I Don’t Know . The Weave of Textile Language
By Richard Tuttle
For many years Tuttle has also been a collector and historian of textiles from around the world. He is fascinated by the process of weaving, as warp and weft combine threads into a pattern; and by the differing techniques and technologies which ensure that every culture has its own unique approach to making textiles. He has also considered the links between textiles and language, such as the ways in which grammar weaves together sound and meaning.
Drawing upon these concerns, I Don't Know . The Weave of Textile Language is a project composed of three parts; a survey of his work at the Whitechapel Gallery, which focuses on his use of fabric and textiles from 1967 to 2014; a book conceived in close collaboration with the artist, and a specially commissioned sculpture in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.
This is the largest sculpture that Tuttle has ever made, though the artist stresses that his concern is with scale rather than size. Like all of his work, it represents a determined engagement with the space that it occupies. The hanging structure incorporates three fabrics manufactured for the project by textile mills in Surat, India, in each case combining man-made and natural fibres to achieve the colour and textures specified by the artist.
I Don’t Know . The Weave of Textile Language
By Richard Tuttle
For many years Tuttle has also been a collector and historian of textiles from around the world. He is fascinated by the process of weaving, as warp and weft combine threads into a pattern; and by the differing techniques and technologies which ensure that every culture has its own unique approach to making textiles. He has also considered the links between textiles and language, such as the ways in which grammar weaves together sound and meaning.
Drawing upon these concerns, I Don't Know . The Weave of Textile Language is a project composed of three parts; a survey of his work at the Whitechapel Gallery, which focuses on his use of fabric and textiles from 1967 to 2014; a book conceived in close collaboration with the artist, and a specially commissioned sculpture in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.
This is the largest sculpture that Tuttle has ever made, though the artist stresses that his concern is with scale rather than size. Like all of his work, it represents a determined engagement with the space that it occupies. The hanging structure incorporates three fabrics manufactured for the project by textile mills in Surat, India, in each case combining man-made and natural fibres to achieve the colour and textures specified by the artist.