SURFACE Show at Chelsea FutureSpace

Rose, silk, detail, Emma Neuberg, 2012.

We're delighted to announce that silk triptychs created by TSTG founder, Emma Neuberg, whilst Artist in Residence (AA2A) at Chelsea College of Art & Design, London, are selected for an exciting new exhibition exploring surface, texture, semiotics and meaning taking place February 13th to April 14th 2013 at Chelsea FutureSpace. 

The show represents an introduction to the study of surface as texture and skin to interpret and express the liminal space between internal and external worlds.  Other artists in the show include Sanghyun Kim and Kangwook Lee. 

Awake, Sanghyun Kim, 2012.

Kangwook Lee, 2012.

Pua Kumba Weaving in Marik Empang!

                                                                                                            Photo: Neuberg

TSTG members recently enjoyed an evening with Nancy Ngali from Malaysian Borneo, wearing her own pua kumba woven jacket and beaded marik empang at the fantastic current exhibition called 

Endangered Textiles taking place at the Brunei Gallery in London.

                                                                                                                                                                                             Photo: Neuberg

Here's the process of the warp preparation - hundreds of white silk threads being tied with lengths of plastic rather like tie-dye - in order to prepare the weave to make a jacket or skirt.

                                                                                                                                                 Photo: Neuberg

After all those white threads are dip-dyed in indigo they are set up on a back-strap loom ready for weaving. 

The whole process takes between 3 to 5 months!

For more information on the process, there's a great introductory article in the wonderful Hand Eye magazine.

What do Pattern, Textiles and Fashion have in Common in 2013?

Quentin Jones for Kenzo Pre-Fall 2012

You may have noticed that TSTG embrace animation and film narratives for textiles!

This is because textiles manifest time and story-telling in their very DNA.  Even digital code is textiles inasmuchas each pixel echoes the needlepoint stitch or punchcard hole in order to make the image whole.

Last year we showcased amazing textile animator Tania Grace Knuckey's witty, subtle and evocative textile animations at the Slow Studio Cinema. "I have to put timelines into textiles to bring them alive," she says.

Have a look through Quentin Jones amazing sequences and visit the Slow Studio on April 20th to see more of this inspirational genre!

Quentin Jones for Victoria Beckham 2012

Quentin Jones for Nowness 2012

Quentin Jones for Penhaligon 2012

Quentin Jones for Holly Fulton 2012