Icelandic Textile Centre, Blönduós, Iceland (2015)
In August 2015, I did an artist residency at the Ós Textile Residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre located in Blöndoús, Iceland.
I found myself fascinated by a new landscape, and I became more aware how my surroundings affected my daily life, moods and activities. The fog that swallowed up mountains, the rising tide of the sea, the birds on the river, the unpredictable weather, and even the buildings that I occupied all impacted me. Through my art, I wanted to create entryways into this place. I wanted to understand the landscape on an intimate level.
While at the Ós Textile Residency, I methodically explored and catalogued my surroundings. I collected wildflowers, leaves, shells and rocks, and created site specific color palettes. I also traced markings from my environment such as worn marks on the floor of the weaving studio, chipped paint on a door and patterns on large boulders. From these collected elements, I created a series of small paper collage landscapes suspended by threads and woven together like small, paper looms.
About Ós Textile Residency:
Ós Textile Residency is named for its location on the banks of river Blanda, overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean; "Ós" = Icelandic for estuary. Ós fosters creativity, experimentation, and reflection for artists and scholars in textiles. We accept applications year-round from emerging to senior-level creatives, with residencies available all year (except December). We welcome residents from diverse backgrounds—not only traditional textile artists, but also practitioners in materials science, digital design, engineering, and environmental studies—whose perspectives expand conversation and innovation around textiles.
https://www.textilmidstod.is/en/textile-residency/about-the-residency