Textile artist and designer Kate Park is interested in translating abstract ideas into visual reality using fibre manipulation and weaving. A major idea of the artist’s work is the coexisting relationship between dual identities. Her series of textile work represent the various exploration of this idea in woven panels with poetic details. She usually finds inspiration in short texts and her own drawings. Because these sources of inspiration are somewhat abstract; encompassing a thought or an emotion rather than an aesthetic style or image, multiple small painting, drawing, weaving studies help the artist to solidify her final work.
For instance, one of Kate's pieces came out of this short piece of writing below was the constant driving force of the creative process of
“Like the moon pulls the tide/ In oceans deep my faith will stand”
In this series of work, dual planes that have contrasting elements are connected in distinctive ways in order to portray the dynamic between two existences. These textile pieces are hand woven on an eight-harness floor loom, honouring the slow and detail-oriented nature of hand weaving. Manipulating every thread of yarn for small details can gather and create significant spatial imagery. Weaving every row with making the decision in colour, texture, composition, and structure reminds the artist of writing each line of poetry.
Guest blog by Kate Park.