featured artist // elisa strozyk

 Elisa Strozyk  is a german textile designer who was recently awarded textile designer of the year by Elle Deco.  She studied both at Central Saint Martins and KHB Berlin where she began to explore the form and function of wood.  She found that ,when reduced to small geometric shapes, wood could transform to become quite flexible. Through this exploration, Elisa found ways to reinterpret sense of touch and expand on what we consider conventional. The artist statement really describes it perfectly

 "Wooden Textiles" convey a new tactile experience. We are used to experience wood as a hard material; we know the feeling of walking across wooden floors, to touch a wooden tabletop or to feel the bark of a tree. But we usually don't experience a wooden surface which can be manipulated by touch.

"Wooden Textiles" is a material that is half wood-half textile, between hard and soft, challenging what can be expected from a material or category. It looks and smells familiar but feels strange, as it is able to move and form in unexpected ways.

The processes to transform wood into a flexible wooden surface is its deconstruction into pieces, which are then attached to a textile base. Depending on the geometry and size of the tiles each design shows a different behavior regarding flexibility and mobility. There are various possible applications, for example as floorings, curtains, drapes, plaids, upholstery or parts of furniture."   - Elisa Strozyk

There is such character to these pieces and I love the fact that they are constantly transforming. Because of the durability, the rugs are very mobile and the dyed wood is so striking.  It really challenges the viewer's sensibilities.  I think it's important to also give credit to the photographer here (Elisa's sometime collaborator) Sebastian Neeb.  It's not an easy task to convey the duality of hard vs soft.

One other quote from Elisa that I found very inspiring (and I think is suitable for a lot of creative endeavors)

 “I analyze the mundane, reinterpret it and place the familiar in a new context.“  

happy weekend!

 

Comments

[jen]

oh. yes, lovelovelove