Textiles: Some Visible and Invisible Connections in Contemporary Visual Art Installation Practice

Abstract

The essay explores the 'visible' and/or 'invisible' connections between textiles and viewers in contemporary visual art practice, focussing on direct links between the materiality and language of textiles. Textiles encompass both culture specific and trans-cultural language and meaning. Cloth is with us every day from birth to death, in all cultures. Rich symbolism arises from textile omnipresence in the everyday: domestic, functional, decorative, historic, ritual. Textiles aid representation of personal narratives through the relationship between textiles, garments, the body. Acting catalytically, textiles can evoke memories and stimulate multiple sensory receptors. This contextualises personal, idiosyncratic responses with varying levels of conscious engagement.