London is gearing up for a fabric fireworks display later this month when an exhibition of designs by textile artist Kaffe Facet and his collective will take place at Bermondsey’s Fashion and Textile Museum.
Kaffe Fassett: The Power of Pattern opens September 23, showcasing over 70 textile designs (mostly quilts) and spotlighting centuries-old crafts like knitting, needlepoint, and patchwork guess
According to Dennis Northdorf, the museum’s curator of exhibitions, who worked with Newham College London on the show, the show aims to “explore the artistic eye of the café” through an immersive visual experience. purpose.
Colors, patterns, and textures pulse at the heart of the California-born, 84-year-old Facet’s broad display. He started his career as a painter before moving into knitwear design, working under names such as Bill Gibb, Missoni and Designers Guild.
Since then, Fassett has focused on 3D textile design and is best known today for his vibrant quilts. He is also known for inspiring people around the world to craft his needles and fabrics, pick up his squares and get to work.
“He’s a rock star in the textile world, an artist who makes people see the world in different ways. And he inspires people to create something,” says Nossdorft.
Facet spent his childhood in Big Sur, California, drawing inspiration from the state’s dramatic beaches, mountains and nature. He has lived and worked in London since his early ’60s, and the house and studio where he and his collaborators work is known as Color’s Lab.
Northdorf says the show isn’t a retrospective of the artist’s career, but a complete immersion in his world. It is designed to allow visitors to “fall through the glass” of Facet’s designs, the designs of other makers in his community, and his followers around the world.
“People’s reaction to his work is almost instinctive. It’s what motivates them to do their own work,” he says of the book that accompanies the show, Kaffe Fassett: The Artist’s Eye (Yale University Press). Author Notthruft says.
Facet said, “One of the most prolific and influential textile artists alive today. Throughout his long career, Kaffe has inspired people around the world to create and experience colors and patterns in exciting new ways. I’ve been encouraging people to get involved,” he says.
Zandra Rhodes, who founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2003, says Facet has a cult following, and whenever one of his shows comes to town, people are “queuing up around the block.” said.
“Kaffe’s work is a living art, helping to keep handcraft alive,” says Rose, who first met Facet through Gibb in the late ’60s. She said his life and work have taken on new power since his COVID-19, when many people turned to handicrafts during lockdown.
For the past 30 years, Fassett has collaborated with a group of textile designers, including husband and manager Brandon Mably and Philip Jacobs, to develop a collection of printed quilted fabrics under the Kaffe Fassett Collective umbrella.
Facet says he believes patterns “are the best vehicle for expressing the magical nature of color, and the exhibition reveals the power of printed textiles.”
According to Northdorf, the exhibition opens in the museum’s foyer, where visitors are greeted with “bright colors and textures” as they walk through the doors. One room will be a ‘tented oasis’ for Faceted fabrics, showing a video of the artist discussing his textile designs with co-creators Mabley and Jacobs.
While the first-floor gallery focuses primarily on quilts by Facet and other artists, the floor of the main gallery features a giant quilt that Rhodes describes as an “explosion of color and pattern.” did.
The second floor will be covered in patchwork designs, and the room will be filled with works by Facet collaborators, especially those who work with appliqué quilting.
There is also a clothing line adorned with garments made from Kaffe Fassett fabric and a wall of needlepoint cushions by Mable and Fassett.
Quilter brought works from Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, Africa and Taiwan to create a dynamic display. An entire room is filled with images of hand-painted designs from the Kaffe Fassett Collective.
There is also an exhibit showing Facet’s process of designing the fabrics used in the quilts on display in London. There is also a room filled with paintings from the early days of Facet’s decades-long career.
