I had the fortunate opportunity during my recent trip to New York City to catch the "Fashioning Felt" exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.
Before experiencing this exhibit, I heard the word "felt" and thought of childhood cut-outs of leaves or trees, or knitted bags or bowls of wool that have been tossed in the washing machine. This display of various design items - all created from felt - truly expanded that definition beyond measure.
There were chairs (that could be sat upon), sofas, rugs, wall dividers (that also reduce noise and echo), three-dimensional sculpture, clothing, jewelry - items that span various design disciplines.
There was also a unique space, set up in the conservatory of the converted mansion in which this museum now operates, draped in large pieces of various patterns of felt. On the day I visited the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the artist of this particular piece was present to discuss her technique and artistic process. This photo does not remotely capture the level of detail that the actual textile features but you can sense the perspective of just how large the hanging pieces were.
The mansion also features a beautiful garden with small cafe tables to enjoy tea or other beverage. There were also other exhibits at the museum, one of which focused on the use of sustainable materials to create designs for living. The items in that exhibit I found most interesting were a dress and shoes by Isaac Mizrahi made of salmon skin.
I'm not sure if this exhibit will travel, but if you do find yourself presented with the opportunity to see "Fashioning Felt," I would highly recommend!
No comments:
Post a Comment