When you think of quilting and textiles, you might think of elderly ladies sitting in a quilting circle, patiently patching together squares of cloth with needles and thread. But as the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles shows, there’s more to fiber arts than you realize.
Visit in May to see how the ancient art of weaving meets technology. The exhibit, Core Memory/Peripheral Vision explores the evolution of the 19th century Jacquard loom, which used punch cards to control a series of operations to create patterns in fabric.
Today’s Jacquard looms use computer technology, but the punch-card system is considered a crucial step in the development of computers. The exhibit also showcases the work of eight renowned Jacquard artists who use digitally enhanced looms to create works of realism and beauty. While artists still have to work the loom, computer programs let them download digital images and give them more control over individual threads.
Advanced Geometry showcases the work of Gloria Hansen, another digital artist who creates designs on her Mac using Photoshop and prints them out on paper-backed silk and cotton fabric. She then machine-quilts the pieces together using complex quilting patterns to produce colorful, unusual works.
Pixels & Pieces documents how work by quilt makers from as far back as the 1800s foreshadowed the development of computer pixels by producing vibrant, patterned images. One such quilt, by an unknown artist in the 1880s, is the “Victorian Postage Stamp Landscape Quilt,” which uses stamp-sized pieces of cloth to create a pixilated rural landscape.
Fashion plates will also enjoy the Awareables: Conscious Clothing display. These pieces show yet another way artists have combined technology with cloth. Barbara Layne and Studio subTela’s “Jacket Antics,” for example, feature two jackets with LED panels woven into the backs. A set of text messages and designs scroll through each panel, and when the wearers hold hands, a third message scrolls from one jacket to the other in a fascinating interactive display.
Even if you’ve never sewn a button onto a shirt, you’ll come away with a greater appreciation of these cutting-edge arts—and perhaps inspiration to pick up a needle and thread on your own. —Stephanie Soong
Where:
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 520 South First St.
Hours:
Tues-Sun 10–5
Closed Mondays
First Fri of every month, open 8pm – 11pm
Info:
408/971-0323
www.sjquiltmuseum.org
