Interviews
Charlotte Houman reflects on element of water at 'Water Dreams'
13 Jun '08
4 min read
Alhambra, which was constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries, is a principal example of Islamic art in Europe.
The buildings' many stucco reliefs and panels perforated by intricate geometric patterns combine with the play of light and shadows to create powerful optical effects.
Another key feature is the role of water as an architectural and symbolic element. Transparency is a key term in Charlotte Houman's textile works.
Light, which has been a prominent element in her works in previous exhibitions, continues to play a role in the exhibition “Water Dreams” – now in combination with the transparency of water, which has the capacity to reflect and transport the light.
To Charlotte Houman, the light, translucent fabric, which filters the light in varying degrees, is an ideal medium for her artistic visions. Her ideas are expressed in a series of works in the cross-field of art, design and craft.
Since her graduation from the design school Danmarks Designskole in 1991, Charlotte Houman has explored the methods of cutting, stamping out and burning holes in textiles.
Initially, all cutting was done manually; later, industrial techniques were employed for certain processes. As a natural continuation of this development, in her current works she has abandoned the manual approach completely and now works exclusively with industrial techniques.
This provides new possibilities for increasing the degree of cuts, working on a large scale, carrying out more experiments and taking chances – and, not least, seeing the results sooner.
The patterns are designed by computer and subsequently transferred to a digital plotter, which uses a rotating blade to slice into the inelastic textile and stamp out the pattern at a speed of approximately three metres an hour.
This method lets her do complex patterns with perfectly cut shapes, and the potentials of the fabric can be challenged maximally with close-set perforations.
In the installations, she has used both a fibreglass material and a non-woven polyester fabric that comes in a range of different qualities. Some lengths of fabric have a transfer print with lightfast colours, while others are white.
In recent years, Charlotte Houman has received international acclaim, including one of Spain's most prestigious design awards, the “Delta Silver” in the design competition “Delta Awards 2007” in Barcelona.
Among 237 submitted entries, 45 were nominated, and 9 received awards. Charlotte received the award for her roller blind collection “Northern Light”, which she designed for Faber.
For this exhibition at the Danish Museum of Art & Design, Charlotte Houman received support in the form of materials and sewing assistance from Faber and from Junkers & Müllers.
The buildings' many stucco reliefs and panels perforated by intricate geometric patterns combine with the play of light and shadows to create powerful optical effects.
Another key feature is the role of water as an architectural and symbolic element. Transparency is a key term in Charlotte Houman's textile works.
Light, which has been a prominent element in her works in previous exhibitions, continues to play a role in the exhibition “Water Dreams” – now in combination with the transparency of water, which has the capacity to reflect and transport the light.
To Charlotte Houman, the light, translucent fabric, which filters the light in varying degrees, is an ideal medium for her artistic visions. Her ideas are expressed in a series of works in the cross-field of art, design and craft.
Since her graduation from the design school Danmarks Designskole in 1991, Charlotte Houman has explored the methods of cutting, stamping out and burning holes in textiles.
Initially, all cutting was done manually; later, industrial techniques were employed for certain processes. As a natural continuation of this development, in her current works she has abandoned the manual approach completely and now works exclusively with industrial techniques.
This provides new possibilities for increasing the degree of cuts, working on a large scale, carrying out more experiments and taking chances – and, not least, seeing the results sooner.
The patterns are designed by computer and subsequently transferred to a digital plotter, which uses a rotating blade to slice into the inelastic textile and stamp out the pattern at a speed of approximately three metres an hour.
This method lets her do complex patterns with perfectly cut shapes, and the potentials of the fabric can be challenged maximally with close-set perforations.
In the installations, she has used both a fibreglass material and a non-woven polyester fabric that comes in a range of different qualities. Some lengths of fabric have a transfer print with lightfast colours, while others are white.
In recent years, Charlotte Houman has received international acclaim, including one of Spain's most prestigious design awards, the “Delta Silver” in the design competition “Delta Awards 2007” in Barcelona.
Among 237 submitted entries, 45 were nominated, and 9 received awards. Charlotte received the award for her roller blind collection “Northern Light”, which she designed for Faber.
For this exhibition at the Danish Museum of Art & Design, Charlotte Houman received support in the form of materials and sewing assistance from Faber and from Junkers & Müllers.
Charlotte Houman
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