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Written by Abigail Doan -
Tuesday, 24 March 2009 |
AndeaZittel AZfiberform
The long-anticipated Fashioning Felt exhibit opened earlier this month at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum
in NYC, and as expected, the curatorial picks are eco fashion savvy and
perfect for Spring. The exhibition was organized by Susan Brown,
assistant curator of Textiles, and there is no doubt that this show is
putting a new spin on an ancient and rather versatile material.
Examples of historic felt applications range from gorgeous, nomadic
creations like Central Asian saddle blankets and protective tent
structures to contemporary takes on sustainable felt fashion like Andrea Zittel’s A-Z Fiber Form D
ChristineBirkle HUTup
resses. Highlighted
innovations include contemporary interior uses for handmade felts and
industrial applications that cover the gamut of product design,
fashion, architecture, and home furnishings. I was most taken by the
organic and eco friendly quotient in fashion and installation designs
by Janice Arnold, Christine Birkle (HUT up) up, Claudy Jongstra and Yeohlee Teng. Organic motifs, reminiscent of dyed sea kelp, also abound in the handmade felt necklaces of Dutch designer, Brigit Daamen.
It seems as if felt has gained a curious audience in terms of its
potential as a sustainable and easily renewable textile material, given
its low-impact and essentially waste-free manufacturing process. Global
nomads have known for centuries that wool fibers plus the application
of friction allows for a readily customizable and extremely pliable
material. It is truly exciting to see an ancient technology
re-interpreted in such bold, green expressions of wearability and
user-friendliness. Fashioning Felt is on view at The Cooper Hewitt in
uptown Manhattan through September 7, 2009.
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