Judge's comments:

A real talking piece amongst the judges. We really loved how the artist’s work was incorporated into the design of the book.

Description:

Historically, artforms using textiles have been labelled ‘women’s work’, and have been dismissed as inferior to mediums such as painting and sculpture. This partition which exists between fine art and textiles is caused by the gender divide and is supported by the outdated idea that these art forms are less than what they are, and serve only domestic and aesthetic needs. It is only in recent years, that textile art began to gain recognition within the art world.

Sparked by an interest in textile design, “Tracing Threads” highlights the work of female weavers of the Bauhaus who have been overlooked by art history. Pioneers like, Gunta Stölzl, Anni Albers, and Marli Ehrman whose work have triggered a deeper conversation on the contemporary textile art scene, and continue to inspire contemporary textile artists. The publication aims to capture the essence of what these women were doing at The Bauhaus School in Weimar while revolutionising textile design in the process.

Following a basic structure throughout the sections and using components of the artist's work by incorporating them into the layout of the page, each spread becomes unique, much the same as the artist it highlights.

The sewn section binding in the publication reveals lines of threads which play into the concept of tactility, from which the design is heavily influenced. The hardbound cover cloth has been screen-printed with a texture extracted from a textile sample by Anni Albers who was a pioneer textile artist and printmaker, credited with blurring the lines between craft and art.