Textile Society of America
Date of this Version
2010
Document Type
Article
Abstract
My art practice revolves around an interest in abstract systems and digital design in combination with the mechanical, mathematical, and material aspects of weaving. The process of weaving conjures images of the sequential mapping of linear time along the length of the warp, while designing on the computer implies speed and layering as in circular time. These two concepts are integrated in the construction and visual interpretation of my woven work. Using the generative capabilities of the computer, sharply defined and regular patterns of shapes are integrated with more organic and seemingly random systems. Their interplay seeks a balance that emerges from both logic and imagination. The construction of the weaving requires the use of two warp systems to adequately represent these multiple networks. Each is hand painted with one of the patterns from the design and then threaded onto the loom. Other compositional motifs will be programmed into the loom and revealed through the weaving process as warp and weft are united into a single planar cloth. The intersection of structural and visual systems creates a topography of overlaid patterns of different scale and clarity. Achieving this quality of complexity requires concentrated skill and disciplined work in harmony with the process of weaving. The finished object reveals its poetic essence through sustained viewing as the layers of information slowly distinguish themselves as rhythms of the whole. This paper presentation will feature images of my process of making and the resultant weavings to illustrate my interest and relationship to Slowness.
Comments
Presented at “Textiles and Settlement: From Plains Space to Cyber Space,” Textile Society of America 12th Biennial Symposium, Lincoln, Nebraska, October 6-9, 2010. Copyright 2010 Textile Society of America.