By: Sarah Brooke Saraga Fashioning Felt, an exhibit at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, is full of surprises and experiences. This exhibit tells a visual story, the background and foreground, on all things felt.
If you are an art lover who is looking to view a more unconventional, almost interactive exhibit—I say, go go go! Felt is fashioned everywhere and in every way possible. The exhibit space is architecturally transformed—there are sculptures, rugs, jewelry, clothing and pieces of furniture—all presented with imagination and ingenuity. Kathryn Walter’s Felt Molding (2008-2009) is placed sporadically along the walls in the first gallery. It is molding, twisted in such a way to appear as permanent as the building’s wood paneling. The appeal for me was the search for what was felt and what wasn’t. Tip #1: read all exhibit signage. Otherwise, you may miss something. Considering wool (the main ingredient in the production of felt) can be so uncomfortable and hard looking, I found it astonishing to view the many pieces that used felt in a soft and gentle way. For example, Necklace (2003) by Brigit Daamen is comprised of light-colored Merino wool covering plastic beaded costume jewelry—creating a weightless quality. Christine Birkle’s 3 Dresses (2006) provide the opportunity to marvel at the use of felt in fashion design. Most of the clothing exhibited is not even sewn—the designers harness the natural shrinkage inherent in the felt-making in order to fit and sculpt the garments organically—who knew? The highlight of “Fashioning Felt” is the Palace Yurt (2009) by Janice Arnold. This piece is comprised of vast panels of Merino wool and silk draperies that encapsulate the museum conservatory (FYI: a yurt is a decorated royal Mongolian tent). Tip #2: look closely at the entranceway and go on a sunny day. Through the translucent material hung from the glass canopy, you can see outlines of our fantastic city and the sun’s rays cast patterns from the fabric all over the room. There are window seats all around and copies of the exhibition catalogue, encouraging visitors to stop and celebrate a felt shelter. The final hallway includes an installation of photography and videos covering the design of the artwork and creation of the felt, through both traditional and industrial methods of production. There are swatches of felts and fabrics provided for you to touch and feel—giving the visitor yet another avenue of participation and pulling the separate sections of the exhibit together. “Fashioning Felt” at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum "Fashioning Felt" at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum runs through September 7th Take the 4, 5, or 6 train to 86th or Museum Hours: M-F, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Sat 10:00am to 6:00pm, Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm Museum website: http://cooperhewitt.org/
Cool article Sarah - it has prompted me to go!
Posted by: Sarah | June 04, 2009 at 06:33 AM