Woven dreams
Ruwini Jayawardana
Raising the boundaries of the contemporary art form to a new level
handloom weaving designer Marie Gnanaraj will showcase a collection of
colouful expressions woven through delicate and vibrant shades red, gold
and earthen hues. ‘Dream Weaver’, an exhibition of her creations will go
on display at the Barefoot Gallery
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Marie Gnanaraj. Pictures by Ruwan de Silva |
from November 27 to December 13.
Celebrating the themes of tools used for the art and the weaver’s
know, ‘Dream Weaver’ will take visitors age old art into a new angle of
3D imagery. She notes that the thread, carefully pieced together to form
various shades is more of a medium of artistic expression for her.
“The shapes and structure of weaving tools such as bobbins, perns and
stick shuttles are a form of creativity for me. I wanted to incorporate
them into my weaving while devising something to hold them in place.
This is the moment when the weaver’s knot came to light,” said Marie who
had been inspired by her son’s activities in her weaving.
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One of Marie’s creations |
“He built a tree house when he was young and I observed the wire,
rope and sticks he used in his creations. That was when I noted the knot
he had tied to join the ropes together to reach the top,” noted the
designer who strives to find means of reflecting something new in each
creation.
The knot also comes in handy for broken threads. While joining
threads to keep the weaving process going Marie had experimented with
diverse materials like coir, wire and newspaper. These are mostly found
in her creations which adorn the walls of Kandalama Hotel and Amanwella
Resort, Tangalle.
She believes that versatility of the technique derives from the
weaver’s ability to manipulate the shades, the texture and design.
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Tools with the creation |
“The third colour is what matters the most as it sets off the whole
work. That is the key to an eye catching creation. For me red symbolizes
power, white the calm nature and black strength. These are the three
colours I used in AWA Show 2009, an exhibition early this year,” she
explained.
Her entrance to the scene occurred under the guidance of renowned
artist Barbara Sansoni in 1980.
“Marie is one of the finest artists in the island. She weaves her
canvas rather than paints upon it. She is a maestro of the practice of
using contrasts to make her colours quiver and shimmer in abstract and
cubist forms,” Sansoni opined.
Barefoot is synonymous for its woven garments, table clothes and wall
hangings. Living and working among the looms for over two decades had no
doubt shaped Marie’s career for she is Barefoot’s principal designer in
handloom weaving. She is involved in special projects for exports,
exhibitions, and interiors, and trade fairs in Sri Lanka and abroad. |
