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Sandra Backlund
I know right! Can you believe at how far knitting has come? The designs above were manually created by Swedish knit extraordinaire, Sandra Backlund. I came across her work in the must see FREE exhibition ‘the Endless Garment’ which ends on Sunday the 21st of March. It has been curated by RMIT’s very own Robyn Healy and Ricarda Bigolon. The knitwear exhibition showcases garments that have come straight from Paris and Milan. On top of that the exhibition is currently housing an amazing assemblage of international designers, most of which do not even stock in Australia. Among these include Issey Miyake, Yoshiki Hishinuma, Nikki Gabriel and even our beloved stretch wear expert Ricarda Bigolon.
However, it was Sandra Backlund that really stole my interest. The three dimensional bulk alongside the collage of knitting techniques, which is significant in her style of work was what astounded me. Seeing her garments up close and personal was already a privilege, but how much more I appreciate her work now that I have discovered that up until her 2010 collection, everything was handmade. Up until this year her garments were only made to order. Think of the labour and time that went into her pieces. Her work is a reflection of a personal connection with the handicraft process which is obviously important in her work. Sandra Backlund has served as an inspiration to my appreciation for contemporary craft. Her collections give me hope that there is room for aged techniques in contemporary fashion.
However at the same time, her work is a reminder for me of what I am NOT. I am in no real way “crafty”. I would love to produce such unexpected and eccentric pieces using knit, but my first attempts of knitting has been nothing but an epic FAIL! Hahaha. I know that I have yet to find my craft, or that inspiration that will set my direction for this semester. But at least I have a starting point and a level of quality that I hope to at least TRY to achieve.
NOTE: Don’t miss this opportunity to visit the exhibition I have mentioned.
The Endless Garment
12 February- 21 March 2010
RMIT Gallery 344 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000
And don’t forget to check out these awesome websites of designer’s that have been mentioned in my post.
www.sandrabacklund.com
www.yoshikihishinuma.co.jp
www.nikkigabriel.blogspot.com
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Sandra Backlund
Control-C collection
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