How do you introduce innovation into a traditional technique? The answer is maybe simpler than you may think - just push the boundaries of the technique you have chosen and take it to the next level.
After focusing on fashion studies, Swedish designer Emilia Elfvik moved to embroidery, but she felt she was more interested in the complex properties of textile materials than in creating traditional embroideries. Besides, she wanted to challenge the preconceptions surrounding this craft.
So she started experimenting with flax and thread and eventually created a series of objects called "Pushing Embroideries". The process behind the series is fascinating: Elfvik creates flat pieces, she then removes them from their frames and lets the materials interact with gravity. So you could almost say that the material and the law of gravity are the real designers of her pieces.
The inspiration for these pieces came from her interest in investigating decorative techniques and sculptural features and, while researching these themes, Elfvik decided to experiment with the flat stitch and with linen thread.
The purpose of the work is not to convey a specific message, but to offer a new perspective about embroidery, challenge our notions of what thread, textile and embroidery are and show how an exploratory investigation into materials can create innovative and unusual shapes.
Elfvik is part of the exhibition "Young Swedish Design 2020", (until 22nd March 2020) at ArkDes, Sweden's national centre for architecture and design, located in Stockholm. The event features 29 designers from a number of disciplines, including product design, fashion and furniture.
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