Filed under: ANG Seminar 2012
We had an interesting visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art thanks to the docent that escorted us around to see various tapestries, rugs, and a few samplers. She demonstrated with a wooden loom about warf, weft, and how threads are tied on. Rugs can have 90-250 threads tied per inch. And, I thought making french knots were tedious! I also found out Persian rugs made for kings would be huge – half of one rug (28 feet by 56 feet) was on display. And, there would be two rugs along each long side that would be used exclusively by servants as they ran up and down them – thus, were called runners.
Then, we went to the Fabric Workshop and Museum where we were taken upstairs to the workroom. They brought out several examples of past projects – very interesting. The one I was quite taken with was a knitted suit made from multicolored monofilaments (http://www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/Exhibitions/ExhibitionDetail.aspx?ExhibitionId=3f7286f4-1702-475e-9ee1-ace1abfc1b51). The form-fitting knitted suit had to be cut along the side to remove the sculpture that had been used to knit around. Then, it was sewed up again and suspended to represent his feeling of dislocation from his homeland.
The gift shop had excellent hand-made examples of their silk screening which had also been demonstrated in the work area (without the actual paint). I got a set of napkins designed by Italo Scanga (who has exhibited at the museum) and are pictured here:
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