|
The Experimental Weave Lab is the City of London’s first contemporary, innovative weaving season. Curated by Elizabeth Ashdown and Philippa Brock , this six-month season supports an exciting programme of short and long-term weaving residencies, talks and workshops culminating in a final exhibition in September 22. The season aims to explore the experimental, interstitial spaces that weavers work within throughout UK craft, research, art, design and industry.
The Experimental Weave Lab curated a special programme of events for London Craft Week 2022 celebrating the rare and endangered craft of Passementerie. |
Curator bios:
Elizabeth Ashdown
Elizabeth is an artist creating contemporary, hand woven artworks using the endangered craft of Passementerie. Only one of a few hand Passementerie weavers working in the UK today, Elizabeth combines traditional craft skills with a contemporary aesthetic in order to create intriguing and playful art works. Intricate weaving techniques are combined with an energetic use of colour, pattern and material combinations to create one-off and bespoke artworks, both large and small. Elizabeth’s process is labour-intensive yet playful and intuitive. Every part of her work is created by hand – from carefully dyeing silk yarns in vibrant colours, to spinning cords and weaving. Elizabeth’s work can be found in numerous private and public collections throughout the UK and abroad. |
Philippa Brock
Philippa Brock has an interdisciplinary practice developed over thirty years as an international designer, researcher, academic, editor, curator, strategist and textile artist within the field of woven textiles and materials. Philippa’s primary research interests lie in developing disruptive approaches to 2D and 3D woven methods on both hand and within digital industrial manufacturing, woven jacquard loom methods. Philippa also manages the Woven Textile Pathway at Central Saint Martins, UAL part time, is part of the Textile Futures Research Community and exhibits jacquard woven art works globally. Additionally, Philippa edits The Weave Shed, a resource site, and blog for professional weavers and is Co-founder of Studio Houndstooth; a collaborative studio creating socially innovated projects that use methods of slow textile making to bring together industry and the local community. |