habourfront centre, toronto 09
group exhibition ‘fashion no no’ / curated by paola poletto / traveler’s tale / escape
145x390cm, dye sublimation, fabric: missing thread, kvadrat, denmark
“traveler’s tale takes this concept further, exploring the dreams of traveling to faraway places, both as geographically remote and as perhaps even lost in some other time. in this new work, design-classics and everyday life objects are swimming on ice floes which are cut out of caspar david friedrich’s, ‘the sea of ice’ (1823-24). they are also reminiscent of the challenges faced by the early settlers facing harsh ice climates of newfoundland and labrador, as detailed by sir wilfred grenfell in the late 1800’s, who also supported the renowned rug-making guild of craftswomen that featured local puffins in their work. their rugs were made of silk stockings and other available textiles. the mobile society detailed by dorkenwald und spitzer tells us about the romantic idea of landscape and the desire for traveling to remote places like the far north. the airy character of the fabric links back to the interior settings they reference and to the softness of silk stockings and chiffon. traveler’s tale is sewn as a tent and gives shelter in a provocative and poetic way. with this work, the designers come closer to an instance of sublimity and mysticism, and our perhaps belittling relationship to powerful, unknown places.” paola poletto, curator