Today I’m enjoying a gorgeous book entitled Textile Techniques in Metal for Jewelers, Textile Artists & Sculptors by Arline M. Fisch (1996). This book explores the use of metal-primarily in the form of wire-to create objects with an incredible light-reflecting quality. The author traces historical and cross-cultural precedents for using metal in textile creation and then brings these ideas into modern times. There is so much to be inspired by in these pages. When traditional techniques like knitting, crocheting, basketry and weaving are done in metal the results can be stunning. I was particularly entranced by the ethereal forms made with crocheted wire. Fisch actually warps an 8 harness loom with copper wire to great effect. Even humble spool knitting can create a fine metal tube to be used in jewelry making.
This focus on wire as a material for textile artists makes me think of Ruth Asawa. The San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art is currently holding a long overdue retrospective of her work.
A local legend, Asawa nonetheless had low visibility in the broader art world during her lifetime. She was rejected all four times that she applied for a Guggenheim fellowship. But as distinctions between art and craft have dissolved and artists long overlooked because of their race or gender are being reappraised, Asawa’s looped-wire forms have been widely acclaimed for transforming a utilitarian material and innovating on techniques that added buoyancy and transparency in sculpture.
The New York Times
Gainesville Handweavers' Guild 