Exploring the techniques employed by artists often proves of great inspiration for fashion designers as well. Libyan artist Nour Jaouda moves for example from her memories and experiences to create her works.
At the heart of her artistic expression lies a profound connection to real and remembered places, a feeling exemplified by the three textile works ("Silent Dust", "Roots in the Sky" and "If the Olive Trees Knew") currently on show in the Arsenale section at the 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice (until November 24th).
Drawing from the fig trees in her grandmother's garden in Benghazi, Libya, Jaouda's pieces on show at the Venice Biennale serve as poignant evocations of memory and nostalgia.
Each thread woven into her sculptural tapestries and leaving some section loose or tightly binding other parts, reflects a personal narrative, pointing at family ties and cultural heritage.
Her inspiration also draws from the personification of olive trees in a poem by Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish, capturing themes like rootlessness, resilience, destruction, and regeneration ("If the olive trees knew the hands that planted them / Their oil would become tears," the verses refer to the sorrow of the Palestinian people, whose hands planted countless trees in lands from which they are now exiled).
Yet, it is not merely the end result that proves intriguing, but the journey of creation itself: Jaouda's artistic process is deliberate and methodical, characterized by a meticulous interplay of deconstruction, dyeing in earthy tones, and hand-sewing the design into sculptural tapestries; it is slow and physically demanding.
Jaouda finds beauty in imperfection, embracing the inherent unpredictability of vegetable dyes as they infuse her textiles with a vitality and beauty all their own. The layered technique reflects connectivity: just like roots are all connected together, here the layered textiles, textured like memory, create a new connectivity, combining the tangible with the intangible, the eternal and the divine.
As the fashion world continues to seek out new forms of artistic collaboration, it seems inevitable that Jaouda's work will find its way onto the runway one day (as background art or in a form of collaboration) as her art offers a unique opportunity to engage with themes of heritage and identity in an unexpected way.
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