Marie Lieb

An assemblage of torn fabric strips from the bed sheets of Marie Lieb. Little is known of this woman, who created this startling display on the floor of a psychiatric ward where she was interned in 1894. The two installations are on two different floors, possibly public spaces in the hospital as they are larger than an individual room for someone interned. they include gradations of fabric sizes from strips to thread and include writing.

This leads to the assumptions that Lieb wanted to make a statement not only for herself but also for others, and that this statement was not only about claiming space but also about sending a message, if unreadable to others. In this quality these floor pieces remind me of secret rituals, like witches’ writings on the ground. It is imaginable that the patient was convinced what she did exerted magical power. Thomas Röske

Teresa Byszewska

 Surreal textile collage portraits by Polish Graphic designer Teresa Byszewska (1929-2018) who died just 2 months ago at the age of 99.

In 1950 Teresa commenced her studies at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts initially in the studio of Henryk Tomaszewski, and then Józef Mroszczak until 1956. On graduating she worked designing film posters and illustrations for children She also collaborated with Jan Lenica in creating animated films.

Teresa Byszewska from daniel bird on Vimeo.

Later she specialised in her textile portraits. In the 1980's she then turned her focus to drawing and frottage taking rubbings from her textile work.

Jen Nollaig

“We glamorise the tree, why not glamorise ourselves” Jen Nollaig 

This is Jen Nollaig's second Christmas collection repurposing seasonal decorations into amazing costumes.

“I have always been fanatical about Christmas so I have used this as the inspiration for my work. I look at decorations and think how I can wear them rather than how they will look on my tree.”

Britta Marakatt-Labba II

Swedish Sámi textile artist Britta Marakett-Labba's embroidered renderings of Sâmi life. Britta's life story is quite amazing as she was one of nine children born into a reindeer herding family. She is now married to a reindeer herder from Saarivuoma Sámi village and is resident in Övre Soppero. Her work is from the heart, from memories and her culture, it has the wonderful space of snow-covered tundra and a white crispness that makes you feel the ice on your breath. 

Alexandra Drenth II

Journey by Alexandra Drenth is a hand embroidered cheesecloth of faces and foliage completed this year. Alexandra retells stories of childhood memories, expressing themes of love and relationships entwined and enriched with elements inspired by nature such as flowers and birds. Her work takes one on 'a journey through time where no sense of time exists'. 

Somarta

Somarta's continuing exploration of clothes as a second skin has produced this collection called 'Innovations' that is being exhibited as part of "japon-japonismes.1867-2018" (November 15, 2018-March 3, 2019) at the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Decorative Art museum) Paris.

Chunghie Lee

South Korean textile artist and teacher Chunghie Lee creates site specific installations and wearable art based on the traditions of Pojagi. 

Pojagi is a historic Korean art form ( at least 2000 years old) of patchwork, patchwork pojagi, called chogak po, has many uses, it serves to cover, wrap, store, and carry objects.

Rebekah Rai II

Rebekah Rai's design for Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Distorting the body to replicate elephantiasis, commenting on our perception of otherness as monstrous. The costume is formed using sawdust and tights.

Robert Wun III

Robert Wun's SS19 ‘Hua Mulan' amazing pure colour collection inspired by flowers.  

Alia Ali

In a project that highlights the global interaction of people through fabrics, Alia Ali  challenges current hard right political movements with a photographic exploration of how we are of one earth and that the fabrics which clothe our bodies are international and multicultural, a reflection of us, our stories, culture and environment.

"The People of Pattern Project highlights fabric and textile as a product of our earth, a manifestation of our imagination, a reflection of our environment and an archive of our stories. This project delves into a variety of cultures around the world and discovers them through their unique cultures, physical environments, artisans, textiles and the processes of making them."Alia Ali

Kathryn Harmer

'Falling into flight' in various fabrics, thread by multimedia artist Kathryn Harmer

Gina Adams

Gina Adams has created a simply stunning portfolio of  'Broken Treaty Quilts', highlighting the deception and violence used to marginalize Native Americans in the formation of the US. These are powerful textile testaments of lies and treachery.

"I am fascinated by stories passed down, both from my own familiar heritage and those told by others. I believe that the passing down of memories what keeps our genetic heritage alive. I am interested in and seek out others who have a similar story to tell and I immerse myself in their shadows. I do so in order to tell my story more clearly, and doing so also helps to clarify what I want the work to say visually. There is a connection to what the ancient ones taught my ancestors, as this information was passed down generation to generation. I consider my work and its process to be a spiritual endeavor, and the process of making to be a ritual component . I decided to learn how to make objects in order to have a better understanding of who my ancestors were and how perhaps I am similar to them. The process of making gives me an identity and an ancestral connection. In this I feel that I have been creating work that recontextualizes the sense of the sacred and the ritual object. In storytelling I am moved by a sense of discovery and connection, and much of it is also deeply connected and rooted in place and land. My life's journey is about where the land, peoples, and stories come together. It is my wish that the viewer will bring their own experience when viewing my work. Thank you for taking the time for your own discovery as it brings meaning to the day." Gina Adams 

Above: Treaty of the Six Nations, Broken Treaty Quilt
Below: The Osage Treaty 1809 Broken Treaty Quilt

Below: Treaty of Middlebury Plantation 1677 Broken Treaty Quilt 

Below: The Royal Proclamation of Canada Broken Treaty Quilt

Anthea Hamilton

Inspired by the photograph above of Erick Hawkins in 1960, which she saw in a book whilst at art school, Anthea Hamilton in collaboration with Creative Director Jonathan Anderson at the fashion house LOEWE has created seven different costumes for the performance art 'Squash', which is Tate Britain until the 7th of October.