Know The Weaver Series # 2 April – May 2014
Anne Størseth
Independent Artist and TC1 Owner
WEBSITE: www.anne-storseth.no
Anne seems to move effortlessly between customer defined projects (interior or wall hangings) and realizing her own ideas, either as design or fine art! She also reveals a lot of humor in her works, and is constantly exploring new techniques, expressions and ways of communicating them. She was the first person in Scandinavia to present a woven textile animation! It was displayed at the exhibition Urban Weft in Stockholm in 2010, curated by Petter Hellsing. Next to the computer screen with the animation, was the actual textile with all the frames! 1. You have been weaving for over 30 years now, what got you interested in the art and what is the kind of work that have you been engaged in? My interest in costumes, design, textiles and crafts has always been a big part of my life. I started quite early by creating and sewing my own clothes, which led me to discover the gateway to weaving in my early teenage years. It was a very exciting discovery for me to be able to produce my own textiles,
just by using a simple loom. This experience made me decide to take up an education that somehow was related to producing or designing textiles. However, the real turning point in terms of learning was when I started working for Elise Jakhelln. Later, I got an offer to buy her studio, so in 1985, I was a proud owner of Elise Jakhelln. I was working on the looms for 8 hours a day, every day for years together, and I specialized my crafts and skills to the fullest.
Besides designing clothes or costumes, my biggest interest is to reconstruct old pieces, looking at the history of patterns, the craftsmanship and the materials. My special interest in the history of patterns has led me to reconstructed furniture textiles for private and public spaces, both nationally and internationally. 2. How has your experience weaving on the Thread Controller been? In 2006, I bought my very own TC-1, a loom that includes 2,640 longitudinal threads (warps). Being able to create even the most intricate patterns was a great experience and a vital game changer in the world of design- and production possibilities. The possibility to produce intricate patterns in textiles, in just in a matter of daysrather than weeks still amazes me. Today, I make everything from furniture textiles to portraits and wall carpets. I have also been experimenting with digitalising textiles through installations and animations.
since the pattern was too intricate, and it would have been impossible to reconstruct by hand. A lot of time was spent in the City Hall, getting inspired by the interiors, colors and art, and to make sure my design would fit with the story of the building and tapestries. I also had to be considerate about the fact that the colors and design should not draw to much attention away from the speaker by making it just enough anonymous. The final work turned out exactly how I was imagining it would be.
3. Among the many commendable pieces that you have woven is the textile for the movable rostrum at the Oslo City Hall, what was your inspiration behind it? The interior architect Vigdis Rud asked me if I would be interested in making textiles for the new rostrum in Oslo City Hall. They asked for the design to be inspired by the original patterns from some of the tapestries in the building. This was the perfect task for my newly bought loom,
Picture Above: The textile for the movable rostrum a t the Oslo C ity hall has been designed by Anne Størseth.