Weaving is a bit like writing: a textile designer uses indeed threads and yarns like a writer would use a pen, to tell a story, linking subplots together to form a perfect narration. If the metaphor stands, textile designer Angharad McLaren has definitely got a talent for telling intricately beautiful and colourful stories.
McLaren often employs bright shades of colours and disparate materials including natural fibres, neoprene, hi-tech threads such as retro-reflective yarns, recycled climbing and sailing ropes, and rubber coated yarns, and, using both traditional and more advanced techniques, she creates innovative woven patterns inspired by sports, movement and dynamic activities. The results are always varied and always eye-catchingly beautiful: at times they call to mind the passion for colours of another famous experimental textile designer, Ruth Adler Schnee, and include three-dimensional motifs, pleated or waffle-like effects on fabrics employed for different uses, including rugs, blinds, screens and wall hangings.
The designer is currently completing her “Maker-in-residence” project at The Barony Centre in West Kilbride, Scotland's first “craft and design town”. This weekend she will offer her visitors the chance to collaborate on a community project she has dubbed “Weavathon”. Moving from sports and from her passion for running (a passion that is leading her towards very exciting experiments that I hope she will unveil soon to the public and that are based on mixing running paths and maps in her new patterns) the "Weavathon" will allow people to weave with her a unique textile piece.
Where did you study textile design?
Angharad McLaren: At Glasgow School of Art. During this four year-course I learnt weaving and constructing textiles and then I went on to do a Master at the Royal College of Art. In between them I worked for the industry as well, winning an award for my weaving to go and exhibit it in Hong Kong and Paris. So I had this sort of international experience, I saw the industrial side of textiles and worked in textile mills as well in Italy and in England and, when I did my Master, I also went over to India. So I started to see the bigger picture in terms of the industry, while also trying to understand how I wanted to work in the future. After I graduated I worked for a while as a freelancer and developed my own ideas. When a residency came up in Shetland, I moved there for six months: that was a really nice time to work on my ideas and manufacture commercial products conceived as alternative Scottish gifts and souvenirs as they are made in Scotland, using Scottish materials and are inspired by Scottish textiles, to support myself as a small business. While I was over there I also did a community project and worked on freelance commissions as well.
What inspires your work?
Angharad McLaren: There's running threads in my work, like the influence of sports, but also the traditions of textiles, and the symbolism in the patterns and the materials being used. I'd like to work more with architects, interior and fashion designers to see what I create being turned into something practical. I've already worked with interior designers developing blinds that absorb the acoustics in a cafe space, and with fashion designers to create tailored fabrics for collections, but I've also been concentrating on other projects that are more art-based.
Do you think new digital techniques will have an impact on crafts such as textile weaving?
Angharad McLaren: They will make things easier and people will be able to try and prototype things in a quicker way, which is great. But you will still have to understand materials and have a connection with the craft to be able to manipulate them in the way you want and experiment more. I think it will make things easier in some ways, but you will still require the knowledge to work with those materials.
You often use vibrant contrasts of colours in your work, what fascinates you about these shades?
Angharad McLaren: Colours are very important to me. It can be tricky to use particular shades, but I like employing unusual colours and bright nuances. This is an often undervalued aspect, but a lot of time and efforts go into this part of my work to make sure the various colours go well together.
So far you have used different techniques to create your textiles: is there a technique you particularly like?
Angharad McLaren: None in particular. It depends from what the project is and a lot of the time it is not to do with how technical you can be with it. A lot of people try to do the most technical things possible, but I know from practical experience that the main point is doing things in the most efficient way possible, and finding a way in which I can produce the effect I'm looking for in the most practical way.
When will you complete your project at The Barony Centre?
Angharad McLaren: I'll be here until 15th July. This weekend we will be weaving all day for 24 hours, in two blocks of 12 hours, from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. I'll be weaving the designs I've created here during this project and people will come and see those happening, but I'll also have some people here to help weave on these looms, so the outcomes of this project will be what I create, but also what everybody else creates. It's a sort of community project, I'm calling it a "Weavathon": rather than a marathon, it's 24 hours of weaving and other people can take part in the process and create sections of the fabric. The following weekend the results of the “weavathon” will be exhibited here and people will also be able to see the parts they helped creating.
The Weavathon with Angharad McLaren is at The Barony Centre, West Kilbride, Scotland, 7-8 July 2012
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It's so inspiring and interesting to see all those patterns, colors, materials mixed all together..... fascinating!
Nice post, great blog!! I'm following it!
WhiteCloset
Posted by: WhiteCloset | July 06, 2012 at 08:04 AM
The first picture you posted up there is really nice. Where can I get one? The colors of the weaves are like the color of my carpet. They would look gorgeous on my living room
Posted by: Online Bingo | July 06, 2012 at 09:59 AM
A project that requires patience and passion.Doing waving craft really makes your time so important and doing these need to be careful in proper choosing of color specially if you want to have a unique design
Posted by: Rhayader Precision | September 26, 2012 at 10:18 AM