Polytopia
Textile art. Since 2012
Polytopia is a sewn textile exploration of form inspired by geometry, evolution, and utopian states.
The fabrics are mostly deadstock, mill end rolls, and the excess of various industries manufacturing luggage, cars, airplanes, household goods and interiors. Many of the textiles are various upholstery types, like lederette vinyl, and nylon like the kind made into knapsacks. The silver and gold are foiled nylon wallpaper.
The patterns were originally hand drafted; currently they are digitally manipulated and printed. All the pyramids were hand cut and machine sewn, and then to each other they are affixed, in the current iteration, with some 8000 staples.
There is a lot of guessing as to the nature of the textiles procured in this way and a lot of experimenting as to how they might handle being cut, sewn, and ironed, since some were never even meant to be held together by thread. Usually the same materials are never available again, and so the design evolves by using similar fabrics, for example white for silver, or one dark purple for another dark purple of a different texture.
Working with such constraints induces an evolution of the piece beyond the influence of pure aesthetic preferences.
Polytopia Making Process and Work-in-Progress
Polytopia is made from fabrics that are mostly deadstock, mill end rolls, and the excess of various industries manufacturing luggage, cars, airplanes, household goods and interiors. Many of the textiles are various upholstery types, like leatherette vinyl, and nylon like the kind made into knapsacks or roller blinds. The silver and gold are foiled nylon wallpaper.
The patterns were originally hand drafted; currently they are digitally manipulated and printed.
All the pyramids were hand cut and machine sewn, and then to each other they are affixed with several thousands staples.
There is a lot of guessing as to the nature of the textiles and how they might handle being cut, sewn and ironed, since some were never even meant to be held together by thread. Usually the same materials are never available again, and so the design evolves by using similar fabrics, for example white for silver, or one dark purple for another dark purple of a different texture.
Working with such constraints induces an evolution of the piece beyond the influence of pure aesthetic preferences.
The photos below show some of the arrangements of sewn textile pyramids laid out on the studio floor to test composition before being sewn up into larger components. Final arrangement and assembly is done on site at the time of installation.
Polytopia in Exhibition
Polytopia was first displayed mounted to a wall in the Reef in 2011, then enlarged and undulating on the floor in Let's Glow, and then the 3D quilt provided the mountain range in Braveland.
Polytopia Gallery
A selection of photos from installations since 2012.
Buy Original Polytopia Textile Art
This is fascinating. How did you produce this? The sewing appears to be machine-stitched rather than hand-stitched. And the use of different facrics, particularly recycled ones, is really creative.
Yes, the sewing is done by machine. The pyramids use all straight line patterns for piecing the multiple colours for each pyramid and to construct the pyramid. The pyramids are then flipped to the right side and ironed, and then they are stapled together to form the quilt, with a regular stapler.
In the future, I would love to find a sewing machine, perhaps for shoes or suitcases, that would allow me to do the final joining with thread rather than staples.
Exelente propuesta , muy bueno el trabajo!!