Anni Albers was one of the most important textile artists of the 20th century. From her early days studying at the Bauhaus, to her printmaking in later life, Albers created exciting new works, pushed boundaries and evaluated how we look at objects around us. As the first ever weaver to have a solo exhibition at MoMA, Albers also helped to raise the presence of textiles as art. Last month I visited the Dovecot gallery in Edinburgh to see the 'Inspired by: the legacy of Anni Albers' exhibition. This exhibition itself contains two separate entities. Firstly an introduction to the work of Anni Albers. An insight in to her methods of working, examples of her textiles, prints and jewellery. The samples and sketches fascinated me, a real peek into her starting blocks for creating.
The second room, looked at how contemporary textile artists are inspired by Albers, confirming her lasting legacy as an innovative and inspiring artist. There was an amazing triaxal weave by Laura Thomas. The complementary colours of yellow and aubergine draw you to this piece and it reminded me of quilted tumbling blocks or entralac knitting.
The bold colours of the Wallace Sewell cloth jump out, it is as if Paul Smith and tartan have collided.
Whilst an installation called Sanctums by Fiona Mathison distorts the senses. A forest of vertical poles with horizontal wrappings fill a space, whilst boxes on the wall contain small tapestries and mirrors.
As I looked closer to the tapestries, I found myself feeling as if I was a contained within this special place. And, inspiringly, it made me want to find the time to weave.
Finally I have finished my 3rd tapestry sample (though it is not yet cut off the loom!). The idea was to use as many different materials as possible for the weft. Here is the rather messy back before trimming:
The wefts include tissue paper, ribbon, mohair, eyelash yarn, wire, ripped chiffon, carrier bag strips, sock yarn, plastic bag ties, embroidery threads and many more. All this is interweaved with axminster rug wool. Using papers & ribbons I have also been creating some bright & fun weave sample structures. 
Getting into the weaving mood, I have been listening to WeaveZine podcasts on the bus. Certainly makes my journey to work more enjoyable! Episode 48 introduced me to Rodrick Owen, and kumihimo and Peruvian braids. I can't wait to try this craft! Another great internet find is The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation website, which not only has an enormous amount of information on this extremely talented couple, it also has galleries of Anni Albers weavings. Interestingly, it was only because the Bauhaus barred women from certain disciplines than Anni reluctantly studied weaving!
The second room, looked at how contemporary textile artists are inspired by Albers, confirming her lasting legacy as an innovative and inspiring artist. There was an amazing triaxal weave by Laura Thomas. The complementary colours of yellow and aubergine draw you to this piece and it reminded me of quilted tumbling blocks or entralac knitting.
The bold colours of the Wallace Sewell cloth jump out, it is as if Paul Smith and tartan have collided.
Whilst an installation called Sanctums by Fiona Mathison distorts the senses. A forest of vertical poles with horizontal wrappings fill a space, whilst boxes on the wall contain small tapestries and mirrors.
As I looked closer to the tapestries, I found myself feeling as if I was a contained within this special place. And, inspiringly, it made me want to find the time to weave.
