Issue 65 Pop

YOU MIGHT think the link between music and textiles is a tenuous one, but I’d point out that if you stretch a textile over a hollow object and strike it you can create a rhythm. Add a string pulled taught across a sound board and you have the beginnings of an orchestra.

It’s not classical music we look at this issue, but the popular music of the mid 20th century. A fertile period when the boundaries between art, music and fashion began to blur. We begin with Sonia Delaunay whose paintings, textiles and garment designs were inspired by the jazz popular in the 1930s. Later designers took their lead from artists such as Andy Warhol and Piet Mondrian, and Sarah Jane Downing examines the impact of the art world on the way we dressed in the 1960s. This was a period of great energy – energy that has sustained textile designers such as Gudrun Sjödén and Pat Albeck throughout their long and prolific careers. Both women have brought their unapologetically bold, bright style to a mass audience and continue to inspire today.

Another artist who finds inspiration in music is Nick Cave with his incredible Sound Suits. Recent graduate Nadia-Ann Ricketts makes sound tangible by digitally analysing the patterns inherent in sound waves and translating them into stunning woven silks. Finally we look towards those continuing to capture the relaxed style instigated in the golden era of pop – Japanese brand 45rm and American designer Erica Tanov. Either would look great if you are planning to dance the night away at a festival this summer.

POLLY LEONARD, FOUNDER