Friday 2 December 2011

Lost in Lace

Around the corner from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Market, there is a wonderful exhibition being held at Birmingham Museum, Lost in Lace. The fountain of all knowledge (Wikipedia) describes lace as being "an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand". This definition encapsulates more than just doilies. The work was varied and outstanding.
One of my particular favourites was the mesmerising Forty Eight by Nils Völker.

Forty Eight from Nils Völker on Vimeo.


I was struck by the haunting After the Dream by Chiharu Shiota. Layers of random black wool trap white dresses. Claustrophobic and gripping.
The Crafts Council created this video to show how the work was created.

Chiharu Shiota installation at Lost in Lace, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Crafts Council on Vimeo.


The exhibition is free to visit and on to the 19th of February. I would certainly recommend it.

4 comments:

  1. The exhibition looks very interesting, I don't think I will get to see it so thanks for sharing. I enjoyed watching the videos, it was amazing to see how 'After the dream' was set up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh how I wish I lived in the UK and could go to these wonderful exhibitions. Thanks for sharing your experience, and yes, "mesmerising" is definitely the word for FORTY EIGHT ... I couldn't take my eyes off it. How on earth does someone begin to come up with the idea of something like that. Just amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gorgeous pics! Thanks so much for sharing as I doubt I will be able to see the exhibition and it has been talked about in a number of stitch articles.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wished I could have seen this exhibit. Never been to the UK...so much to see in this world, huh! Laurel

    ReplyDelete