Icelandic Textile Center - Ós Residency Catalog 2021

Icelandic Textile Center Ós Residency Catalog

2021

Icelandic Textile Center Ós Residency Catalog 2021

Ragnheiður Björk Þórsdóttir Ragnheiður Stefánsdóttir Søren Krag Vera de Pont

Gabriela Farías Vera Halla Rachel Hefferan Antje Speer

Victoria Manganiello

Anja Drinnenberg

Judi Pettite

Francesca Mocali

Judy Hooymeyer Marled Mader Marijke Leertouwer Titi Zaadnoordijk Raina Nief Laura Elliott Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir & Sólveig Hansdóttir Zoe Romano

Susanne Mueller Jana Kessler Austé Jurgelionyté-Varné Pamela Cottrell Hector Dyer Stina Edin Susan Kendal Fern Pellerin Tuija Hansen

Sophia Lengle

My Kirsten Dammand

Ruth Marshall

Cassandre Boucher

Alice Tsibulsky

Piper Shepard

Molly Bertheaud

José M. Pérez

Elisa Palomino

Deborah Gray

Frances McBain

Kina Usami

Bonnie Mae Carrow

Ragnheiður Björk Þórsdóttir Iceland

This time, I used my time at the residency to work on the TC2 digital loom for my own textile art. I was preparing work for Design March 2021 and for my exhibition in Akureyri in October 2021. It was great to be able to use the TC2 loom for my own work and I loved every minute of it. Weaving always takes a lot of time but the process in the TC2 weaving is quicker and louder than weaving on my own looms. It always is a pure joy to weave and work for an exhibition.

Flower of Life (Details) 107 x 140 cm cotton, wool and linen TC2 digital weaving photo by Ragnheiður Björk Þórsdóttir

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March 2021

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Ragnheiður Stefánsdóttir Iceland

Glatað verk or Lost work is my graduation project in Graphic Design from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2021. The work is inspired by Icelandic textiles that have been lost or have not received the respect they deserved. Much of the weaving or textile work of the past has been lost, except for a few pieces of textile fabric that is preserved in the archives of the National Museum of Iceland. Fragments and pieces from different textiles found in the museum’s archives are more often used in research rather than exhibitions. Each piece once belonged to a complete work that was used as a bedspread, saddle cloth, tablecloth, tapestry, or other woven treasure. Many such artefacts ended up as blankets on dried manure or as carpets. Thus, previously valuable fabrics have become small pieces where patterns and colour combinations have faded or even disappeared completely. Sometimes there is almost nothing left but a description of what there was.

The work consists of three woven tapestries that I wove on the TC2 loom in the Icelandic Textile Center in Blönduós.

Glatað verk 150 x 105 cm each cotton and wool TC2 loom weaving photo by Ragnheiður Stefánsdóttir

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April 2021

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Søren Krag Denmark

During my scholarship-residency at the Icelandic Textile Center I wove motifs taken from the Elder Edda, drawing aesthetic inspiration from the ornamental style of Viking age rune/picture stones and textiles. I am preoccupied with aesthetic ideas of symmetry and ornamentation that have permeated art history, and that have wandered historically and geographically between different civilizations and cultural regions. In addition to being an exploration of the threshold between ornament and figuration, the works are also the result of an encounter between a design language of the past and my own aesthetic which takes its starting point in the pixelated universe of the computer.

During my stay I also had time to do other smaller experimental works. The piece ‘Fáfnismál (Sigurd with the head of Reginn)’ encapsulates the narrative of the Eddic poem Fáfnismál in which the hero Sigurd is enticed by nuthatches to decapitate his mentor and foster father Reginn.

Søren Krag was an Icelandic Textile Center scholarship recipient in 2021. His residency was funded by Nordic Culture Point: the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme.

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Fáfnismál (Sigurd with the head of Reginn) 230 cm x 105 cm wool digital jacquard double weave (TC2) OPPOSITE RIGHT

There is a difference in heaven above the bright serpent.

The hot stars below the sky are spinning (For my mother) 105 x 105 cm wool digital jacquard double weave (TC2) photos by Hafliði Ásgeirsson

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April/May 2021

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Vera de Pont The Netherlands

During my residency, I shifted the original research (into 2.5D and 3D weaving) towards a research into “transitions”.

I made this decision because in the end I wasn’t allowed to add weights to the warp (which was totally understandable), and so I couldn’t make the spatial weavings that I was planning to do by splitting the warp.

Within this new research, I took inspiration from the landscape transitions within the Icelandic landscape. Especially the rock surfaces. They were translated into woven pieces that were all linked together by color or print. Because the pieces are individual pieces, but somehow belong together, I named this project “The Woven Family Tree”. And is now exhibited at the Cityhall of Tilburg in The Netherlands.

The Woven Family Tree between 50 x 60 cm and 200 x 60 cm recycled polyesters TC2 loom weaving photos by Ton van Rooij

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June 2021

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Victoria Manganiello United States

The structures I compose are studies of materials and our fundamental relationship to them. I use traditional textile-based media: I spin my own yarn, mix my own color dyes, and weave my own constructions. Using organic materials including bark, leaves, bugs, and flowers combined with minerals, metals, and salts, I produce my own pigments and colorants with which I create abstract woven paintings. I integrate historical methods of color dye and yarn and textile construction alongside surprising technologies and modern alternatives like computer code and fluid dynamics.

My recent projects incorporate materials from the seemingly extreme natural to the extreme synthetic and I make choices with density, color, and kinetics to demonstrate materiality and the depth of possibility in the natural world. Conceptually, my work is rooted in the history of technology and its connection to gender, plant life, and community. I use the stories of the past with the mood of the present to create experiential artworks that speculate on the future. I create wall pieces, immersive installations and experiential, socially engaged work. Additionally, I am an educator and a social researcher and see these practices inextricably linked. Education and dialogue are just as essential as thread and dye to my artistic practice.

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Untitled #153 102 x 173 cm natural and synthetic fiber, dye hand-woven and hand-dyed OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Untitled #154 102 x 173 cm natural and synthetic fiber, dye hand-woven and hand-dyed photos by Paul Takeuchi

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June 2021

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Judi Pettite United States

Experiencing the landscape through its textures and colors was the working thesis for my residency in Blönduós. I wanted to explore the environment and the work that would develop from the following limitations: Firstly, I would use Icelandic and California wool as my substrate. Secondly, hues would be gathered and derived from local plants.

On daily walks, I gathered lupin blossoms and birch leaves from the banks of the river, and mineral pigment from hills overlooking the North Sea. The dye studio is where I discovered the many color variations of local plants as I developed my natural dyes, inks and paint.

The feel of ochre and the scent of the lupin and birch permeated my days indoors, while the buffeting wind and cinematic skies outdoors gave me a deep and palpable appreciation of place. My projects began on an intimate scale—collaging the cloth with embroidery and other sewn elements—some abstract, others more representational depictions of trees and plants. I made lake pigments from the natural dyes and used them to make watercolor and oil paint for artist books and paintings. In my second month I experimented with clothing—weaving and felting vests inspired by the knitting festival held in June.

My fellow residents provided an invaluable opportunity to discuss our process and outcomes; I felt a freedom and exuberance to explore the effect environment has on my work.

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Lake Pigments: Birch, Lupine pigments on marble slab lake making (dye to pigment) photo by Judi Pettite OPPOSITE RIGHT

The Landscape Embroiders—Thumbnail Studies variable dimensions wool, natural dyes of Blönduós felting, stitching photo by Victoria Manganiello

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June/July 2021

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Judy Hooymeyer The Netherlands

I started my (art-life) practice studying at St. Joost Academy (Bachelor) Masters Pedagogue Drawing/Crafts/Textiles, Doctorandus Sociology EU and PhD Philosophy. Iceland has always intrigued me. People who live, work and nurture nature as an example for others. My experience at the Textile Center is an unforgettable one. In the beginning, I was fascinated by the bright colours. The purple and pink skies. Orange rivers. Neon green lichens. The endless days.

Four seasons in one day Art is all about observing, searching for patterns and what comes to be unusual. I try to focus on nature and staying as long as possible in this habitat. I made color sketches of 3 days in a row and collected herbs and plants to dye Icelandic wool. In the dye studio I felted 10 long pieces during 7 days. I hung them up on the washing line and made a video where the pieces danced in the wind. You can hear the sound of the birds.

After this project, I started spinning, dyeing and weaving. Not really knowing what and where this would end. It made me happy. Waking up, eating breakfast in silence. My walks started short, but after one week I was able to walk to the beach (thanks Marled). I made some objects for the rocks and the beach. Giving back. And again some videos where interaction with nature held place. Back home I have been asked to make a huge waterfall (40 meters) which I will felt and tuft and a huge giant rock with lichens. It will be seen in a gallery inside a hospital. And together with Marijke Leertouwer I will have a show somewhere else. I will certainly come back to this beautiful place, with beautiful people. Thank you all.

Giving Back 60 x 60 cm Zeeuws Melk sheep wool, Icelandic sheep wool, found threads at Icelandic Textile Center handspun, handwoven photo by Judy Hooymeyer

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July 2021

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Marled Mader Germany

The last time I stayed in Blönduós I was working on tablet weaving and a project called Lítir Islands - The colours of Iceland. I took photos of the Icelandic landscape and tried to transform them into textiles, in this case wearable shawls and stoles and as an element in cards.

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Norðurljós - Northern Light 80 x 150 cm cotton weaving, diamond twill photos by Marled Mader OPPOSITE RIGHT

Hraun - Lava 180 x 76 cm cotton weaving, diamond twill photo by Marled Mader lava photo by Róbert Daníel Jónsson

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July 2021

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Marijke Leertouwer The Netherlands

Although I have always loved textiles, I graduated in 1986 from the Willem de Kooning Academy, department of fine art (painting and drawing). I have been collecting fragments of old textiles, boxes and found objects from a young age, preferably with visible wear and tear. Eventually I started using the accumulated “stash” in my artwork. Repurposing discarded things is now my preferred way of working.

I love to work with old materials, objets trouvés. These forgotten components, which each possess a concealed and unique story, find their way in assemblage and textile art.

It is up to the viewer to shape the parts into a whole, and experience their individual storytelling. I aim to unravel the poetic mind. My work is contemporary but in a way also traditional. I hope my work sparks a cherished memory or inspires new thoughts.

During my residency I explored the surroundings of Blönduós on foot. There were lots of interesting small buildings that caught my attention. Some were sheds, others looked like they were in use for industrial storage and some were just abandoned small houses.

I photographed and drew the eerie looking constructions and decided to use them as my main theme for embroideries. I used fine and “rough” stitching and attached small found objects on the surface like volcanic black pebbles, pieces of cloth, rolled up bits of yarn and an old cuff. The stitching is done on an antique piece of linen.

I consider these small embroideries as a starting point for a bigger series.

Untitled 11 x 11 cm each embroidery linen cloth, linen thread, cotton thread, cotton cuff embroidery, application photo by Marijke Leertouwer

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July 2021

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Titi Zaadnoordijk The Netherlands

I have been a professional artist for more than 35 years. I am a visual artist, a poet and a performing poet. Making art is what I want to do. My main techniques are drawing and linocut printing. I also make artists’ books. I occasionally use needle and thread in my drawings and I do projects using textile or textile techniques. For instance I’ve crocheted a curtain of little fish with copper wire and I’ve embroidered underwear with the imprint of bodies. I became a parent at the age of 39, which is of course also a matter of the heart. Raising kids takes a lot of time, especially as I was doing this on my own, which gave me less time for making art. When my daughters grew up, I remembered one day how happy I was at the start of my career, with time for playing and creating. I realised this because I was playing again.

And now, many years later, with my daughters no longer living with me, I took a trip to Iceland. In July I travelled around the country collecting impressions and materials. In August I worked in the Textile Center. I started by studying and drawing the traditional clothing of Iceland, with help from the materials and books in the Textile Museum next door. Since then, I have been drawing and colouring, cutting and embroidering. It offered me more than I could have imagined to be able to work without distractions and in a new and different environment. So, as I look back on a month of hard and satisfying work, my residency actually turned into a month of play and fun!

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Studies traditional clothing. Shawl with little Balls and Big Bow 21.5 x 11 cm paper, pencil, needle and thread drawing, cutting, sewing OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Happy Dress 50 x 70 cm paper, pencil, linen thread and buttons drawing, embroidery photos by Titi Zaadnoordijk

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August 2021

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Raina Nief United States

During my residency with the TC2 Digital Jacquard Loom, my work explored the illusion of layers created by satin weave structures. Geometric shapes are organized throughout the compositions to skew the illusion of depth, making it unclear the perspective of the forms. To mimic a collaged technique, I used weave structures that create varying values in correspondence with geometry and form.

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Twill Study #13 97 x 29 cm cotton warp, cotton weft hand-woven on the TC2 digital jacquard loom

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Twill Study #12 99 x 16.5 cm cotton warp, cotton weft hand-woven on the TC2 digital jacquard loom photos by Raina Nief

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August 2021

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Laura Elliott Chile

This residency has been a dream of many years. I had always wanted to discover first-hand what it feels to be in Iceland, at the other end of the world. I was lucky enough to share with a group of girls with whom I travelled around Iceland during the weekends, getting to know part of the north and the Westfjords. It felt like a dream! It could not have been better. What captivated me the most about the landscapes we saw on those road trips were the small streams that ran between the mountains full of green tones, heavy lights and dramatic shadows.

From our first trip to Akureyri I knew that I wanted to weave what I was seeing. I made a small sketch and began to weave the mountains on the beautiful tapestry loom of the residency with different green yarns that I brought from Chile, but I was not sure how I was going to weave the sky over the mountains or what the tapestry was going to look like once finished, I just kept going and trusting the process. Throughout the month, Raina, Alice and I had a routine of going out to watch the sunset on the balcony that faces the sea. We did it every evening and every time we were impressed with the colors in the sky: red, oranges, purples and pinks. My favorite one was the orange and reddish sunset with a big red sun on the horizon. I felt like I was on a different planet. Finally, I decided to incorporate Icelandic wool in orange tones in the sky as a way to illustrate something that was an essential part of my experience in Blönduós and also as a tribute to my friends from this residency who always wanted to enjoy the magical moments and discover nature with me. This residency was magical thanks to them.

Road to Akureyri 85 x 60 cm Merino and Icelandic wool, hand-dyed cotton yarn tapestry weaving photo by Laura Elliott

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August 2021

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Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir & Sólveig Hansdóttir Iceland

Sumarið 2021 unnu Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir og Sólveig Hansdóttir að Þráðhyggju þar sem þær nýttu sér aðstöðu Textílmiðstöðvarinnar til þess að endurvinna textíl sem annars yrði sendur úr landi og líklegast enda í landfillingu. Felt Loom þæfingarvél, rokkur, vefstólar og prjónavélar voru þau tæki sem nýttust verkefninu hvað mest. Þráðhyggja er verkefni sem snýst um að lengja líftíma úrgangstextíls með endurnýtingu og þróun aðferða sem byggðar eru á þekktu íslensku handverki og klassískum aðferðum. Með þessu vonumst við eftir því að leggja grunn að hringrásarhagkerfi fyrir úrgangstextíl á Íslandi sem miðar af því að fullnýta förguðum textíl, frá hrávöru stigi þar sem textíllinn er tættur niður í þræði eða trefjar, og er endurunninn í nýja afurð. Verkefnið var styrkt af Nýsköpunarsjóði Námsmanna, unnið í samstarfi við Listaháskóla Íslands og Textílmiðstöð Íslands og var aðstaða miðstöðvarinnar könnuð til verðmætasköpunar á úrgangstextíl. Rauði Kross Íslands útvegaði verkefninu úrgangs textíl úr fatasöfnun Rauða Krossins. Markmiðið Þráðhyggju er að minnka sóun, útflutning og umhverfisáhrif textíls ásamt því að koma auga á nýjar virðiskeðjur á förguðum textíl í formi rannsókna á aðstæðum og tækni sem tiltækar eru hérlendis.

Þráðhyggja 4:46 min video stills

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August 2021

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Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir & Sólveig Hansdóttir

In the summer of 2021, Icelandic designers Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir and Sólveig Hansdóttir spent time at the Textile Center to work on their project “Þráðhyggja” ( = “Thread Obsession”). Þráðhyggja is a project on textile waste, funded by the Icelandic Student Innovation Fund, in collaboration with the Textile Center and Icelandic University of the Arts.

Berglind and Sólveig used the facilities at the Textile Center, including knitting machines and the felt loom at the TextileLab, to re-cycle and recreate textiles provided by the Icelandic Red Cross, that would otherwise be sent out of the country and most likely end up in landfill. “Þráðhyggja is a project about extending the life of textiles and developing new recycling methods based on Icelandic craftsmanship and traditional handcraft techniques. In doing so, we hope to lay the foundation for a circular economy of textiles in Iceland, which aims to fully utilize discarded textiles: from the raw material level, where clothes are shredded into threads or fibers, to an entirely new product.”

Þráðhyggja photos by Berglind Ósk Hlynsdóttir and Sólveig Hansdóttir

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Zoe Romano Italy

The “Weaving Sense” itinerant research project is about exploring how conductive yarns and fibers can be used in artisanal textile machines and computerised looms especially focusing on traditional techniques. By mixing smart materials with natural yarns it is possible to create textile sensors of different shapes and esthetics and become a starting point for different uses, from art installations to textile devices. While craft practices of weaving have been passed down through generations, today many skills are at risk of being lost and, with them, the cultural meanings embedded in the processes of making. “Weaving Sense” aims at building a craft-based, tangible experience able to engage women’s interest in electronics thanks to the culturally responsive computing aspects of the project.

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Morbida matrix - series 1 25 x 25 cm wool, conductive yarn TC2 loom weaving OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Touch Me - Sample wool TC2 loom weaving photos by Zoe Romano

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August 2021

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Sophia Lengle Canada

I was jet lagged for a whole week after arriving at the textile residency, but I didn’t mind. I made use of the long Summer days (17 hours of sunlight) by working till 3am. Then as the sun began to rise at 4am, I’d go on a walk around town before turning in for the night, or more accurately day? During my stay I wove samples, and two substantial pieces on one of the centre’s beautiful Scandinavian countermarch looms. I used natural dyes on the cotton, bamboo, tencel and linen threads I wove with. Both “Around the Transmission Tower” and “On the Edge of Some Town” were created using the Icelandic Glit weaving technique I learned from textile artist and teacher Ragnheiður Þórsdóttir. This technique allowed me to translate motifs from my painting/drawing practice into weaving for the first time. I’m so thankful for the concentrated studio hours, and for all the new friends I met in Iceland!

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Around the Transmission Tower 40.5 x 96.5 cm naturally dyed cotton, linen, tercel, bamboo threads, chemically dyed cotton thread (blue) weaving OPPOSITE BOTTOM

On the Edge of Some Town 56 x 40.5 cm naturally dyed cotton, linen, tercel, bamboo threads, chemically dyed cotton thread (blue) weaving photos by Sophia Lengle

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August 2021

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Ruth Marshall Australia/United States

Iceland. I was there for the mild and long sunlit days of the summer month of August.

Every Icelandic person I met told me how unusual this warm weather was. There are so many facets of a residency to reflect on ...

1. Day to Day Living - Coming from an urban jungle like New York City and navigating the day to day life in the rural town of Blönduós. Where is everyone? Why is there no Main St? How do people survive here without more stores?

2. Pandemic Living - My residency had been delayed due to travel restrictions caused by the Covid Pandemic. During my rescheduled residency however, I came down with a severe head cold and placed myself in isolation while waiting for Covid test results. I read fiction novels to distract myself from dire thoughts. What if the results are positive?

Everyone in the residency would then have to be tested and isolated, the management team would have a logistical nightmare on their hands. Will I be stranded in Iceland until my health and Covid tests return to normal? Thankfully the test result was negative.

3. Friendship - The power of meeting new people and forming new friendships was so mindblowing coming out of a pandemic lockdown, I felt very deeply the attachment I formed with the younger women in the residency. My ‘crazy girls’ I called them, as we played, worked, travelled, danced and shared together. The color of these friendships was more saturated, more precious than I ever would have thought possible.

Water Diamond Paradox 69 x 76 x 31 cm yarn, wool, fabric, wire, aluminium foil crochet, knitting, machine embroidery photo by Ruth Marshall

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August 2021

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Ruth Marshall

4. The Work - and finally the artwork. My textile art is based on nature. In the past I have knitted lifelike, endangered animal pelts. Now I want to combine other aspects of nature in my work, and I knew the residency would give me time to study and noodle on how to accomplish this. I approached the time in the residency to create multiple, smaller works with an emphasis on experimentation with materials and subject matter. I didn’t want to limit myself or care that much about the final result. I wanted to play and see the Icelandic flora up close and personal. Hrutey Island was my playground and inspiration.

I came away with: a.) A new skill! Hand felting with needles! I see so many possibilities and I have since applied this to new work that I am currently creating in my studio. b.)

A new appreciation of working with wire and yarn. I was delighted with the results I achieved using thin jewelry wire as an armature for crocheted petals, and thicker wire for flower stems. I think I’m finally over the trepidation of using wire in my work. c.) Have I succeeded in finding a way to combine drawing with textiles? A two-dimensional piece I created based on lichen and moss patterns was a combination of micron pens, watercolor, crochet and felting. The result was very visual and satisfying.

And back to the weather. The day I flew back to New York City was during the after effects of Hurricane Ida. The landing of my flight was, well, I don’t know how the pilots did it, an extra thirty minute descent helped. My first time seeing a flooded airport. Finally realizing that the airport buses were cancelled, and so then began a five hour Uber odyssey ride, only to arrive home to a flooded apartment. During this month, to experience a weirdly warm Icelandic summer, capped with an extreme weather event, our climate change challenges are with us to stay. And so the focus on nature in my artwork feels absolutely certain and critical.

Lichen 66 x 46 cm yarn, paper, wool, pen, paint crochet, embroidery, felting, drawing, watercolor painting photo by Ruth Marshall

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Alice Tsibulsky Canada

I’ve always been interested in the concept of place and home, and this idea often makes its way back into my work. My time at the residency was spent researching different local dye plants to extract colour from. With modifiers, I was able to achieve a nice range of surprisingly bright shades. I wanted to use these colours to dye Icelandic wool and practice different kinds of weaving, which is relatively new for me. Without focusing too much on the result, the pieces are more an exploration in techniques and serve as a reflection of a unique and breathtaking landscape.

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Plant dyes on wool OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Weaving study II photos by Alice Tsibulsky

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August 2021

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Molly Bertheaud Canada/United States

Molly Bertheaud (b. 1997) is a Canadian American artist who melds the archaic forms of painting and tapestry with contemporary techniques to tell modern mythologies. Her phantasmagoric scenes and tapestries reference science fiction/myth, ecology, mortality and femininity. She learned the craft of industrial knitting machines from her mother, who is a knitter. Molly is experienced with various textile techniques like industrial/ hand flat knitting machines, felting, sewing, embroidery and more.

Unknown arrows 63.5 x 142 cm cotton and wool yarn embroidered industrially knitted and hand embroidered tapestry photo by Molly Bertheaud

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August 2021

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Elisa Palomino Spain

Contemporary accounts of travels around Iceland in the mid to late 18th century describe and illustrate Icelanders wearing traditional shoes made of wolfish skin. They were excellent footwear in frost and soft snow, as they lay very close to the foot and very little snow made its way into them. During my residency in Blönduós I researched wolfish skin shoes in Icelandic museums. Curators have shared their knowledge, information, material culture literature, and photographs with me. I would like to acknowledge National Museum of Iceland (Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, Freyja Hlíðkvist Ómarsdóttir Sesseljudóttir and Helga Vollertsen), Reykjavik City Museum (Gerður Eygló Róbertsdóttir), Blönduós Textiles Museum (Elín S. Sigurðardóttir), Skagafjörður Heritage Museum (Inga Katrín Magnúsdóttir).

At my return I created together with my student Ana Cordoba Crespo, a Fish skin robe in CLO 3D from a two dimensioned segmented pattern previously illustrated using Adobe. The garment was used to animate an Ainu avatar and situate it in a relevant context, which was put into motion as a short video, highlighting the cultural and historical context to which the design is referring to. Then I developed a series of Katazome indigo dyed fish skin samples with Indigo Master Takayuki Ishii. The fish skin robe replica was sewn by Vanna Bellini and was constructed according to the fish skin shape; every skin fitted with the next and nothing was wasted. The natural appearance of the fish skins served as an inspiration in the sewing process of this fish skin robe.

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Ainu avatar created with Blender and CLO3D photo by Ana Cordoba Crespo OPPOSITE BOTTOM LEFT

Ainu fish skin robe created in CLO3D from a two-dimensioned segmented pattern previously illustrated using Adobe photo by Ana Cordoba Crespo OPPOSITE BOTTOM RIGHT

Replica of an Ainu fish skin robe made with indigo katazome dyed fish skins Katazome indigo died fish leather photo by Elisa Palomino

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August/September 2021

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Frances McBain United Kingdom

The residency provided me with a stimulating and focused environment for me to work on a commission lead project developing signature designs for an Indian based mill who produce bespoke hand-knotted rugs. During my time at the residency I became conscious of the unapologetic rawness of the natural landscapes and the absence of sound. Through mark making and drawing I explored materiality as a tangible form of social fabric which can be interpreted through environmental soundscapes, capturing deconstructed rhythms of places and objects as being imprints of textile memories. I am motivated to come back next year to further develop and apply my drawing to the TC2 loom.

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Untitled 2 29 x 37 cm paint, ink, pencil on cartridge paper freehand drawing OPPOSITE RIGHT

Untitled 1 95 x 123 cm paint, ink, pencil on cartridge paper freehand drawing photos by Frances McBain

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September 2021

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Bonnie Mae Carrow United States

It felt strange to work on a piece so particular to a place while in such unfamiliar surroundings. During my stay, I hand embroidered and quilted several sections of an unassuming linoleum floor pattern common to a city in Pennsylvania where I used to live.

Though, something I came to understand over the course of the residency was that while the pattern has the specificity of site, it also embodies aspects of many places at once.

I was able to see a pattern so ingrained in my memory both in comparison and in contrast to the domestic spaces I experienced in Reykjavik, Akureyri, and the Textile Center in Blönduós. My time at the residency provided critical distance and offered an opportunity to see the universality in the specifics.

Columbia Ave embroidery floss, cotton fabric embroidery, quilting photo by Bonnie Mae Carrow

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September 2021

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Gabriela Farías Mexico

I find myself especially drawn to weaving’s cultural universality. So many modern and ancient cultures have manipulated fiber to create cloth, rugs, and tapestries. I’m especially drawn to the way textiles are made and the meaning as a world view. Textile work is made collectively, and the knowledge passes through one generation to another. In my childhood, family gatherings meant women knitting while discussing family matters. In that regard, I like to work with identity, memory and community, my previous artwork has a strong relation with the past, with family traditions: women weaving, knitting, and embroidering together. However, my latest project focuses on the relation we have with nature and Earth as our home, I’m exploring the idea of patching up and repair what we as humans have damaged. The time I spent in Iceland has made me reconnect with the feminine creative energy through the overwhelming landscapes.

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lava fields 31 x 23 cm watercolor, weaving and embroidery on paper OPPOSITE BOTTOM LEFT

Grieta 23 x 31 cm thread, human hair, paper weaving and drawing on paper OPPOSITE BOTTOM RIGHT

El remiendo 23 x 31 cm thread, human hair, paper weaving and drawing on paper photos by Gabriela Farías

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September 2021

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Vera Halla Sweden

I have an attachment to islands, the vulnerability and exposure often combined with a strong sense of identity and community. It reflects in how I view myself, and how I view textiles. Made up by individually weaker threads that intersect and combine into armour, it is a craft with a history of identity and community. Having spent big parts of my life in a rural area on the southern peak of the Swedish island Gotland the imagery of the island is always present. Working with textile craft holds a heritage, it is the technical knowledge coded in the cloth carried down from generation to generation but also the continued reality of undervalued female labour. For me, to intellectualize the objects I make by hand is an act of activism. It is a possibility of making societal structures visible, to queer them. It is sharing the feeling that the system is rigged for us to never be enough, have enough, do enough. It is the platform I make myself to have a voice in issues where I do not feel I am heard, it is a call to arms.

Blandá is the glacial river that runs through Blönduós and the idea of the solid glacier melting to mix with the ocean, a violent clash beneath the silent surface, was a constant presence in this place. The residency takes place at a women’s college from 1879 and I got to explore local materials and learn traditional techniques, like the weaving technique “Icelandic glit”, used in this piece. With this work I want to visualise the similarities of the river’s constant water flow and the stream of knowledge passed on for generations through this building.

Blandá 80 x 90 cm thrifted materials and Icelandic wool woven by hand in Icelandic glit and “stramalj” photos by Vera Halla

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September 2021

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Rachel Hefferan United States

Rachel Hefferan is an artist and fermentation lover working to heighten the beauty, complexity, and necessity of microbial life. These tiny lives that came before us, exist within us, and facilitate the recycling of all basic structures in our world deserve to be celebrated. In the last year the presence of the microbial has been forced to the forefront of society’s thoughts, but there is more for us to learn than how to sterilize.

Through the chemistry of natural dyes and structured logic of a loom as a metaphorical tool sitting somewhere between science and magic, abstractions of microbial life can emerge to be understood through a visual tactility. Shifts in surface texture, pattern, and overall scale are used to draw the viewer in close, a second look, perhaps? In the moment of looking closer, the viewer’s body enacts the function of the microscope.

Materials used are often mill ends or donated yarns. In this case, many of the yarns used in these particular works, were hand spun fibers gifted to me by someone I haven’t met. In terms of the way material (matter) is recycled in nature through fungi - like the yeasts that many of my weavings represent - the end product is a collaboration which isn’t seen as a whole by the producers of each part. That is, the fungi decomposing something that is dead, don’t envision what those nutrients might become beyond their own fruiting bodies. Only the body that “is” the final product “knows”, if you will. I view myself situated partially as one of these collaborators, as the image is created in binary - the language of weaving structures, up and down of threads is all that I am pre-planning.

The effect of color, texture, packing, etc is collaborative with the loom itself - though of course it is subjected to my own learning curve. The end result is often surprising in weaving, as even the weaver can only see a small section of the whole as they work.

Earth Pellicle 93 x 142 cm cotton, hand spun wool, mohair, mill ends handwoven jacquard photo by Rachel Hefferan

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September 2021

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Rachel Hefferan

While in Iceland my approach to the microbial took on new forms, I realized that a microbial community on a fermentation functions and forms (visually) in a similar fashion to the thin skin of a lava flow, and made the weaving ‘Earth Pellicle’ through this vein of thinking, after visiting the active Volcano, Fagradalsfjall.

‘Pellicle Cartography’ is a weaving of a drawing of a microbial community - an extra step of removal from the source, which is something that I haven’t approached often in my work. Most importantly this work was a learning process in a technical sense, as the packing of the layers of fiber to create distinct lines & weaving structures was something I wanted to achieve over the ‘digital noise’ that is evident in many of my other multi color weavings - especially in ones involving three wefts.

‘Clone’ is an isolation in a community of members that are identical. This weaving was completed after visiting a local réttir with some of the other residents at the Textile Center. Like many of my works it is about the part and the whole, the single that stands out and then fades to the group - which can be seen both in color and in texture of the weaving.

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Pellicle Cartography 93 x 203 in cotton, hand spun wool, mohair, mill ends handwoven jacquard OPPOSITE BOTTOM RIGHT

Clone 93 x 178 in cotton, hand spun wool, mohair, mill ends handwoven jacquard photos by Rachel Hefferan

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Antje Speer Germany

I’m Antje Speer from Schorndorf near Stuttgart. I learned how to use a needle and thread from my grandmother when I was a child. Even then, I was most fascinated by “Weißstickerei” (= whitework embroidery) in all its diversity. Whitework is embroidery that is done in white thread on white fabric using various techniques such as ajour, hedebo, reticello, richelieu, eyelet embroidery, high and leaf embroidery, hemstitch embroidery, etc. Unfortunately, whitework is no longer mastered by many, since it not only requires very precise work but is also very complex and time consuming.

During my wonderful stay at the Textile Center, I started my project “Peacock” and knitted a Stautbuninger sweater using Istex Alafosslopi. It’s now one of my favorite pieces and reminds me of the very special time spent in Iceland. I got to know so many wonderful, talented and creative people from different countries, and it was a joy to see how they developed their ideas and realized different projects.

A big thank you also to the wonderful people who run and manage the Textile Center. They make this place so endearing and unique.

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Skautbühingeer sweater gray and black Álafosslopi wool knitting OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Peacock white linen and white cotton yarn embroidery photos by Antje Speer

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September 2021

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Anja Drinnenberg Germany/Switzerland

For the past 13 years my main textile craft had been tablet weaving, mainly the exploration and recreation of historical finds. I had invested thousands of hours, immense energy and consequently a big part of my life into this craft. During 2020 and 2021 it became ever clearer that I could not continue in the same way as before. The first year of the pandemic had left us with inevitable changes, in social, economic and emotional respects, and these changes had contributed to a need of re-evaluation of helpful and hindering aspects. But how to decide what had to go and what could remain? It was time to live through these changes. See what could remain, try to find out what had to be left behind, and find the courage to decide on steps forward.

So the time in Blönduós, which was my second residency at the Icelandic Textile Center, was in the end invested not only in creating but also in searching. Working became a way of meditating, just listening to responses to outer stimuli. A journey. “We are together yet we are apart, going our own way to find where we start.” (Lyrics by Dodgy / Nigel Clark) Music has always been an integral part of my life, just as creating textiles has been. As I worked through the days in the weaving loft, the studio and our living quarters, and listened to a lot of music, these lyrics emerged, and stuck. Where do we start? Where do we end? Is there a possibility to combine old and new, historical and modern, likes and dislikes, can we reconnect to seemingly lost contentment in what we create? The textile projects became a vehicle, my own way to find out where I started, what still belonged to me, old and new linked through threads, historical and modern linked through age-old techniques. Part of me just beavered away at projects I had planned months ago, part of me listened to the emerging inner music. The results were satisfactory, useful, the craft aspect taught me a lot again, knowledge that can be used for a variety of future projects, which is invaluable. And just being able to work on one’s projects at this wonderful place instilled calmness and serenity. As for the rest... like with the different colour threads in an Icelandic jumper, one could always end one colour while at other places add a different yarn, more material, more length, more variety...

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Trial to recreate an Anglo Saxon Shawl (Hwitel)

Icelandic pullover

87 x 188 cm wool and plant dyed wool diamond twill weave with tablet woven borders, partly joined while weaving, partly added later

size XL Icelandic Lettlopi wool stranded knitting photos by Anja Drinnenberg

September 2021

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Francesca Mocali Italy

The time spent at the Blönduós Textile Centre has been a dream. This magical place allowed me to experiment and explore techniques I had never played with, like felting, weaving on mould and natural dyes. My work flowed out as the environment was so inspiring the physical space, the people around me and the nature. It really enabled me to come back home with a loads of practises to implement my millinery vision. This beautiful experience will stay with me forever.

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flames #1 flames #2 Icelandic wool and Lyocell fiber felting photos by Francesca Mocali

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September 2021

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Susanne Mueller Switzerland

Three years ago I found myself kneeling in front of a display case at the National Museum in Reykjavik, pressing my nose against the glass. You might wonder what was inside this vitrine? An exclusive piece of Art? Some jewels or a Viking sword? Sorry to disappoint you, it was an old mitten. It is one of the few surviving textile examples done in a special technique called needlebinding, nalbinding or knotless netting.

Since then I am obsessed with the idea of fabricating a replica of this special piece. You have to know that textiles mean several things to me. First of all, there are the sensory impressions that come along with working with archaic textiles like wool. There is the beautiful raw material directly from the animal. It smells like nature, sometimes a bit too much, but that’s part of the game. This is followed by the first touch and your fingers sink into this soft, fluffy, slightly greasy material and something inside me starts to sing. But textiles offer so much more. They connect people as they connect epochs. No matter where you go, you might find an old (or maybe not so old) woman, who knows how to handle that dropspindle. In Iceland the textile connection seems to be very present. It feels like craft people and artists know each other and appreciate each other’s work. It was a pleasure to meet some of those wonderful ladies.

For my stay at the Textile Residency I chose to focus on two things. The Icelandic sheep with its very special fleece and my precious mitten project. The people at the National Museum are extremely helpful and welcoming. You can apply online to see and examine certain artefacts and my friends and I took the chance to get a closer look at medieval embroideries, beautiful tablet woven pieces and ancient bone carvings. Unfortunately the artefacts at the current exhibition were not accessible which meant another session kneeling in front of vitrines to count stitches, estimate length and width of the mitten and do a lot of guesswork about the backside of the item.

When arriving at Blönduós I didn’t have raw fleece, that’s why I produced some samples of needlebinding in the “Oslo stitch” with different yarns and different diameters. I wanted to get the rows as narrow as the original and the stitches as dense, to get the correct measurements of the mitten. I ended up with spinning plötulopi yarn double and plying it.

That gave a comparable yarn to the original. The next step was to produce a prototype of the mitten with the measurement and stitch counts that I had until that time. Some days later I was lucky to get Karolina’s contact, to buy one of her sheep fleeces for my yarn experiments.

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Susanne Mueller

I started with separating tog and thel, two different kinds of fiber off the same animal.

The outer tog looks like hair and is a very long, strong and thick fiber, the shorter thel is finer and softer. From the looks of the mitten it is hard to say, which fiber was used those days. It is clearly visible that it is two plied and a rather thick thread with thinner parts - slightly uneven spun with a not so fluffy surface. It was buried in the ground for some centuries so we don’t know how pressure, liquids, temperature etc. has changed the structure and look of the thread. Because of all these ifs and buts I started to comb the separated parts and to spin yarn of the tog, another one from thel and a mixture of both. Since we don’t know the exact date of the artefact, it might have been produced with wool combs and drop spindle (early medieval), later wool cards and probably a spinning wheel might have been involved. I used my wool combs and the spinning wheel which turned out to be more effective than my drop spindle trials.

In the meantime we got good news from Reykjavik. They offered to open some display cases and let us have a closer look which meant the mitten was within my grasp. Well, long story short, we went there. I could touch the holy grail of needlebinders, turn it around, have a close look at the stitches, measure the artefact to the last Millimeter and just be happy about this blessed feeling to have a century old textile in my own hands. But wait.

There was one problem. How old was it actually? There has been no scientifical dating until that day that’s why there has been a lot of guesswork. The good news is- those most awesome guys from the Museum took samples and sent them for C-14 radiocarbon dating to a lab. The even better news is, that there might be a publication about the results in the next months so all of you who are not bored to death by now can have further insights into the process of textile dating, the nalbinding technique and a simple, yet extremely beautiful mitten.

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At the National Museum Wool Combs Spinning OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

Samples Historic Mitten Recreated Mitten photos by Susanne Mueller

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Jana Kessler Switzerland

My great passion is historical textiles. I am always fascinated and amazed at the wonderful pieces that have been made by hand in the past.

During my second stay at the Textile Center, I was able to immerse myself further in the diverse Icelandic textile tradition. So, I knitted a sweater made of Icelandic wool. I also wove two bands, in a tablet weaving technique called “Icelandic double weave”, which is mainly found in Iceland. I was inspired by a band from the Textile Museum Blönduos. And I started a big project where I want to embroider an Icelandic altar cloth from the Middle Ages. For this I learned a stitch called “Skakkaglit”.

This month, my enthusiasm for Icelandic textiles has increased even more and I will certainly continue working with it.

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Cloth wool on linen embroidery OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Bands wool tablet weaving photos by Jana Kessler

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September 2021

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Austé Jurgelionyté-Varné Lithuania

I am an experimental textile animation creator. The main idea of the work is to form and actualize the connections between textiles and animation between different forms of artistic expression.

At the Textile Residency in Iceland, I wove a wide variety of fabric patterns with looms. In the process, I used only natural wool from local farms, created fabrics for multifunctional objects that would give the products exceptional properties and inspired me to come up with new ideas.

I have created a collection of multifunctional textile objects that includes simplicity, beauty of plant colors, convenience, lightness, functionality and the prevailing versatility.

These are textile objects made without harming the environment by researching and responsibly selecting materials, technologies and production processes.

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multifunctional objects varying sizes between 45-70 x 180-210 cm Icelandic wool, natural dyes weaving photos by Austé Jurgelionyté-Varné

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September/October 2021

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Austé Jurgelionyté-Varné

With a multifunctional textile object, the user can replace several household items: a bag, a dress, a lamp, a tablecloth, and at the same time cover the fashion and home textile sectors. The multifunctional idea of textile design was inspired by the problem of excessive consumption and the habit of having too many things in the environment around us. I often have the idea to use the same things creatively for different purposes. This creates an object - an object that can be adapted to different situations as needed.

Innovative textile design turns into portable textiles and offers a creative way to inspire consumers about their needs, educating the public about the values of sustainable design.

An equally important part of the creative process for me is the color decorating solution, which must meet the requirements of the process. I use only materials of natural origin in the creative process. Further development and experimentation of textile printing technology with natural dyes is relevant to me.

Also at this stage I want to try various new forms of video and information presentation to create 1 min. animation about the functionality of multifunctional textile design objects.

The animated moving textile design object opens wider and more efficient possibilities, giving the work modernity, exclusivity, originality and encourages the creation of new and relevant, captured “life on the move” ideas.

Austé Jurgelionyté-Varné was an Icelandic Textile Center scholarship

recipient in 2021. Her residency was funded by Nordic Culture Point: the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme.

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Pamela Cottrell United Kingdom

Before coming on this residency, I was sure I would be making work about the ancient, rugged and dramatic Icelandic landscape. It is uniquely beautiful and inspiring so I decided to travel to the residency from Reykjavík by bicycle, in order to fully immerse myself in it before arriving.

The work I actually ended up making was not what I expected at all and is quite different in some ways to the subject matter I normally choose. However staying in this women’s school and sharing ideas and a living space with such wonderful and talented artists, really made me feel connected to the lives of the women who used to study and live here in the school in Blönduós. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone staying here, to not be fascinated with their portraits hanging on the walls in the corridors. To look and wonder what work they might have made and where it is now.

So although I came here with an intention of focusing on weaving, the main body of work I made was a series of embroidery portraits, of the women who studied textiles here at the school. Each one with a captivating and unique sense of identity and self expression.

This was my first ever foray into portraiture, I don’t usually choose to depict people in my work. But I think it still manages to reflect the landscape here and is in keeping with the fact that the work I make is site specific, referencing local history.

The materials were mostly scavenged when venturing outside, rifling through the studio drawers or off cuts from other people’s projects. Including local sheep’s wool, foals hair and fish leather. This is important to me as it infuses the essence of a place into the work, references local history and is happily a sustainable re-use of waste materials.

I am fairly new to the use of textiles in my work so I feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to learn from others while staying here and found the talks from Ragga really directed my focus for the residency. I particularly enjoyed experiencing a female led close-knit community in textiles, I hope this is reflected in the work.

photos by Pamela Cottrell

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September/October 2021

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Hector Dyer United Kingdom

I spent my month teaching myself to weave and understanding techniques, patterns and material. It was special to do so in the weaving studio, witnessing the changing light and the reflection of this upon the water. And I’m very grateful to have explored this through the huge collection of patterns on the Textile Center’s website; it was a big inspiration to connect with the heritage of this knowledge.

It’s hard to put into words the influence of the landscape and surrounding place.

Something about the atmosphere of fineness, the interconnecting strands, the fragility and subtle shifts. I think all of these have lodged somewhere deep and I’ll be exploring them for years to come.

Steps to crossover 80 x 40 cm cotton Monk’s belt pattern on 4 shaft floor loom photo by Hector Dyer

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October 2021

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Stina Edin Sweden

When traveling to Blönduós I packed in my suitcase a collection of deconstructed rag rugs.

I wanted to see how this used material could be highlighted as an image by using a digital loom and at the same time practice sketching pixelated images that would be possible to translate into double weave pick up on a traditional pedal loom.

Before that, I had been using the material to create interactive mind games, inspired by games that me and my childhood friends enjoyed in middle school, such as tastings, card games that were impossible to win and a kind of session that we called “spirrning”. In my opinion, this is a way of inviting and letting others take part in the playful and tactile/ sensory nature of textile art, while at the same time offering myself a playmate. During December and January 2021/2022 I offered an exhibition with the weaves I made during my residency in Iceland, in combination with these experimental forms of treatment to passers-by in central Gothenburg, Sweden.

Vrålapans Synundersökning Med Tillhörande Craftbehandlingar textiles/mixed media digital weaving and installation performance and installation at Konsthantverkcentrum, Gothenburg/Sweden photos by Sebastian Waldenby

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October 2021

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Susan Kendal Canada

I spent my time at Ós Textile Residency working on natural dyeing and traditional rug hooking for a project of mine called The Department of Uterine Affairs. The work considers the ways that female bodies are regulated, deified, dismissed, discarded through history and still today.

The first half of October was filled with scouring, mordanting and dyeing five yards of woollen fabric (especially woven by Dorr Mill for rug hooking) using buckthorn, cochineal, indigo, lac, logwood, sequoia, and walnut from Maiwa. I cut the dyed fabric into 5/32nds of an inch wide strips for hooking, designed my patterns, and transferred them to linen backing cloth. For the remaining weeks I spent my days rug hooking in “my” corner of the studio, keeping an eye on the ocean as I worked. I completed four of nine rugs for this series of female reproductive organs and will spend 2022 working on the remaining ones.

I find myself forever marked, changed, deeper and wider on the inside for having met the landscapes of Iceland. The wild beauty surrounding me, the wind and waves; the startling, barren yet lush, ever-changing views will nourish my imagination for the rest of my days.

The vitality of the residency itself was inspiring: the building and its history, the warm, smart, creative women who run it, the breadth and care of the museum’s collection, the vaulted ceilings, the swimming-in-warm-water-while-it-snows, the other artists with whom I shared life and epic meals and knit-nights and seal-sightings and disco-northern-lights all contributed to an invigorating and profound experience.

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The Department of Uterine Affairs: Uterus 20 x 25 cm

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The Department of Uterine Affairs: Left Ovary and Fallopian Tube 15 x 20 cm naturally dyed wool fabric strips, linen backing rug hooking photos by Susan Kendal

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October/November 2021

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Fern Pellerin Canada

My time at the Icelandic Textile Center was spent combining my illustration and textile practices together to discuss the complex identity of being nonbinary, lesbian and Romani.

My time here was spent working with embroidery, pushing myself to work with more colour and a larger scale.

Romani portraits 12.5 x 17.5 cm each embroidery floss, cotton, metallic thread, bells embroidery photo by Fern Pellerin

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October/November 2021

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Tuija Hansen Canada

Although the pandemic postponed my residency from 2020 to 2021, I am truly thankful for the timing and resulting experience for many reasons. Arriving in October, I continued researching regional plant-dye colours on Icelandic wool (my focus since attending the Textile Center artist residency in 2018,) and weaving patterns for Raanu - a traditional, Finnish method of weft-faced weaving. I quickly set about gathering plants as they began their annual pre-winter decay, and was happily surprised with the abundance of dye colours achieved in late autumn!

I relaxed into a daily routine of outdoor swimming at the local pool, research and play in the dye and weaving studios, and shared dinners with my fellow artists-in-residence, followed by knitting lessons. I tested the pattern drafts from vintage, Finnish weaving manuals, and using my plant-dyed wools, created seven (30 x 30-45 cm) samples to reference during my “big weaving” project.

The finished work (78 x 180 cm) displays all 54 shades of plant-dyed colour created with plants growing along the river Blanda in October and November. Woven in chronological weekly order, this work fills me with a sense of achievement and completion, having reinvigorated my plant-dye journey in Blönduós, at the Textile Center 3 years prior.

Even greater than the feeling of achievement, is the sense of community I carry forward following this experience with artists from around the world: all of us gathering in Northwest Iceland despite pandemic restrictions and complications, and ready to share our friendship, textile knowledge, and cooking skills with each other. I leave with a deeper sense of awe and gratitude for the women who run the Textile Center, and a galvanized conviction that I need community in my practice to thrive as an artist and human.

Foraged Calendar, Blönduós, Autumn 2021 (Ocean View) 78 x 180 cm cotton warp, plant-dyed Icelandic wool weft-faced weaving in the style of Raanu, plant-dyeing photo by Tuija Hansen

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October/November 2021

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My Kirsten Dammand Sweden

Sketch by wool The goal of my stay at Ós Residency was to work practically, process-based and exploratively with wool as a sketch material.

I have had my fingers in the wool just the way I wanted. I have looked at and sorted different types of wool, I carded and spun my own yarn with different expressions. I have searched and found different color scales around Blönduós and dyed wool with natural colors from plants. A new color scale for me has emerged and a pile of sketches to develop further.

My Kirsten Dammand’s residency was supported by the Swedish artists’ grants committee.

Sketching with wool in Blönduós wool hand-dyed with natural colors photo by My Kirsten Dammand

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November 2021

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Cassandre Boucher Canada

I’m a visual artist with an artistic focus on printmaking. During my residency in Blönduós, I played with hand-manipulated techniques (Leno, Bouquet, Spanish weave…), and used a large variety of fibres to create open-weave textiles. I am currently pursuing this project, screen-printing photographic images onto the textiles created during my residency. I also began to experiment with the multilayering of fabric. These substrates allow the light to pass through both the weave and the printed image alike. Once hung in a gallery, the images take on a new translucent quality. From a distance, they are intelligible yet blurred, yet from up close, the openness of the weave creates a different type of distortion. It is as if we were trying to grasp and hold a memory which has slowly been fading from our mind.

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Detail of the weaving in progress during the residency lace weaving OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Screen printing in progress screen printing on hand woven textile photos by Cassandre Boucher

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November 2021

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Piper Shepard United States

Over the last decades, I have cut cloth into lace-like filagree patterns to create architectural scrims which intersect light and shadow, the material and immaterial. At Ós textile residency, I continued in this manner, yet added two more ways of making: interlacement and weaving. For me, methods and materials are metaphorical. They add to process and concept in significant ways. I consider ‘interconnectedness’ as interlacement, ‘rebuilding/renewal’ as weaving and drawing. I worked with these concepts to create a series of ornamental ribbons; woven and interlaced. I worked with a mixture of materials, naturally dyed linen, cotton, and local wool. I explored what I call the sensorial connection of textile, how materials inform making and meaning, which directly reflects tacit knowledge. How am I receptive to materials and their possibilities while deepening my connection to reflection, textile and emotion.

As I worked, the environment with its constant shifts of light, darkness and weather intersected my weaving. The privilege of being able to travel during this covid era, with space to reflect and work was significant. I sustained a daily rhythm, working alongside my fellow residents and staff. All became a part of my time at Ós.

Ode to this time 274 x 61 cm, variable size linen, wool, cotton, natural dyes, iron mordant woven and netted photos by Piper Shepard

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November 2021

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José M. Pérez Chile

During my stay at the residency I focused my work on experimentation, trying new techniques and new materials. My main interest is the creation of textiles using traditional Latin American techniques. The warp pulling method used in the Chimú culture has been a huge part of my artistic process and I’m using it to create volumetric pieces.

I wanted to experiment what would happen when pulling warps, wefts and both in the same textile to create new volumetric objects. Using weft and warp face textiles I was able to create volumes of organic shapes that I complemented with what I have been weaving prior to the residency, textile pieces that resembled parts of the human face.

The final piece was woven on a tapestry loom, using Icelandic wool spun by me and dyed with natural pigments collected on the surroundings. I made a whole human head that was exhibited along with the rest of the volumetric exercises.

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Final exhibition cotton, wool, linen and paper different volumetric exercises with different techniques

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Green face wool, linen tapestry with pulled warps and wefts threads photos by José M. Pérez

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November 2021

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Deborah Gray Scotland

My work explores land(scape) and uses the raw materials produced there. During my third residency at Ós I worked on two projects inspired by Icelandic turf houses, and in particular the turf farm museum at Glaumbaer. The main piece I created during the residency is a large hanging constructed from knitted blocks in the style of the Klombruhedsla (herring bone) and strengur (string) construction of turf walls. It was designed to be part of a wall installation but it is also possible to wear it as a coat. Knitted in 18 colours of Ístex Plötulopi yarn, each block was lightly felted on the Textile Lab’s Felt Loom before being stitched together. The second project (in progress) is an embroidered piece, design and stitch based on a textile in the Glaumbaer museum, using handspun Icelandic tog yarn, dyed with plants growing within 100 m of the Textile Centre. The yarn was spun and dyed during my first residency in summer 2018.

Turf House 150 x 140 cm Ístex plotulopi 100% wool hand knitting, machine needlefelting photo (top) by Deborah Gray photos (bottom) by Margot Malpote, model: Cassandre Boucher

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November 2021

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Kina Usami Japan

The experience I had at the Icelandic Textile Centre was absolutely precious for me. I was really amazed by the nature in Iceland which changes literally every second, especially the sky. It is a magical place. Curious to say, I felt time passes so slowly there.

During the residency, I was focusing on exploring felting techniques including by hand and machine with Icelandic wool. After I came back to Prague where I currently live, I’ve been continuing to seek the possibilities of felting more.

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Blönduós Sky Hat 27 x 20 cm wool felting needle photo by Jen Brown OPPOSITE BOTTOM

Untitled 25 x 33 cm wool, yarn felt machine, felting needle photo by Kina Usami

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December 2021

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Exhibitions

Ós artists in residence are welcome to initiate open houses, group or solo exhibitions during their stay.

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11.24.21 VERK ÓS

LISTAFÓLKS

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TEXTÍLLISTAMIÐSTÖÐ

NG GDUR TT EE N ÁÐUR ÞÞ RR Á

MIÐ, Í

24.

TEXTÍLLABI,

NÓVEMBER

16-19

TEXTÍLMIÐSTÖÐVARINNAR ÞVERBRAUT

1.

Exhibition posters, beautifully designed and thoughtfully put together by the artists themselves, are collected and displayed on our homepage.

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ISSN 2547-7358 Published in 2022 by Icelandic Textile Center Árbraut 31 540 Blönduós Editor, Design & Layout: Cornelia Theimer Gardella Managing Editor: Katharina Schneider Front & Back Cover Image: Cassandre Boucher “Screen printing in progress” © Icelandic Textile Center 2022