Bratislava Institute shares recent works!
by admin
The students and faculty at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (Slovakia) shared with us pictures and thoughts behind two of their latest projects – woven on the TC2 loom! Beata Gerbocova from the Institute tells us more about what went on behind the scenes…
Last semester, we had done two really unique projects that were made on TC2. In contrast to the past works made at our studio, the basis for this project was typography.
The first one of these works was a poster made for the Studio of Fibre Art at AFAD, Bratislava, and a catalogue for the exhibition called “Textile Experience”. This exhibition presented the works of students and teachers at the famous Textile Center in Haslach -Austria.
After a long conversation with the graphic designer of our poster and catalogue, we decided to bring the feel of weaving into the printed media: It was a really inspiring cooperation between the graphic designer and the textile artists.
First the graphic design was made, and after that, we wove it on the TC2. The graphic design got a softness and an interesting textile structure after its transformation on the digital loom. On the other hand, it still had the quality of a poster.
The photographer took a picture of the surface of the weaving, and we had it printed as a unique cover for our catalogue and poster for the exhibition. These works were woven with three wefts, on a black warp.
Project 1 – Pictures above
Graphic Design: Peter Liška, Weaving: Blanka Cepkova, Photo: Peter Ančic
The second project was a triptych of the three pieces created by a student from the Studio of Visual Communication – Barbora. This was made as a shading of black and white weaving. The work addresses the issue of brand, branding and fake.
Nowadays, the brand does not always acts as the bearer of value and quality. It often becomes a rather fictive property, representative of social status and artificial over-valuation. Brand is the manifestation and also one of the causes of material stratification of society, and copying and product counterfeiting is the other aspect of this topic.
It is a value appropriation and gaining at the expense of the original product. Basically, theft as well as fraud. On the other hand, fake makes the product accessible for wider masses, while diminishing the value of the brand itself. Fake removes the brand from the fictitious podium and democratizes it.
In a historical context, weaving tapestries has been considered craftsmanship, with an aesthetic or representative function. (Source: Wikipedia ) The artist’s intention was to apply this quality to question the stereotypical judgments on brand and fake. Therefore, the result is a series of tapestries dominated by fake logos of renowned apparel companies. Scaling up and to a limited extent, also destruction, is the artist’s visualization of the topic.
Project 2 – Pictures above
Design, Weaving and Photo: Barbora Krejčová
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