TEXTILE ART

Textile art is something we come into contact every day, from the clothes we wear to the objects that decorate our home.  It is an art that can be simultaneously beautiful and useful; one of the oldest form of art in human civilization. In the beginning it was focused on practical purposes such as clothing or blankets to keep warm.  As the time passed, textiles became more complex; everything had to be done by hand, including the gathering of fibers from plants or animals and then twisting them to make it into yarn.  The industrial revolution was a turning point for textiles with the invention of the cotton engine, spinning jenny and power loom that automated the creation of fabrics which made possible its production in massive scale. 

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Among the popular techniques in textile art are:  weaving, embroidery, knitting and crocheting.  While many textile artists use traditional techniques as a starting point for their work, others deconstruct them to create innovative and impactful work.  With its countless of visual possibilities, contemporary textile artists showcase the vast differences that are possible when dealing with fabric, thread and yarn.  Examples are: the use of weaving to create architecture-inspired wall hangings; the use of crochet in thin wire to create sculptures; the use of embroidery on unconventional canvases like tennis rackets; cross-stitches designs into metal objects and so on.  However, the original focus of the use of textiles continue to thrive through the fashion world.  Although many articles of clothing are still made for a purely utilitarian purpose, contemporary designers imagine garments as spectacular pieces of fabric art that are put on blank canvassed bodies.  Some designers take that idea literally with dresses that resemble framed paintings or that become a mobile canvas.