TEXT TINA IGNELL PHOTO BENGT ARNE IGNELL Hannah Waldron graphic design and textile art – I love the clean, graphic design and relationship to colour and contrast, the curiosity and experimentation, especially in the early years of the Bauhaus movement.

ANNAH WALDRON posal, she is hoping to learn new weave came to Stockholm’s techniques on computer assisted looms. Konstfack to do the two She would also like to learn textile print, year programme for a shibori and study a range of dyeing Masters. Born and raised techniques. Hin London, she took a three year degree in graphic design/illustration at the HER WORK AREA COMPRISES a University of Brighton, graduating with table and two walls, filled now with her a BA (Hons) in 2007. This was followed sketches, samples, woven and printed by a stint in Berlin, where she came in textiles. She talked us through the weave contact with the Bauhaus as an inspira- in progress on her loom, one section of a tional source. piece of work relating to a trip to Japan Two of her favourites are Anni Albers The sketch for this work on the loom and Gunta Stölzl. is for one of five intended weaves. Travel – They created wonderful work: being gives her source material for her narrati- women, the textile world was their ves. Starting from photos, that provide HANNAH WALDRON sphere since they were often excluded images for her fine, detailed sketchwork, from other forms of artistic expression. she turns the ideas into new imagery at EDUCATION In my eyes, some of those textile pieces the loom. 2003-2007 University of were amongst the absolute best created The narrative unfolds from the top Brighton, UK. Illustration, BA. in the Bauhaus period. down: arrival in Japan, the Japanese su- 2012-2014 Konstfack, MFA. These models led Hannah towards perexpress train Shinkansen, the ryokan a new form language and fed into her (the inn where she stayed), mountains, SELECTED EXHIBITIONS graphic design. tatami mats... the field at the bottom 2009 Home, Sweet Home, is meant to continue over to the next The V&A Museum, London. IT WAS A FRIEND, who seeing her weave. A path wends its way over the 2011 Living Things, Rare Device, pattern designs with their distinct ver- surface, executed in soumak. San Francisco. ticals and horizontals, commented that 2012 Soiree Graphique, they would be ideally suited to weave. APART FROM THE BAUHAUS, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern. That perception inspired her. Hannah finds inspiration in ancient 2012 Patterns of Behaviour, She bought the small rigid heddle woven textiles, such as those from Peru. Brooklyn Art Gallery, Brooklyn. loom, one she still uses, and got going. – The wonderful art of story telling in 2013 Map Tapestries, A friend from Brighton University, who thread, understood by the initiates, is a Observatoriemuseet, Stockholm. could do weaving, taught her the basics. kind of transmission of knowledge from HANNAHWALDRON.CO.UK person to person, she said and added: THREE YEARS LATER she was on – That is what I would like my woven the plane to pursue further studies here work to do, of course for people to find at Konstfack, with the focus on textiles. their own associations, but to have a real With form language already at her dis- story that I can tell.

21 ALONGSIDE THE WEAVING are GRAPHIC DESIGN, ON PAPER, plane, I saw a lot of water, nature and her materials. Colour dictates first and continues alongside her weaving. This, rounded forms. foremost; the yarn might be linen, cotton she finds, complements woven imagery or silk. The dye tuition will allow her the really well. Textiles are flexible and tac- PRINT PROVIDES the complete freedom to produce the range she wants. tile, inviting touch and allowing touch. freedom to create patterns that suit these A weave can easily be rolled up and forms. SAT WEAVING, Hannah pointed out moved, incorporated into interior design, When it comes to print, she already has the benefits of a portable loom. Easy to while retaining functionality. A graphic quite clear ideas. She would like to do a take around, both here in Stockholm and product is usually framed and keeps collection of weaves, based on the Japa- when she travels home to London. In the some distance, she feels. Moreover, a nese textile wraps known as Furoshiki, summer she can weave out in the open. weave is mostly a one-off, while a graphic whereby a four-sided cloth can be folded She has learnt how to use a backstrap design on paper or a graphic product can in a variety of ways for many different loom. Another ingenious piece of wea- be produced in several editions. That purposes. ving equipment. alone is a significant distinction, giving – It would be so much better if we could textiles a different status and complimen- use textiles instead of paper and plastic, THE WARP RIGHT then on the loom ting her graphic profile, she said. just think how lovely it would be to wrap was red, bright red. The weft did not – And there is a difference technically up your lunchbox, a bottle of wine or cover completely, so the red shimmered too. Weaving is time-consuming and bread in a beautiful cloth, she said. through. Intentionally of course. meditative, even if I do my graphic work This spring she will have completed Something that sets her weaves apart very carefully and slowly, but there is a her Masters. She thinks she will show from others with more neutral warps. difference. Which can be fruitful. weave at her final show, preferably on a The computer assisted doublecloths, larger scale. But what and how she would that she is in the process of exploring, UP ON THE WALL was a textile print, rather not say precisely. will allow her to try out an idea, making with more organic forms. Quite different one layer white and the other striped in from Hannah’s other graphic design. The multifarious bright shades. The imagery inspiration came from her first impres- will be similar, but the technique could sions of Sweden. above / Hannah Waldron at Konstfack. mean something else happens. – Looking down at Sweden from the right / To Houshi Onsen, 2013, 30 x 180 cm.

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