Thesis work by Amanda Thatch and Han-ah Yoo
April 16-April 24, 2021
In the culmination of three years of intensive work, Design Studies MFA candidates Amanda Thatch and Han-ah Yoo present their thesis work in two exhibitions. Tromp as Writ, Thatch’s body of work, explores the interaction of text and pattern through hand-woven images derived from observations while walking, an activity the artist found solace in during the pandemic. Yoo’s Relationships: Invisible, but Extant brings together expressive textile and video artworks, inspired by nature and the body, that are designed to provoke awareness of the adverse ecological impacts of the fashion industry. Both virtual exhibits are available at the links below and are supported by the Design Studies Department and the Center for Design and Material Culture.
Amanda Thatch: Tromp as Writ
To weavers, the phrase “tromp as writ” means that the sequence of threading is repeated in the foot-operated treadling; a single set of instructions can function for both setting up the loom and for the movement of the weaver’s feet while working. The works in this exhibition explore the interaction of text and pattern through hand-woven images derived from observations while walking. In this case, “tromp” is both the movement of feet on the loom and against the pavement as many of us took to walking for solace during the pandemic, bringing a new awareness of our surroundings. The “writ” is the notation of the weaving draft as well as the text-based writing systems that try to codify ineffable experience in language. Between these two words, a conjunction of only two letters points to the vast and complex interlacing of action, language, movement, pattern, and symbolic notation.
Han-ah Yoo: Relationships: Invisible, but Extant
This exhibition of creative works is designed to provoke awareness of the adverse ecological impacts of the fashion industry. The textile industry is one of the major sources of pollution related to multiple levels of the ecosystem. Each year over a hundred billion items of clothing is produced globally. During washing and manufacturing synthetic textile products, thousands of different chemicals and tons of microfibers are emitted, and the emission causes risks to aquatic organisms and terrestrial biodiversity including humans. These are complex webs of interaction that go unseen.