Mosen Photo/ M att Flynn, Jongstra Photo/Peter Caypers, Zittel Photo/K entaro Takioka.
R E V I E W E D
Opposite top to bottom:
Pernelle Fagerlund
Textile Stones, 2008,
felted wool.
Jorie Johnson
Winged Vessel cup,
2004,wool, bast fibers,
leaf, urushi lacquer
by Clifton Monteith.
Louise Campbell
Bless You chair, 1999,
wool felt, gelatin sheets.
This Page clockwise:
Mosen, Mongolia,
late 19th century,
felted wool, shibori-
dyed.
Claudy Jongstra
Felt walls for the
Central Library,
Amsterdam, 2007 (de-
tail), Drenthe Heath,
Wensleydale and Mer-
ino wools, raw silk.
Andrea Zittel
A—Z Fiber Form:
White Dress, 2002,
felted wool, skirt pins.
o n f o r m s . H o f f m a n n , w h o d e s ig n s c o s -
t u m e s f o r th e a t e r , u s e s s o f t m e r in o - w o o l-
b a s e d f e lt c o m b in e d w it h s ilk m e s h , lin e n
o r c o t t o n f a b r ic s in a c o m p lic a t e d la y e r in g
te c h n iq u e th a t r e s u lts in lu x u r io u s t e x t u r e s
( r e s e m b lin g f lo c k in g a n d c u t v e l v e t ) in s u b -
tle h a n d -d y e d c o lo r s . ( T h e a r tis t e x p la in e d
t h a t t h e n a t u r a l s h r in k in g a c tio n o f t h e
w o o l—a s it b e c o m e s fe lt —is t h e “ g lu e ” th a t
h o ld s t h e d i f f e r e n t m a t e r ia ls t o g e t h e r .)
A s im ila r s o r t o f la y e r in g ( c o lla g in g ,
r e a lly ) —b u t t a k e n t o th e h ig h e s t le v e l o f
c o m p le x it y a n d b e a u t y —is t o b e s e e n in th e
m u lt i- t e x t u r e d c u r v e d w a l l in s t a lla t io n
b y t h e D u t c h a r t is t C l a u d y J o n g s t r a , w e ll-
k n o w n in H o lla n d f o r h e r e x q u is it e h a n d -
f e lt e d a r c h i t e c t u r a l in t e r io r s . H e r s e lf - d e -
s c r i b e d “ la n d s c a p e o f t e x t i l e s ” c o n t a in s
b o t h f e lt e d a n d h a n d - d y e d w o o l f r o m h e r
o w n h e r d o f h e r it a g e D r e n t h e H e a t h s h e e p .
C o m p a r e th is o r g a n ic a p p r o a c h t o th e m o d -
e r n is t a c o u s tic a l w a lls c r e a t e d b y K a t h r y n
W a l t e r fo r L .A .’ s W o s k T h e a t e r a t th e S im o n
W i e s e n t h a l M u s e u m ( s h o w n in t h e c a t a -
lo g ) , m a d e fr o m s t a c k e d o ff - c u t s o f in d u s tr ia l
f e lt , a n d y o u u n d e r s ta n d th e m a t e r ia l’s p h e -
n o m e n a l a e s th e t ic r a n g e .
T h e s h o w ’ s g lo r io u s c e n t e r p ie c e is J a n ic e
A r n o l d ’ s “ p a la c e y u r t ” in s t a lla t io n c r e a t e d
in t h e m u s e u m ’s c o n s e r v a t o r y . A r n o l d ’ s
t r a n s lu c e n t o f f - w h it e , f r e e - h a n g in g p a n e ls ,
w h ic h c o m p le t e ly c o v e r t h e 2 4 - fo o t- h ig h
g la s s w a lls a n d c u p o la , m o d u la te t h e n a tu r a l
lig h t f r o m o u t d o o r s t o c r e a t e a m a g ic a l,
g lo w i n g in te r io r . T h i s “ y u r t ” a llu d e s t o th e
tr a d itio n a l M o n g o lia n s t r u c t u r e , w h ic h is
o f t e n f u r n is h e d w i t h c o lo r f u l f e l t c a r p e t s ,
o f w h i c h t h e r e is a n e x c e l le n t e x a m p le ,
a lo n g w i t h a f e l t d e r v is h h a t f r o m I r a n , a n d
a la t e 1 9 t h - c e n t u r y t ie - d y e d t e a c e r e m o n y
r u g m a d e in M o n g o lia f o r t h e J a p a n e s e m a r -
k e t . T h e s e a n tiq u e p ie c e s s ta n d in s t a r k c o n -
t r a s t t o t h e s h o w ’ s u lt r a m o d e r n f u r n it u r e ,
s u c h a s L o u is e C a m p b e ll’s B le s s Y o u c h a ir o f
w h it e c u t - o u t f e l t t h a t r e s e m b le s a n e l a b o -
r a t e n a p k in fo ld .
T h e s h o w ’ s m o s t c u r io u s o b je c t s , b y fa r,
a r e t h e f e l t a n d u r u s h i la c q u e r v e s s e ls ( f u l l y
fu n c t io n a l) m a d e b y th e t e a m o f J o r ie J o h n -
s o n a n d C l i f t o n M o n t e it h . F u z z y o n th e
o u t s id e , s le e k in s id e , t h e s e c u p s r e s u lt fr o m
t h e n a t u r a l b o n d in g t h a t o c c u r s b e t w e e n
la c q u e r a n d a p r o t e in ( h e r e w o o l ) . B u t f o r
p u r e u n a d u lt e r a t e d f e lt in e s s , n o t h in g c o m -
p a r e s t o t h e w h i t e p le a t e d a n d t e x t u r e d
p a n e ls d e s ig n e d a n d m a d e b y t h e S w i s s a r t -
is t U r s u la S u te r . T h i s is f e lt f o r it s o w n s a k e ,
t e a s e d b y h a n d in to e x q u is it e “ s t r u c t u r e s
a n d s u r f a c e s ” a n d w i t h n o o t h e r p u r p o s e
th a n t o s e d u c e th e e y e a n d h a n d . T h e y d o .+
The soft cover catalog is $35.
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