MAKING MILDEW
Lizan Freijsen is fascinated by fungi, and in her practice as a textile designer, she turns these natural formations into works of art. Instead of cleaning up moulds and moisture without ever giving it a second thought, Lizan studies the patterns, colours and contours of these compositions and recreates them in wool.
‘Decay on demand’ is the name of this ambitious, scientifically minded project, and it started off when Lizan began to take photos of leakages in walls. Soon she transformed them into a playful wallpaper design that gave new houses a sense of history. As an artist and designer, she views this as a way of recycling what’s already present in the world.
For her rugs and carpets, Lizan has collaborated for over seven years with Hester Onjis and Karen Zeedijk of the Textile Museum in Tilburg. By hand-tufting each piece, she is able to incorporate every aspect of these organic forms into her final designs, in an attempt to subvert broad and standardised notions of beauty.
‘Embracing imperfection is in fact my response to the over-controlled society in which we live,’ she explains. ‘Witnessing the beauty of slow growing processes and being surrounded by urban nature, for me, connects a sense of inner time with one of home.’
Lizan Freijsen will be exhibiting at London Design Fair 2017 as part of the Netherlands’ first ever showcase at the event titled ‘Dutch Stuff’. To find out more and to order your tickets, go to www.londondesignfair.co.uk.