Growth – Enclosed Textile Environment

The inspiration for “Growth” comes from cobwebs and everything lurking in the corner, dirt, dust, the subcutaneous life in the walls, and water stains. I made my first “Growth” in 1999, right after moving into my own new apartment and beginning my studies at the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow (I called it “Mold” then). I always lived in an apartment building, in a grid, in a sectional building. Right angles hurt and wounded me visually and physically. Since our bodies are soft and rounded, how can they feel comfortable in an angular room? Fabrics have long served to warm (or cool) interiors, physically and visually, on walls and floors, on ceilings, in canopies, and more. They served both decorative and educational purposes. My woven fabrics come in two varieties: the first is woven directly onto the wall, unlike fabrics used indoors, which are hung or laid. I drive nails into the chosen corner (as corners require softening the most). The shape is round and closed. Then I drive small nails less than a centimeter apart, 7 mm, onto them, spread the warp, and begin weaving. I use soft sheep’s wool in one of the natural colors for weaving. This fabric stays where it’s woven for good; it’s quite a bold move to bring it indoors, as it will undoubtedly collect dust, which can be celebrated or vacuumed regularly.

This textile was made at Anna Żuber’s Trititi villa as part of the Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage