d e s i g n e d b y
Y v o n n e L a u r y s e n a n d E r i k M a n t e l f o r A i r -
b u s ) o r P e r n e lle F a g e r lu n d ’s w h im s ic a l
“ t e x t i l e s t o n e s ,” i t ’ s t h e m a t e r ia l’ s u n iq u e
w a r m - s o f t - f u z z y t e x t u r e th a t s p e a k s t o y o u .
T h e o r g a n iz e r s o f “ F a s h io n in g F e lt ” u n -
d e r s t a n d t h is a n d p r o v id e a t o u c h w a l l o f
sa m p le s a t th e s h o w ’s e n d , w h e r e y o u m ig h t
c o n s id e r s t a r t in g y o u r v i e w i n g . I t is h e r e
th a t s e v e r a l v id e o s d e m o n s t r a t e th e a r d u o u s
L o n g a f a v o r i t e o f h o m e c r a fte r s , f e l t h a s e v o lv e d
in t o a th o r o u g h ly m o d e r n t e x t i le a d a p t a b le f o r
u se i n s o p h is tic a te d h o m e f u r n is h in g , fa s h io n a n d
in s t a lla t io n a r t .
T h o r o u g h l y
M o d e r n F e l t
p r o c e s s o f fe lt in g a s it is d o n e in f a c t o r ie s ,
c r a f t s t u d i o s a n d o n t h e p la in s o f m o d e r n -
d a y M o n g o lia , w h e r e th e m e th o d is th o u g h t
t o h a v e o r ig in a t e d , a n d w h e r e f e lt is u s e d to
m a k e w in d - r e s is t a n t y u r t s , c a r p e t s a n d s a d -
d le b la n k e t s . T h e la t te r t e c h n iq u e , w h ic h
i n v o lv e s t h e s h e a r i n g o f d o c i le s h e e p a n d
t h e u s e o f a c o m p lia n t c a m e l t o d r a g h u g e
r o lls o f w o o l o v e r t h e s t o n y g r o u n d ( t h e
b o u n c in g s u p p lie s th e e q u iv a le n t o f th e n e c -
e s s a r y h a n d p o u n d in g th a t c a u s e s t h e w o o l
fib e r s to b o n d t o e a c h o t h e r ) , is f a r m o r e
d i v e r t i n g t o w a t c h th a n a u t o m a t e d r o lle r s
c h u r n in g o u t a s m o o t h , h o m o g e n iz e d p r o d -
u c t b y th e y a r d . A n d y e t w h e n y o u ’v e s e e n
b o t h m e t h o d s , y o u ’ r e b e t t e r p r e p a r e d to
a p p r e c ia t e th e v a r i e t y o f o b je c t s o n d is p la y .
B e c a u s e f e lt is b a s i c a lly a p u lp (a t e x t il e
w i t h n o in te r n a l s t r u c t u r e ) , it c a n b e in d u s -
t r ia lly p r o d u c e d in a v a r i e t y o f t h ic k n e s s e s —
a s s h e e t o r p a d d i n g - o r w o r k e d b y h a n d in to
t e x t u r e d d e c o r a t iv e p a n e ls a n d p a t t e r n e d
c a r p e t s , o r m o ld e d o n w o o d e n f o r m s in t o
s h a p e d o b je c t s s u c h a s h a t s , o r s c u lp t e d in to
p ie c e s s u c h a s t h e a fo r e m e n t io n e d d e c o r a -
t iv e “ s t o n e s .” A m o n g t h e s h o w ’s m a n y r e v -
e la tio n s is s t y lis h c lo t h in g c r e a t e d w it h o u t
s t it c h in g o f a n y k in d . F r a n ç o is e H o f f m a n n ,
C h r is t in e B ir k le a n d A n d r e a Z i t t e l u s e f e lt
t o m a k e u n u s u a l g a r m e n t s , s o m e o f w h ic h
a r o u n d t h e b o d y lik e
b e e n p r e - s h a p e d
S T O R Y B Y
A n d r e a D i N o t o
Smithsonian
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
F a s h io n in g F e lt
M a r c h 6 - S e p t e m b e r 7 ,2 0 0 9
N e w Y o r k , N e w Y o r k
c o o p e r h e w it t .o r g
030 american craft jun/julo9
