Tag Archives: technology

Freddie Robins | The Perfect

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The Perfect | machine knitted wool, dimensions variable

“‘It’s not perfect, but who cares?’ Well I do. I enjoy imperfection in you and yours but not in me and mine. I am very attracted to the imperfections, failings, and roughness of the material world. I enjoy the evidence of human hands, the inevitable wear and repair of objects. I love the obviously hand-made. But I suffer from being a perfectionist.”

THE PERFECT: ALEX | machine knitted wool and acrylic yarn 580 x 920 mm

“This body of work deals with the constant drive for perfection. It is made using technology that was developed to achieve perfection. Technology developed for mass production to make garment multiples that are exactly the same as each other: garments that do not require any hand finishing, garments whose manufacture does not produce any waste, garments whose production does not require the human touch. Garments that are, in fact, perfect.

I have produced my knitted multiples through the use of a Shima Seiki WholeGarment® machine (a computerised, automated, industrial V-bed flat machine, which is capable of knitting a three-dimensional seamless garment). These multiples take the form of life size, three-dimensional human bodies. I have combined them in a variety of different ways to create large-scale knitted sculptures and installations.

Perfectionism is associated with good craftsmanship, something to aspire to. I aim for perfection in all aspects of my life, my work and myself. It can be very debilitating and exhausting and it is of course, unachievable.”
READ MORE about this ongoing project.
View more of Robins’ work on her WEBSITE.

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Cut on the Bias | Research Workshop

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This weekend I will be attending Cut on the Bias, a research workshop initiated by Dr Kirsty Roberson, University of Western Ontario in collaboration with Kelly Thompson and Lisa Vinebaum, Concordia University, Montreal.

Cut on the bias, a term from tailoring and the fashion industry, refers to fabric that is cut on a diagonal at a 45 degree angle to the warp and weft of the fabric. The term literally refers to cutting against the grain, and metaphorically to stretching familiar patterns, and to finding room for maneuver in an otherwise familiar material.

An important goal of Cut on the Bias is to develop networks laterally and internationally. Participants have been drawn from variety of backgrounds and circumstances – some work in dedicated textile programs, while others create and study textiles alongside other careers.

As time permits I will post more about what promises to be a fascinating weekend of discussion.

(image of Madeline Vionnet via Worn Through: Apparel from an Academic Perspective)

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Jeremy Wood at Tenderpixel

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Jeremy Wood, Nine Years of Mowing

Although this exhibition closes Tuesday, it bears posting…

Tenderpixel is pleased to welcome back Jeremy Wood. Over the past ten years GPS artist Jeremy Wood has pioneered the act of drawing and mapping with satellite navigation technology by treating himself as a geodesic pencil. His everyday journeys are compiled to map his whereabouts and present a personal cartography that reveals a unique and detailed interaction with space and time. READ MORE

Read a review HERE

“Blackout” by Jang-Oh Hong opens June 26th…

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Zoie So | WOODigit

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WOODigit involves the control of over a hundred wooden units which, by moving to different heights, display numerals as in a programmed system. Instead of using microchips and electronic circuits to program, the mechanism had been woven as a big matrix with threads, and supported by a specially designed wooden structure and pulley system. The use of wood as a material and the loom-like structure of this piece refer to the renowned Jacquard Loom. The Jacquard loom with its punch-card system, used to store programs for complicated weaving patterns, inspired early computing machinery.

View more on artist Zoie So’s website

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Barbara Layne’s Studio subTela

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Studio subTela “… is focused on the development of intelligent cloth structures for the creation of artistic, performative and functional textiles.”

Blue Code 2008 - LED array woven into black fabric featuring scrolling patterns. 256 different weave structures are programmed into the microc-controller and changes can be triggered by the activity of the viewer. Patterns Designed by Lalo Yanez Avila

Handwoven linen fabric, 384 LEDs, basic stamp microcontroller

From the subTela website, “Barbara Layne is the Director of Studio subTela at the Hexagram Institute where she works with a team of graduate students from Visual Arts and Engineering at Concordia University and a variety of international collaborators. The Studio is focused on the development of intelligent cloth structures for the creation of artistic, performative and functional textiles.”

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Digital Threads nominated for a Webby

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http://www.digitalthreads.ca/ has been nominated for a ‘Webby’ in the category of “Net Art” meaning a contemporary art experience that only exists online. Digital Threads is an interactive Web environment that highlights new digital artworks by Canadian artists Jennifer Angus, Joanna Berzowska, Kai Chan, Ruth Scheuing and Samuel Thomas. Internationally known for innovative work that challenges the boundaries of conventional textile arts, these five artists define new territory on the World Wide Web with dynamic projects that link to 50 exhibitions from the Textile Museum of Canada.

What’s a “Webby”? Well, the Webbys have been around since 1996 and the “Webby” is the most prestigious award given to online and new media projects in the world. Think of it like the Academy Awards of making Web sites. There are a number of categories across a number of commercial industries and formats. The contest attracts more than 8,000 entries annually from 60+ countries. The field is dominated by large and well-resourced organizations (NY Times, BBC, Facebook, eBay, MoMA, etc.).The nominees in each category are determined by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, “a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.”

Digital Threads has been short-listed as one of the five best of its kind in the world. The sole winner in each category is chosen by the people, who vote online. Currently it sits at 2nd in the category. So I encourage you to visit the site and if you like it, vote for this textile look to ‘Netart’ at http://pv.webbyawards.com/ Winners will be announced May 6 and honored at two ceremonies in New York City: The Webby Film & Video Awards on June 9, and The Webby Awards Gala on June 10.

submitted by Ruth Scheuing

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Kingsley Ng’s Musical Loom

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Its mechanical motion, its sounds, and the flow of the threads do not only evoke an industrial past but also a whole set of collective emotions that range from poetic to distressing, depending on the person. It is in a way comparable to Japanese Haikus, where minimal words and syllables can generate a magnificent array of images. READ MORE

submitted by Kingsley Ng

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Laura Splan’s viral “Doilies”

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The design of each doily is based on the structure of a different virus. I begin with a digital image of the virus, which I then base a design on in a graphics editor. The design is then imported into computerized embroidery software and the stitches are laid out and manipulated. Finally, the designs are output from a computerized sewing machine.

Laura Splan is a New York based mixed media artist. Doilies were created in 2004. The design of the doily above was derived from an image of the influenza virus. This winter, Splan will be participating in the group exhibition Pricked: Extreme Embroidery at the Museum of Arts & Design opening November 8, 2007.

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