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Save The Date!
As we welcome this new year with hope and a determination to thrive, I am thrilled to announce my upcoming exhibition at the Venice Biennale, April 2022.
Click the video to watch Lori’s announcement
Purchase Tickets to the Venice Biennale
This opportunity could not happen without the generous support of my exhibit sponsors:
The Met Costume Institute is back with the first part of their two part show, entitled In America. I was lucky enough to be able to see the show in person - there is nothing as delightful as a Friday night at the Met!
Exploring the breadth of American fashion, art, craft and design through nontraditional lenses of themes rather than function, the first part of this show is aptly named, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
The show is inspired by, and structured around, a signature quilt from the Met’s American Wing collection that was begun in 1956 by Adeline Harris Sears. Looking at the United States through the context of a mix-up and combination of different cultural and design identities, the quilt serves as a guide through the rest of the show.
Organized into twelve sections of ‘Nostalgia,’ ‘Belonging,’ ‘Delight,’ ‘Joy,’ ‘Wonder,’ ‘Affinity,’ ‘Confidence,’ ‘Strength,’ ‘Desire,’ ‘Assurance,’ ‘Comfort,’ and ‘Consciousness.’ While I absolutely loved the entire thing, there were a few standout pieces, for me.
Prabal Guruing from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Prabal Guruing is an American fashion designer, born in Singapore to Nepali parents and raised in Kathmandu.
In 1999 he moved from New Delhi, where he was studying fashion and had opened his own small studio, to New York City where he attended Parsons School of Design.
He has since made a name for himself with his bright colors, mix of patterns and feminine silhouettes.
Christopher John Rogers from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Christopher John Rogers is a Brooklyn-based fashion designer originally from Baton Rouge Louisiana. His gown - which measures nine feet in diameter - is unquestionably a statement making piece.
An emerging American designer, Christopher John Rogers graduated from the fashion program at Savannah College of Art and Design, and a design of his was recently selected by Kamala Harris to be worn on Inauguration Day.
Claude Kameni from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Claude Kameni’s dramatic mermaid dress represents the word ‘Vitality.’ Originally from Cameroon, Claude Kameni debuted at last years virtual NYFW.
Named one of the most influential Black designers by WWD, Kameni’s work is debuted at the Met here.
Eckhaus Latta from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Eckhaus Latta designer this wonderfully textured and dimensional garment. Founded by Zoe Latta and Mike Eckhaus in 2011, Eckhaus Latta aims to walk the line between art and fashion.
Showing their work equally to the high fashion world, and in shows at the Hammer Museum in LA and MoMA PS1 in Queens, they work sculpture, fashion and video.
Virgil Abloh from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
And in closing, an unexpected yet enchanting gown from Virgil Abloh. A designer, entrepreneur and DJ, Abloh has been the artistic direction of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since 2018. He is also the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label, Off White, whose work is in the show.
Originally from Illinois and born to Ghanaian parents, Abloh met Kayne West in 2009 while interning at Fendi in Rome. After working as Kanye West’s creative director for DONDA, Abloh started his own collection, Off White as high-end streetwear, which has found widespread mainstream success.
From In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
As a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Met Costume Institute, the show will be up for the entire year, with pieces periodically being moved and swapped out. The next installment, In America: An Anthology of Fashion will open on May 5th 2022.
Thank you to dear Lisa Staprans for this beautiful book!
“The Park [Central Park, New York City] throughout is a single work of art, and as such subject to the primary law of every work of art. Namely, that it shall be framed upon a single, noble motive to which the design of all its parts, in some more or less subtle way, shall be confluent and helpful.”
- Fredrick Law Olmsted
Central Park has always been an oasis for me; my respite away from the concrete and chaos of my - dear - New York City home.
For my birthday almost every year, two of my friends independently have gifted me with walking tours of special parts of the park. One of my friends - Will - is a birder. It took a while but he taught me to spot birds through binoculars and it is incredible during migration seasons how many birds come through our park.
The birds alone are enough to inspire multiple collection ideas! My other friend - David - is a docent in the park, his in depth knowledge of the history amazes me. It was so many of these tours that inspired and informed our newest collection aptly titled Central Park.
Like many people, the early months of 2020 brought unprecedented changes to the way we work - and design - in our studio. Where before we could gather as a team in our ‘White Box Sanctuary’ in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan - this time, we were working independently across the city.
I found solace and energy from being outdoors in a way I have not experienced pre-pandemic. I took long bike rides, went on walks and hikes that I had never experienced before in this city that I have lived in for most of my life.
A major landmark - so to speak - of inspiration for us was Bethesda Fountain. Bethesda Fountain is one of the most iconic fountains in the world - it has been highlighted across movies, paintings, and tv; including, of course, the opening sequence from Angels in America.
Overlooking the southern shore of The Lake, the Bethesda Terrace - and Fountain - are the only original “formal” elements included in the blueprint for the park. As the park was meant to celebrate un-manicured nature, the terrace was a nod to the more stylized parks that were in fashion at the time. Today the terrace, fountain - and especially the two stories of steps - are often locations for filming in NYC.
The angel on top of the fountain was the only piece of sculpture commissioned for the park as an original work. Entitled Angel of the Waters, she stands above four cherubs meant to represent health, purity, temperance and peace. Designed by Emma Stebbins in 1868, the angel is the first major public art commissioned by a woman in New York City.
“All had expected something great, something of angelic power and beauty,” The New York Times wrote of the unveiling of the Bethesda fountain statue on June 1, 1873, “and when a feebly-pretty idealess thing of bronze was revealed the revulsion of feeling was painful.”
When the sculpture was first unveiled in the park, it was widely unpopular. Stebbins’ brother had a heavy hand in granting her the commission - as he was the head of the park’s Committee on Statuary, Fountains and Architectural Structure. The public was also likely inclined the be particularly critical of the design due to the familiar connections, and the general feeling - at the time - that women were not considered “real” sculptors.
Of course we all consider the angel to be a cherished landmark now, and Stebbins has been granted long overdue appreciation for her contribution to the park.
As the first landscaped public park in the country, the park’s landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted, believed in the power and importance of public space, where “the beauty of the fields, the meadow, the prairie, of the green pastures, and the still waters” contrasted with the dark and cramped conditions of Manhattan at the time of the park’s creation.
To this day, Central Park is considered an unusual landscape for its seemingly natural design within an artificial constructed landscape. Olmsted and the park’s architects believed deeply in the importance of the natural environment, creating only one straight geometric path in the entire 843 acres.
The job of preserving the park for current - and future - visitors now falls to the Central Park Conservancy. The Conservancy oversees all of the park’s maintenance - from horticulture upkeep to architectural restoration, allowing the park to be a sustainable tourist attraction for the 40 million - or so - annual visitors, while also allowing NYC’s Department of Parks and Recreation to focus their time - and budget - on the countless other, less visited parks within the city.
To learn more about the Central Park Conservancy - or to donate - check out their website here!
We are really proud of the Central Park collection, and now that life is getting back closer to “normal,” I continue to cherish the park; the bit of wilderness in the middle of our urban landscape. One of Olmsted’s goals for Central Park was for an outdoor space to “replenish and reinvigorate,” after over 150 years, Central Park continues to be an unchanged sanctuary in its own right, even as the world continues to evolve outside of those wooded city blocks
Earlier this Spring, I was able to go to Lennox MA for a short trip to visit The Kaleidoscope Project at the Cornell Inn.
When I first heard about the Kaleidoscope Project - a show-house and design challenge meant to celebrate and showcase BIPOC designers, I immediately knew it was something I wanted to support, and Weitzner is a proud sponsor of the event!
The brainchild of founders Patti Carpenter, Amy Lynn and Liz Nightingale. Located in the historic Cornell Inn, the project was exciting and celebratory, especially to be together again after 2020!
Patti Carpenter, Amy Lynn and Liz Nightingale
Immediately I was enchanted with the setting in the Berkshires. The Cornell Inn has been in business since 1888 and the entire property is absolutely stunning. In early 2021 Kurt Inderbitzin who wanted to update the Inn in order to provide a contemporary unparalleled experience.
The Cornell Inn
I think it was a brilliant reason to gather these 23 talented interior designers and allow them to showcase their talent!
The Bar by David Santiago
While I loved the public spaces, they were dramatic and colorful while feeling sophisticated and age-appropriate for the space, I really was excited by the opportunity to see the guest rooms - all 28!
Purvi Padia
Purvi Padia is a New York City based designer whose design philosophy "merges modern and classic elements ti create timeless spaces.”
Purvi Padia
I absolutely adore this space - it is neutral and calming but with such a strong sensibility and attention to detail. I can easily imagine a restful weekend getaway here!
To see more of Purvi’s work - check out her website here!
Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas
Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas is a D.C. based interior designer. Her design motto is consistent and simple; [to] “maintain authenticity in style and texture, atmosphere is everything…”
Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas
Dennese’s space for the Cornell Inn is welcoming and warm. Updated by with traditional undercurrents - it’s simply lovely! Featuring, I must add, our Weitzner stone wallcovering, Quarry!
To see more of Dennese’s work - check out her website here!
Weitzner Stone Wallcovering, Quarry
Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors is a Pennsylvania based interior designer working in the Philadelphia Delaware and New Jersey area.
Rasheeda Gray
Named a House Beautiful Next Wave Designer, Rasheeda and Gray Space focus on residential and boutique commercial projects. Her space for the Cornell Inn is dramatic and cozy and a welcome influx of warmth in texture and color!
Rasheeda Gray
To see more of Resheeda’s work - check out her website here!
And to read more about The Kaleidoscope Project be sure to check out their website here!
I could truly go on and on about all of the incredible talent in this show-house, every space was unique and gorgeous! I cannot wait to see what The Kaleidoscope Project has in store for the future!
To see more about every featured designer below, check out this link here!
Missing our trip to the Turks and thinking about Potcake Place a lot recently - aren’t these foster puppies the cutest?!
Zeva Oelbaum photographed by John Warburton
Recently, I sat down (virtually) to hear a bit more about my wonderfully talented friend, Zeva Oelbaum's new project. May years back, Zeva and I collaborated on a textile line for Pallas using some of Zeva’s gorgeous cyanotypes as inspiration for weaves and pattern. Since then Zeva has continued working as a still photographer, but has expanded into film and creating some very impactful documentaries. She often focuses on telling the stories of ground-breaking women in history.
She is currently working on a documentary that I am most excited to see. It is about the groundbreaking dancer, Loïe Fuller. Join us in our conversation to learn a bit more about this often overlooked icon in modern dance as well as Zeva’s background!
Film stills of Loïe Fuller imitator Annabelle Moore, filmed by Thomas Edison, 1895
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I was born and raised in Kansas City and graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in anthropology. I have always been interested in people and their stories. When I was a junior in college, I fell in love with still photography. One of my college friends bought me a book entitled “The Concerned Photographer” edited by the wonderful Cornell Capa. After college, I moved to NYC to become an intern at International Center of Photography in the mansion up on 94th and 5th Ave. It was a magical time. There were probably only 10 staff people (including the faculty and Cornell and his secretary) at that time and the building was largely empty. We would print all night and could nap on couches in unused offices.
Highlights of your still photographer career?
In 2002, I was very fortunate to have two books of my photographs published by Rizzoli International Publishers. The first one was entitled “Flowers in Shadow: A Photographer Rediscovers an 1896 Botanical Journal” and Susan Orlean wrote a beautiful foreword for the book. I photographed a pressed flower book that I found in an antique store in Southwest Harbor in Maine. I have a real passion for discovering things that have been overlooked. When I opened this pressed flower book, I discovered that during the 100 years it had remained closed, the organic material of the plants had bled onto the opposing page, creating compositions that had been unintended and unimagined by the original creator. That was really exciting for me.
My second Rizzoli book was entitled “Blue Prints: The Natural World in Cyanotype Photographs” and Tracy Chevalier wrote a lovely foreword. The book is my homage to Anna Atkins, before she became known to a wider audience.
How do you know Lori?
The cyanotype photographs appealed to Lori and she was incredibly generous to invite me to work with her on a fabric line. It was a seamless and inspiring collaboration. It was so energizing to work with Lori, who could visualize my photographs in another medium.
Lori Weitzner for Pallas
Lori Weitzner for Pallas
Lori Weitzner for Pallas
How did you make a transition from still photography to documentary film?
My transition from photography to film was very organic. In 2005, I felt that I needed to do a film about a dear friend who had survived Auschwitz, along with her twin brother, when they were small children. That film experience led me to become the producer of a second film entitled “Ahead of Time” about the indomitable journalist Ruth Gruber. That film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009.
Do you have a constant source of inspiration?
My work seems to revolve around telling people’s stories through the intersection of history, culture and film. I am deeply interested in making films that have a strong visual underpinning, particularly rarely-seen-before photographs or archival footage.
How did you decide to form a production company?
While producing “Ahead of Time,” I worked with the film editor Sabine Krayenbühl. We worked incredibly well together and were very compatible, both aesthetically and temperamentally. We discussed the possibility of doing a documentary about the British explorer and diplomat, Gertrude Bell. In 2012, Sabine and I founded Between the Rivers Productions, LLC and co-directed “Letters From Baghdad.” The film was voiced and exec produced by Tilda Swinton and premiered in 2016 at festivals around the world including Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, the BFI London Film Festival, IDFA in Amsterdam and DOC NYC.
Can you talk about the current film project you and Sabine are working on?
We’re especially interested in telling stories of extraordinary women who have been written out of history. There are many incredible women who fit into this category! Our new film project is about Loïe Fuller – visionary performer, impresario and the American inventor of modern dance. Fuller (1862-1928) began her acting career in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and moved to Paris during the fin de siècle.
Loïe Fuller, performing her Serpentine Dance, 1905 @Zander & Labisch/Ullstein Bild/Roger-Viollet
She created a new kind of spectacle that combined dance, light, fabric and movement and premiered it at the Folies Bergère in 1892. She became wildly famous and revolutionized the way her contemporaries saw their world. An impresario, she also launched the modern dance career of Isadora Duncan and introduced Auguste Rodin’s work to collectors in the U.S.
Loïe Fuller, 1901 @The Jerome Robbins Dance Division of The New York Public Library
Amazingly, even though her name is largely forgotten by the general public, Fuller continues to influence contemporary artists, performers and designers. This process of discovering the artists who reference Fuller’s work, has been one of the great joys of our production.
The working title of our documentary is “Obsessed with Light” - check out the website here.
To see more of Zeva’s print and documentary work - check out her website here.
My daughter Emma! Just finished her last day of high school and she is off - hopefully not remotely - to Penn State in fall to major in sports journalism. Proudest. Mom. Ever.
I had the pleasure to collaborate with artist Lisa Hunt for part of the new Weitzner collection, Reverie. It was such a joy and truly inspirational to be in her studio and see her work. I sat down recently with Lisa to learn a bit more about her background, where she seeks inspiration and the future of Hunt Collective.
Read on to see some of the Reverie collection and Lisa’s work!
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How did you get started as an artist?
I grew up for the most part in Aurora, Colorado dreaming about one day moving to New York and working in magazines. As a young girl I had no idea how or what exactly that would look like but it was what I knew I wanted for myself.
I studied art throughout high school including classes at a technical school studying “commercial art”, what we now call graphic design. I eventually applied to art schools in New York and decided to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to study Graphic Design. Due to financial reasons I had to withdraw one semester short of graduating but I didn’t let that stop me.
My dreams came true and I had a successful career in magazine publishing for 20 years. My last full time position was at Essence Magazine as the creative director. It was an exciting position and in addition to producing celebrity covers I also had the opportunity to direct a photo shoot of the Obama family at their home in Chicago before he was elected president. Definitely an experience of a lifetime. And to top that Essence was the second magazine, Oprah was the first, to be invited to the White House to photograph First Lady Michele Obama and her mother.
There came a point where I knew I wanted to change creative careers and get back to making with my hands. It took about 10 years of freelancing in publishing while I explored many options. Textile design was something that I seriously considered but ultimately I decided to pursue art full time. It’s been about five years since I have called myself an artist and I continue to grow and learn. My creative journey has taken many turns and it has not always been easy but I trust that pursuing the things I love will always land me in the right place.
What mediums do you work in? Which is your favorite and why?
Screen printing or serigraphy is my current medium. I love the smooth finish of the ink on paper. and canvas, it’s very satisfying to me. My works are often controlled and precise which can be a challenge in the printmaking process. There are ways to work more freely within the medium and I look forward to experimenting.
You work a lot with repetition; what is it about repeating patterns that you love so much?
Patterns have always been a source of fascination and inspiration. I find visual repetition soothing and I have vivid memories from childhood that involve me observing shapes in my surroundings and creating patterns in my mind as I daydreamed.
Repetition is also a theme in my work that signifies movement. Layering to shapes to create depth within the repetition to create a meditative effect.
Is there something you would consider a constant source of inspiration in your life?
Observing my surroundings is usually where inspiration starts for me. Shapes found in architecture often capture my attention, especially how balance is created by the repetition and scale of rectangles, circles and squares. All simples shapes with infinite possibilities.
Could you tell us a little bit about the Black Artists’ + Designers Guild, of which you are a founding member?
BADG is a global collective of independent Black artists, makers and designers throughout the African diaspora. Founded at the end of 2018 by my friend Malene Barnett (a custom carpet designer and ceramicist) who felt that the art and design industries were not doing enough to be inclusive in editorial coverage and industry opportunities. The Guild website is a directory of black creatives, including artists, architects, interior designers, and artisans.
I invite everyone to discover the enormous talent of the Guilds members. Representation is everything and without it creativity dies in a vacuum.
More info about BADG here!
Who is your favorite artist if you had to name one, and why?
I don’t have one favorite but what I will say is that I am very inspired by the community of quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. They create the most stunning and complex quilts. Abstract, bold and sophisticated color palettes. All things that I love.
What is your favorite color to work with, if you had to name one, and why?
Gold! I love its warmth and reflective qualities and its ability to draw the eye into a composition.
What are your future goals for your work?
Collaborating with Lori on the Reverie collection and seeing my work translated into textiles and wallpaper was something that I had explored myself for a few years. When Lori offered the opportunity I was thrilled and am very excited by how the collection came together.
As someone who is inspired by my surroundings it would be truly gratifying to create large scale public works. I can imagine my work existing in the world in 3 dimensions where people can interact with it on a daily basis.
Other goals include site specific commissions similar to the one I completed last spring for the St. Regis Hotel in Aman, Jordan. The commission was for 2 canvases, each measuring over 8 feet. Working at that scale was a first and I loved it! I look forward to other commissions.
Any big projects or commissions coming up that you would like to tell our readers about?
I have been invited by Macy’s to create 6 installations for the windows in their flagship 34th Street Herald Square store in celebration of Black History Month. In addition one of the installations will be replicated in the Boston, Washington DC, Chicago and Philadelphia branches.
It is the first time that Macy’s has dedicated windows to celebrate BHM and I am honored and thrilled to create installations for such an iconic brand. I chose 6 of my existing works on paper as a starting point and translated them to work in 3 dimensional spaces.
My hope is that the windows express a measure of exuberance, beauty and complexity—found in vast abundance in the history of African Americans and which is integral to this country and the world’s history.
So honored to be a finalist for The Fashion Group International’s RISING STAR Award!
From our Lori Weitzner Jewelry Launch Event; I am wearing our Kali Earrings and Holda Bracelet
We are thrilled to be participating in New York City Jewelry Week! For those of you who don’t know much about it,
New York City Jewelry Week is the first and only local week dedicated to promoting and celebrating the world of jewelry through educational and innovative focused programming.
The inaugural NYCJW welcomed 10,000 arts and culture enthusiasts who explored the multifaceted jewelry industry through ground-breaking exhibitions, panel discussions led by industry experts, exclusive workshop visits, heritage-house tours, innovative retail collaborations, and other unforgettable one-of-a-kind programming created by the best and brightest in the industry.
In anticipation of NYCJW, I sat down and answered a few questions from the initial inspiration behind the jewelry to where we are headed next!
Our Kali Earrings and Vega Choker
I know you have wanted to launch a jewelry collection for a long time. Can you talk about why you have always been so inspired by jewelry?
I have been designing passementerie for Samuel and Sons for almost thirteen years. I have loved working this way and always considered it “jewelry for the home.” While creating for this category, I often said that it would be wonderful to take these ideas and textile traditions to create jewelry and accessories for people.
Our Selene Choker
When working on new designs for the jewelry, what do you and your team look to most?
We want to be unique to an already oversaturated market, we want to always remember our roots as textile designers in what we create, and it is very important for us to continue our collaborations with a collective of Indian artisans we have worked with for so many years for our fabrics, wallcoverings and trims.
The hand-beading process of creating our Penelope Bracelet
All of the Lori Weitzner Jewelry designs are made using traditional textile techniques, such as embroidery, beading, etc. Can you talk about the “textile-infused” nature of the collection?
Since textile design is my background, it was important to keep that element infused into all of the pieces. And so using traditional methods and combining them with modern design aesthetics is one of my favorite things to do!
Our Penelope Bracelet and Dalia Cuff.
Everything you have designed over the years has a very specific feeling to it – wallpaper, fabrics, packaging, rugs, cards – how do you see these designs all living together in one space or for one client?
Everything I have done is driven by these color worlds that I have always been conscious of as part of my life. I write about them in my book, Ode to Color. They are worlds that are about much more than just color, they are about mood and memory and emotion. Whether these colors fill an interior or interior product, or one is wearing them, they have a strong impact on how one feels. So even though the products might be varied, the process and intention are always the same.
For people who don’t know the idea behind the Ode to Color color-worlds, can you talk a bit on them?
In my book, Ode to Color, I bring you into ten worlds of color and what they mean and how to use them in your world. I went so far as to create a color test that is very easy to take that gives you an analysis of what color world or worlds might be most appropriate for you to use in a space for the main purpose of wellbeing. I like to refer to it as LIVING WELL WITH COLOR. They are not necessarily what you like or already use, but more to the point of what you might need. Color as a tool.
You can take the Ode to Color analysis test yourself here!
Our Ceres Bracelet
What are you most excited about for the future of the jewelry line?
To grow it! It has now been birthed but it needs to be nurtured, fed, and supported. I’m really excited to see where this project grows and morphs as we continue!
Our Saule Clutch
We are hosting a Lori Weitzner Jewelry Trunk Show, as part of NYCJW. Please stop by and say hello and browse this passion project:
Location:
Jonathan Alder
304 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023
Hours:
November 22nd: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
November 23rd: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
November 24th: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
I had the best time recording Experience A Day in The Life podcast! Stay tuned for the episode soon!
New York Textile Month is upon us again. During the entire month of September, our beloved New York City is home to shows, lectures, workshops and studio visits - like ours! - dedicated to all things tactile and textile.
There are so many wonderful events as part of this year’s NYTM programming. But, one in particular that is worth checking out is Belgium is Design Textiles Revealed.
Christoph Hefti
Highlighting seven of the most innovative and talented artists and designers based in Belgium working in the textile medium, this show will be the first of its kind in North America.
"Whether it is in furniture, wall hangings or artistic installations, traditional ideas of Belgian textile design are being confounded and recontextualised, with the event in New York showing that the discipline is spinning, weaving and meshing new stories."
Textiles Revealed is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the featured artists and designers. In anticipation of the show, I have highlighted the artists and their work here.
Alice Leens uses cord and rope to create intricate, repeating, undulating pieces. At once simplistic and complex, the resulting work is calming while simultaneously calling into question the materiality of her chosen medium. Leens says about her work:
Du fil à la surface, Alice Leens
“If it were necessary to give meaning to my work, it would be this one: to allow the spectator to let themself be touched, even if only for a moment, by the beauty of a banal object that they no longer see.”
Ligne/surface, Alice Leens
BedrossianServaes is a design studio founded by Flavien Servaes and Ani Bedrossian. The pair is exhibiting a series of woven pieces incorporating natural fibers, such as wool, linen and mohair. Their work is reinterpreted using traditional jacquard techniques but calling to mind nomadic structures, windows and entryways.
BedrossianServaes
Chevalier Masson and Diane Steverlynck have an ongoing collaboration under the label, lænd. Presenting three works in New York, the pair aims to use waste fibers from a local weaving mill and translate them into a thick felt suitable for furniture.
lænd
Christoph Hefti uses traditional hand knotting technique to create his abstract and avant-garde rugs. Working for esteemed fashion houses, Hefti manages a parallel studio practice. When his quest for new forms of expression lead him to Nepal, Hefti embraced a new way of working.
Christoph Hefti
"Christoph rediscovered the direct interaction between the designer and the craftsman and became fascinated by the use of traditional crafts in a contemporary context. He approaches the mystical and even spiritual tradition of storytelling textiles through his very personal yet worldly themes.”
Christoph Hefti
Decluuz by Luc Druez brings the large-scale tapestries of his Golden Ladies series to the United States for the first time. A limited edition series of anonymous gold-hued portraits, Druez describes them as "seven women, seven luminaries, seven virtues or seven deadly sins.”
Decluuz
"The innovation of the material presides over all the creations of A + Z DESIGN to give a new dimension to the textile language, to its artistic implications, fashion or design.”
A + Z Design
Geneviève Levivier working under the moniker, A + Z Design combines an innate interest in chemistry with the perspective of a contemporary artist. Employing scientists to help her with research and design, Levivier is able to create something wholly unique and actively environmentally conscious. Incorporating plant-based mediums whenever possible, and celebrating naturalist imagery in her work.
A + Z Design
Krjst Studio is a marriage of art, design and researched founded by Justine de Moriamé and Erika Schillebeeckx. The duo speaks of their creative practice and inspiration process:
Krjst Studio
“This is how we start searching, sorting, archiving. Colors, shapes and materials become a puzzle of data from which we seek combinations that comforts: "Organization, harmony, chaos and structure"; to finally obtain a poetic moment - a moment of intimacy - a work with space, in which the public finds the warmth of what is reassuring and the anxiety of what can be discovered.”
Krjst Studio
Belgium Is Design, Textiles Revealed opens September 26th and runs until October 3rd at Unix Gallery. For more information, check out the gallery website, here.
One of the MOST talented designers I know, and one of the kindest - Thomas Hamil
Our "room with a view".
After many years, I finally returned last month to Venice, this time with kids and husband in tow.
It was amazing to experience it through my daughters' eyes and for that reason, it felt like I also experienced it for the very first time. There is nothing in the world like it. There never will be. It is both incredibly ancient and modern simultaneously. The light, architecture, food, air, and people ignite all the senses.
I hope to go again very soon.
At least some of us got some sleep on the plane!
The symbolic floors of San Marco are full of endless inspiration!
Art from centuries ago, everywhere one looks.
My absolute favorite piece from the Biennale; Building Bridges from Lorenzo Quinn.
Each of the six hands represents six universal values of friendship, faith, help, wisdom, hope and love.
Taking a Zig Zag day is great anywhere. But it is the absolute best in Venice and Torcello!
The Jewish Ghetto - the oldest Ghetto in the world.
A visit to the island of Murano to visit Seguso for a lesson in blowing glass.
Till next time.…
After Italy, we took our yearly holiday to the UK; our niece and nephews beautiful wedding in England - I wish there were more weddings to go to! They are so joyful!
I have been a fan of Rebecca Moses for a very long time. Working across multiple mediums, her signature style and whimsical sensibility is a constant.
Rebecca Moses started her career in the fashion industry, graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and working in New York City for Pierre Cardin for a time.
Moses launched her own label in New York, before relocating to Europe working for a few luxury brands while abroad.
Upon returning to New York City, she relaunched her own signature line of cashmere, focusing on European sensibility for the American market.
Soon Moses began to expand her creative practice beyond the borders of fashion. Pivoting to illustration very much informed by the skills she honed while working in the industry, she started to discover her unique style that she has maintained over various mediums throughout her career.
Named “Perfectly Imperfect” the show was a leap for Moses from her two-dimensional drawings to the three-dimensional forms. Aiming to represent today’s multicultural world, the show depicts highly stylized women of different shapes, sizes and backgrounds.
However, each mannequin, illustration and garment is unified by Moses’ approach, design sensibility and color palette.
I was lucky enough to have my book launch party for Ode to Color in Pucci’s showroom while those amazing mannequins were on display! Ralph Pucci and Moses worked together to bring these genius mannequins to life, to see more of Ralph Pucci’s work, link here. Beyond being incredibly gracious, I am always in awe of his creativity!
Moses’ most recent show “White Shirts” is currently on display at Ralph Pucci’s Gallery No 9 in New York City.
The portraits represent a departure from Moses’ typical colorful, bright color palette. Instead focusing on her figures and line quality of the paintings.
Each portrait is of a women in Moses’ life who has acted as a muse to her over her lifetime. Dressed simply, in a white shirt, the personalities and decoration of each women is individually highlighted.
And although the clothing is not the centerpiece of her work any longer, Moses’ attention to textiles, pattern and texture is a visual treat!
Mike and I at our kids’ school auction. One of the auction items was to ask 26 artists to create a letter from the alphabet. Of course I chose the W! Made out of our wallcovering, Metaphor!
It brought it close to $800! Woohoo!
