More stories

  • in

    Coiled Fishing Rope Sculptures by Joana Schneider Twist Organic Shapes into Otherworldly Forms

    “Healing Blossom” (2023). Photos by Pearl Sijmons, courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

    Coiled Fishing Rope Sculptures by Joana Schneider Twist Organic Shapes into Otherworldly Forms

    December 19, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    When Joana Schneider moved to The Hague, she began to visit the beach regularly. Having spent her childhood in Munich, the sea was a novel and a fruitful source of inspiration. Soon, the fishermen working in the harbor caught her eye.

    “There was something so intriguing about their world, which seemed to straddle this line between rugged labor and delicate artistry,” Schneider tells Colossal. “They were using knotting techniques, traditionally seen as feminine and delicate, but on a much larger scale, with heavy-duty ropes.”

    “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (2024)

    The artist quickly connected what the anglers created with the traditions of textile art and began to source their leftover rope. Now based on KNSM Island in Amsterdam, Schneider continues to utilize the mariner material in her large-scale sculptures. “I spend days untangling the nets before I can start working with them. Then, I dry the ropes in the sun, which gives them this oceanic scent,” she adds.

    Once desiccated, the materials often become the structure for thin, colorful yarn the artist wraps around the strands. The finished works are sometimes abstract and others boldly figurative, portraying exaggerated facial features in coiled, hand-stitched patchwork.

    The process is labor-intensive, but the slow, methodical movements are part of what Schneider is drawn to. “Each turn of the yarn around the rope is a quiet, focused act. There is something very grounding about it. The rhythm of wrapping, the gentle tension of the yarn, and the soft texture of the fibers create a peaceful space where the world outside seems to fade away,” she says. The resulting works retain evidence of this meticulous process as coils large and small swell outward in perfectly concentric circles.

    Currently, Schneider is working toward a solo exhibition titled Otherworldly that will open in April at the Groniger Museum in The Netherlands. Blurring the line between the real and the fantastic, the project draws on the artist’s fascination with hybridity and includes a performative element, a harbinger of where her practice is headed. She shares:

    When I think of the natural world, I often think of the Renaissance tradition of grotesque art. It fascinates me how, in that period, artists mixed human, animal, and plant forms in intricate ways…The result is a hybrid environment that is at once familiar and alien. That is something I try to achieve in my work, a sense of wonder and a bit of disorientation as if stepping into a place where the boundaries of the natural world are deliberately blurred.

    Schneider’s sculptures are currently on view at the FITE Textile Biennial in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and will be included in a 2025 group exhibition at König Galerie in Munich. Until then, find more of her work on her website and Instagram.

    “Sugarfly” (2024)

    Detail of “Sugarfly” (2024)

    “Freckles” (2022)

    Detail of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (2024)

    Light Child” (2023)

    Detail of “Light Child” (2023)

    “The Good Farmer” (2023)

    “Red and Blue Iris Wave” series (2022). Photo by Pim Top

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Previous articleNext article More

  • in

    Industrial Materials and Rugged Topographies Converge in Jacqueline Surdell’s Knotted Tapestries

    
    Art

    #chains
    #ribbon
    #rope
    #sculpture
    #tapestry
    #textiles

    July 29, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “We Will Win: Our Banner in the Sky (after Frederic Edwin Church)” (2020), cotton cord, nylon, paracord, fabric, and ribbons, 84 x 108 x 12 inches, 120-inch bar. Photo by Ian Vecchiotti. Images courtesy of Jacqueline Surdell and Patricia Sweetow Gallery, shared with permission
    Chicago-based artist Jacqueline Surdell sutures lengths of rope, fabric, and silky ribbons into sprawling abstract tapestries that hang from walls and standalone armatures in textured, colorful masses. Swelling clusters of knots and ties, loose weaves, braided tunnels, and dangling strands compose her three-dimensional compositions that are disrupted by sporadically used items like steel chains, volleyballs, and polyester shower curtains. Because of the scale of the pieces and the hefty materials, the artist often uses her body as a shuttle to weave the brightly colored fibers together on massive hand-built looms.
    Surdell embeds parts of her Chicago upbringing in her wall sculptures, especially childhood memories of her grandmother’s landscape paintings and her grandfather’s job in South Side steel mills. These two experiences converge in her textured works by evoking vast terrains and the city’s industrial history through her use of commercial materials. Each piece offers further reflections on today’s world, with energetic and chaotic pieces like “We Will Win: Our Banner in the Sky” (shown above) responding to the fraught political landscape in the U.S. and destructive events like wildfires and loss of coral reefs sparked by the climate crisis.
    You can find more of Surdell’s large-scale tapestries on her site, and head to Instagram to see her latest work-in-progress.

    Detail of “We Will Win: Our Banner in the Sky (after Frederic Edwin Church)” (2020), cotton cord, nylon, paracord, fabric, and ribbons, 84 x 108 x 12 inches, 120-inch bar. Photo by Ian Vecchiotti
    “Sacrifice of Columbia: Destruction (after Thomas Cole)” (2020), cotton cord, nylon cord, fabric, printed polyester shower curtain, American flag jacket, steel battle rope anchor, steel chain, canvas tarp, acrylic paint drips, and wood armature, 84 x 96 x 12 inches. Image courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery
    Left: “Neon Hymn” (2020), braided cotton cord, paracord, enamel, and oil stick, 80 x 26 x 12 inches. Right: “Scylla III: The Pastoral State (after Thomas Cole)” (2020), cotton cord, nylon cord, paracord, printed cotton towel, steel frame, and volleyball, 27 x 27 x 1.5 inches (frame), 33 x 85 x 9.5 inches (floor extension). Images courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery
    “Straight-laced: The Consummation of Empire (after Thomas Cole)” (2020/21), cotton cord, nylon cord, paracord, printed polyester shower curtain, and steel, 96 x 64 x 14 inches. Photo by Ian Vecchiotti
    Left: “Purging: Desolation (after Thomas Cole)” (2021), cotton cord, nylon cord, fabric, printed polyester shower curtain, and steel, 86 x 71 x 12 inches. Image courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery. Right: “Untitled II” (2015), braided cotton cord, steel rod, and steel armatures, 60 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Jacqueline Surdell
    Detail of “Sacrifice of Columbia: Destruction (after Thomas Cole)” (2020), cotton cord, nylon cord, fabric, printed polyester shower curtain, American flag jacket, steel battle rope anchor, steel chain, canvas tarp, acrylic paint drips, and wood armature, 84 x 96 x 12 inches. Image courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery
    “Untitled XII (reflections on the water)” (2020), braided cotton cord, and steel, 60 x 144 x 12 inches. Image courtesy of Jacqueline Surdell

    #chains
    #ribbon
    #rope
    #sculpture
    #tapestry
    #textiles

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • in

    A Trio of Monumental Macramé Installations Stretch 37 Feet Across a Seaside Structure in Bali

    
    Art
    Craft

    #fiber art
    #installation
    #macramé
    #rope

    February 16, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Mountain,” 1150 x 766 centimeters. All images © Agnes Hansella, shared with permission
    In just 12 days, Jakarta-based fiber artist Agnes Hansella fashioned a staggering trio of macramé installations that hang from a ceiling in Bali. Each of the knotted works spans more than 37 feet wide, cloaking the open-air structure in fringed fibers that evoke the coastal surroundings of Jimbaran.  Titled “Mountain,” “Ocean,” and “Sunset,” the wall hangings reflect the natural environment through asymmetric patches reminiscent of coral, waves, and birds.
    Alongside a team of artists she hadn’t worked with previously, Hansella cut manila ropes with a hacksaw and balanced on scaffolding to assemble the massive works. All three began with rough sketches and evolved on-site. “I was never good with drawing pictures, so the finished design is mostly something I came up with on location. I change them a lot based on my instinct and situation. With macramé techniques, the ropes have their own will and character so as the artist I follow them and see what can and can not work,” she tells Colossal. The trio was commissioned by Flowerbloom Studio.
    Currently, Hansella is working on a smaller work for a villa in Bahrain and plans to explore tufting and fiber sculpture in the coming months. She sells macramé supplies, wall hangings, and functional objects in her shop, and you can follow her latest projects on Instagram.

    “Sunset,” 1150 x 500 centimeters
    “Mountain,” 1150 x 766 centimeters

    “Sunset,”  1150 x 500 centimeters
    “Ocean,” 1150 x 650 centimeters

    #fiber art
    #installation
    #macramé
    #rope

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • in

    Rope Twists into Massive, Fibrous Circuit Boards by Artist Windy Chien

     (2019), cotton, 24k gold vintage Japanese thread, and walnut. All images © Windy Chien, shared with permission California-based artist Windy Chien began her career with macrame before becoming frustrated with its limitations. “I gave myself an assignment to learn one new knot every day for one year, and thereby increase my vocabulary of knots […] More