Medieval design history ebooks from The Textile Blog

Two design history books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:

The Victorian World and the Medieval: https://payhip.com/b/USK8

Medieval Decoration and Ornament: https://payhip.com/b/5BOz

These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

Owen Jones design history ebooks from The Textile Blog

Two design history books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:
Islamic Decoration and Ornament: https://payhip.com/b/60Yp
Medieval Decoration and Ornament: https://payhip.com/b/5BOz
These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

Pugin design history ebooks from The Textile Blog

Two design history books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:
Pugin the Pattern Designer: https://payhip.com/b/2qWy
The Pattern Work of A W N Pugin: https://payhip.com/b/ty0o
These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

Nature based design history ebooks from The Textile Blog

Two design history books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:
Nature and Surface Pattern: https://payhip.com/b/uv3M
Art Nouveau and Nature: https://payhip.com/b/EjLf
These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

Embroidery design history books from The Textile Blog

Two design history books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:
The Embroidery of Ann Macbeth: https://payhip.com/b/UkEa
The Embroidery of Margarete von Brauchitsch: https://payhip.com/b/hZH5
These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

William Morris design ebooks from The Textile Blog

Two design books written and edited by John Hopper of The Textile Blog are available to buy from the following links:

William Morris and The Pattern of Nature: https://payhip.com/b/85Nr

The Pattern Work of William Morris: https://payhip.com/b/TJh5

These and more history of design books from John Hopper and The Textile Blog can be viewed without commitment at the following link: https://payhip.com/johnhopper/collection/design-history

Design ebook: The Embroidery of Margarete von Brauchitsch

The Embroidery of Margarete von Brauchitsch is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular takes a look at embroidery work that was both modernist and decorative. Margarete von Brauchitsch was a pioneer in the German modernist movement, although often now forgotten, her contribution to twentieth century design work was pioneering. The book is packed with imagery of her embroidery and interiors from the period.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/hZH5

Design ebook: The Pattern Work of AWN Pugin

The pattern work of AWN Pugin contains 100 unique Pugin designs from the height of his career as a Victorian gothic architect, designer, pattern maker, all set out in chronological order.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/ty0o

Design ebook: The Pattern Work of William Morris

The pattern work of William Morris contains 105 unique William Morris designs ranging across his career from 1862 to beyond his death with the continued work of his successor John Henry Dearle. Pattern work consists of drawings, wallpapers, carpets, embroidery, tapestries and more, all set out in chronological order.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/TJh5

Design ebook: The Victorian World and the Medieval

The Victorian World and the Medieval is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular takes a look at the Victorian fascination with the medieval world, one they reinvented for themselves in art, architecture, pattern, decoration, books, music and more. The book is packed with full colour imagery from the period.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/USK8

Design ebook: William Morris and the Pattern of Nature

William Morris and the Pattern of Nature is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular takes a look at the work of Morris and it's intrinsic connection with the natural world. Using quotes from Morris himself as well as a full range of colour imagery of patternwork across his forty year career.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/85Nr

Design ebook: The Embroidery of Ann Macbeth

The Embroidery of Ann Macbeth is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular takes a look at the work of the embroidery style and teaching methods of Ann Macbeth, head of the embroidery department of the Glasgow School of Art between 1908 and 1920. The book comes with a wealth of original decorative work by Ann Macbeth as well as liberal quotes about her belief in the empowerment of women through creative independence.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/UkEa

Design ebook: Pugin the Pattern Designer

Pugin the Pattern Designer is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular takes a look at the renowned Victorian gothic architect A W N Pugin, but as a pattern designer, rather than as an architect. It examines the startlingly vivid and vibrant designs Pugin created for a range of church patternwork, from vestements to interior decoration. The book comes with full colour illustrations of original Pugin designs.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/2qWy

Design ebook: Nature and Surface Pattern

Nature and Surface Pattern is one of a range of the history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular examines the way that nature was interpreted in British textile and wallpaper design during the mid-19th century. The book comes with full colour illustrations of original patternwork of the period.

The book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/uv3M

Design ebook: Islamic Decoration and Ornament

Islamic Decoration and Ornament is one of a range of history of design and decoration books by John Hopper. This book in particular sees Islamic decoration and ornament through the eyes of the Victorian Owen Jones, who produced a number of great books on the history of design, decoration and pattern in the mid 19th century. The book comes with full colour illustrations from Owen Jones, and a full and in-depth written commentary from John Hopper.

This book is instantly available from the following link: https://payhip.com/b/60Yp

Tamar Branitzky - Artist and Designer

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Textile art

There is a space in textiles, as in other disciplines, where art and design can play an interactive game. The singular subjectivity of fine art and the general practical requirements of design may seem to be poles apart, but anyone who has worked in both fields will know how the two share more than they sometimes wish to admit. 

Creative individuals who straddle art and design are actually relatively large in number, I myself have a design degree, as well as fine art training and sensibilities, and find it relatively easy to move between the two, understanding and empathising with the two different outlooks on creativity.

The artist and designer Tamar Branitzky is just that, an artist and a designer. Her work straddles the two worlds, with some of her output being aimed specifically at the fine art world, and some specifically at the design world. 

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. BO1 fabric

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. BO1 fabric

Interestingly, her work, both for art and design, are not instantaneously separated by look and feel. Tamar manages to a lot of crossing and weaving between the subjective and the practical, with elements of fine art coming out in her design work, and design principles being encased in her fine art work. To me that seems like the best of possible outcomes, to have an element of practicality within fine art, and a level of sensitivity within design work is what we definitely need more of!

Tamar's initial inspiration for both fine art and design, often comes from the natural environment around her. She is particularly interested in the stages of life as seen amongst flora, particularly flowers themselves, being intrigued at the processes to be found between blooming, decomposition, disintegration. She collects flowers and branches, readily combining them with free-hand drawing.

Illustration. Tamar Branitzky in her studio

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Sketchbook

Tamar is keen to make representations in her work, to show contrast and to show passage, to detail the effect the travel of time can have over an object, such as the bloom of a flower. The detail of colour, tone, and texture that happens as part of the passage of flower from bloom to husk is an integral part of her work, and can readily be seen on many of the textile surfaces that she produces.

As far as her fine art work is concerned, she uses a range of materials, including fabrics, papers, old books, maps, stamps, watercolour drawings, and real organic materials. The combinations of the materials used give Tamar such a broad scope. The flexibility and delicacy between paper and fabric for example, inspires a near magical relationship that gives Tamar endless possibilities.

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky in the studio

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Textile Biennale, Eretz Israel Museum

Tamar has also processed and developed her own fabric techniques, which she has called BO1. BO1 fabrics are handmade artistic surfaces created using a unique chemical process. The fabrics are made up of a combination of chiffon, silk, and cotton, and can be used as a variety of fashion and interior accessories, from scarves and clothing, to lampshades, upholstery, and co.

Tamar produces textile work, whether for fine art or design, in such beautiful combinations, where colour, tone, and texture play with and against each other in ever differing compositions. All is unique, all is beautifully complex, and as with nature, Tamar's supreme inspiration, all is forever changing.

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Wearable art scarf

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky, 2015

More of Tamar's work can be found at her comprehensive website: www.tamarbranitzky.com, as well as on etsy: www.etsy.com/il-en/shop/TamarBranitzky. She can also be seen and followed on pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tamartextile3/, and  instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamar_branitzky_designs/

All photographs of Tamar's work were provided by: Roy Mizrachi, Gilad bar Shalev, Eretz Israel Museum.

Please also be aware that all imagery was kindly supplied by Tamar. If you wish to reproduce any of the photos please ask her for permission first. Thanks!

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Textile art

The Fibre Fables Exhibition at The Stainless, New Delhi

The Fibre Fables exhibition, which is running at the The Stainless gallery, in New Delhi, India, is a collaborative effort between contemporary artists/film makers/ photographers/sculptors

​/

installation artists and weavers in Raj Group's factory at Panipat

​, India.​

The eleven participating artists are: Abeer Gupta, Brahm Maira, Dhvani Behl, Durga Kainthola, Nidhi Khurana, Nikheel Apahle, Puneet Kaushik, Sahaya Sharma, Sandeep Biswas, Shivani Aggarwal, Vibhu Galhotra.

This looks to be a fascinating collaborative effort between so many unique and individual artists, that it would be well worth visiting the gallery if you are in the New Delhi area throughout December 2015.

The curator of the exhibition is Shailin Smith, and it seems only right that, after so much effort put into the exhibition, they explain the reasoning behind Fibre Fables.

​The Raj Group was established in 1939, a

midst a growing industry of carpet weaving. They gradually evolved to establish high profile clients and today are one of the leading exporters and manufacturers of home décor in Panipat. Yet at the same time, somehow The Raj Group is in a paradoxical situation, where the glory of progress is dampened with the ever dwindling state of the weaving industry.  As machine made products take over the significance of fine hand crafted pieces, it is increasingly essential that the focus lies on salvaging the craft of an industry that has thrived for almost a century.

The idea for the exhibition emerged as a project that involved the collaboration of artists and weavers coming together to create works of art. 

​

This collaboration between art, design and craft, is a result of the relationship shared between the artists and weavers for almost a year.  Weaving in the collective aesthetic of knowing each other and responding to the marked journey full of experimental concepts. 

The artworks in this exhibition are not art itself; they are also a voice that echoes technique and craftsmanship. The works ubiquitously weave a visual fabric to communicate the many possibilities of liberal creative endeavour. They carry within, embedded memories that resonate an exchange of different disciplines and backgrounds. 

As the artists have learnt about various material forms and weaving techniques, the weavers have learnt to view their craft through the fresh perspective of art. Moving beyond boundaries, both have embraced a greater potential. And so the artist-weaver collaboration comes through in this exhibition, that aims to reflect what two creative souls can achieve, when they drop all inhibitions and dissolve in the purity of art. 

The Fibre Fables exhibition runs at The Stainless gallery, Old Ishwar Nagha, New Delhi, from November 21 to December 31. More information can also be found about the exhibition, and the work of the Raj group in general at the Raj Groups website, facebook, and instagram pages.

The Woven Work of Stanley Bulbach

Illustration: Stanley Bulbach. 'Agate Stream'.

It is always interesting to see how different creative individuals approach their work and their medium, but it is often just as interesting to see where these individuals originated, where they gained their core influences, and what sent them along their unique creative path. Many are not always walking along the clear-cut path you would imagine.

The artist Stanley Bulbach has a BA in History of Religion and an MA and PhD in Near Eastern Studies. Although these qualifications do not automatically suggest that a career in the creative arts is imminent, it also doesn't necessarily disallow it. There are so many avenues and pathways towards a truly creative life, how you get onto that path can be just as interesting as the path that you follow as an individual. 

Illustration: Stanley Bulbach. 'Agate Stream' detail.

It is often assumed that the creative arts are reserved for academic underachievers, those who couldn't make it in the academic world. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Since starting The Textile Blog, I have come across a range of individuals who have taken up creative arts careers from a diverse background of degrees, diplomas, and lifetime work that have seemingly little in common with the creative art world, but then of course all paths are linked, often on a much subtler level than many can see.

Whatever you do in life is part of your ultimate path. If you decide to be a car mechanic, and then thirty years later shift focus into 3D sculpture, then that is your path. If you work in admin for forty years and then decide to take up quilting, then that too is your path. If, like Stanley you take the road from seeming academia, research, and then the development of a fascination with North African carpet weaving through a trip through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, then that is another path towards the creative arts.

Illustration: Stanley Bulbach. 'Bridges'.

Stanley has a deep knowledge, understanding, and sympathy for the history and traditions of carpet weaving across the Islamic world, particularly those traditions that are found in North Africa. He has an exhaustive knowledge of traditional weaving found across North Africa. However, with Stanley it isn't a matter of imbuing his carpets just with a flavour of North Africa. These are not carpets that focus on reproducing the traditions of a cultural heritage half a world away from his New York City base. These are not therefore merely extensions of the magic and passion of North Africa, though they are inevitably imbued with it, they also importantly contain part of the personality and perspective of the artist.

Stanley may well call his woven pieces 'carpets' and they are definitely within the general genre of that medium, but they are much more than the name 'carpet' could suggest, and shouldn't necessarily be treated as practical domestic accessories. These are pieces of personal artwork, artwork that could and should equally be expected to have a place reserved for them on a wall, rather than a floor. It would probably be best to describe them as somewhere between a woven tapestry and a woven fine art carpet. The description doesn't really do Stanley's work full justice, but it does give some indication of where his artwork should be.

Illustration: Stanley Bulbach. 'Gotham'.

However, perhaps more important than artistic freedom and the focus on individual perspective that automatically comes with the creative arts, Stanley is also aware of the unique symbolism that is encased in the history and continuity of woven carpet-making as well as the usage of the carpet. To many in the world it is still a vital ingredient of domesticity, and through that, is intimately connected to human life. Woven carpets have been used for all of the major celebrations of human life from birth, through marriage, to death. Carpets can be seating, bedding, used for birthing or for shrouds for the dead. They can be given as gifts, or kept as heirlooms within families as remembrances of generations past and those yet to come. Carpets are also significant partners in prayer; many of Stanley's woven pieces derive at least an element of their origin from the widespread use of prayer rugs that are seen across the Islamic world. 

Weaving itself has always been used as a wide-ranging symbol, particularly when used in the context of the ideals symbolised through the singular weakness of isolated threads compared to the strength achieved by those isolated threads when woven into a fabric. When expanded into weaving as an art form, an artistic statement even, it can be seen that weaving could easily be used as a metaphor for the contemporary world we live in today. 

Illustration: Stanley Bulbach, the artist.

Through our expression of endless and unique diversity as individuals, we can with effort, weave ourselves into the fabric that is humanity. By weaving together the diverse strengths of each of us, we create a fabric that cannot easily be ripped apart. In this respect, Stanley sees his work as a weaver, and with his local community work looking for solutions to the problems of such a large and diverse population as New York City, the two very much become the same thing. Whether you are weaving with yarn or you are weaving with people, a harmonious and interestingly diverse outcome is always hoped for.

Stanley himself weaves a complex subject of research, practical knowledge, and theory that is far too complex to touch on much in this short article, more can be seen and read at Stanley's website, a link to which is given below. However, I hope this has been a good introduction to the work of Stanley Bulbach, and if you are in the New York City area, Stanley's work can presently be seen at the Jason McCoy Gallery.

Stanley Bulbach website

Please be aware that all photos of artwork illustrating this article were kindly supplied by the artist and are therefore copyrighted to him.