in development 🙂
Category: textiles
peter hall textile designs
i first encountered peter hall’s work when i was making curtains for our vw camper. i found a vintage piece of fabric on ebay, and the designer’s name and the name of the pattern – petrus – was on the selvedge.
my research led me to the v&a, who hold a number of peter hall’s designs for heals in their archive. following the sad demise of the camper i resold the fabric, but remembered the name and the wonderful combination of geometric and plant-like forms, and strong colour palettes of his designs.
when i came across original fabric another of his designs, candida – in 4 different colourways! – i snapped it up. it’s a more figurative, botanical design than petrus, but the use of bold stripes of motifs still gives it a structured feel. the pattern is a much smaller scale than petrus (ruler in top image is 50cm) and for my purpose of covering books it works well in small sections, each with an emphasis on one or two elements of the design.
it isn’t one of the designs held at the v&a and my research came to a stall, until i found that peter is still working as an artist, though relocated to new zealand. i emailed to ask if he could give me any information on this particular design and was a little star-struck when i got a reply 😀
this is what he has to say about candida:
Originally the design was printed in the early 1970’s and was part of a collection of designs I produced, some of which were also purchased by Heal Fabrics. The group were inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite and the Art Nouveau movement.During the late 1960’s and early 70’s there was a revival inspired movement against the modernist design influence of the mid 50’s and early 60’s.The 1970’s in Britain was a tough time for local manufactures, and consumers were also looking for a more romantic and nostalgic inspired products, for both fashion clothing and furnishing.
the exuberant print is inspiring to work with – i’m currently working on a new collection of a5 journals and albums featuring the candida design. i’m combining the four colour ways with an assortment of solid-coloured japanese endpapers, ensuring each book is still unique, never to be repeated – quite a feat at the accessible price range for this collection.
gathering images and links for this post i realise i’m missing at least one colourway – i had no idea it also comes in this glorious blue. *sets up ebay search* 🙂
see peter’s recent work on his website: petejhall.com
japanese motifs: the iris
my little back yard has raised bed planters. somewhere in (what is now) the jungle i planted an iris with a silver edge. possibly my favourite flower of all time.
in japanese tradition the iris – ayame, kakitsubata or hanashobu, depending on the variety – is associated with the spring, the warrior spirit, purification and protection in battle and from evil spirits abroad on the 5th day of the 5th month, known as boys’ day – tango no sekku (now children’s day – kodomo no hi).
in fabric design the iris is frequently shown in association with bridges, after a famous section of the c10th tales of ise. the hero travels far to yatsuhashi (“eight bridges”) and is so struck by the beauty of the iris that he composes a poem for his wife, left behind in kyoto. each line of the poem begins with one of the syllables of the flower name ka-ki-tsu-ha(ba)-ta. ever since, kakitsubata and zigzag wooden bridges have been linked as a motif in art and literature.
find out more: japanese iris
find out more: tango no sekku
drool a bit and add to your amazon wish list 😀 kimono and the colours of japan
japanese motifs: the crane
the crane – tsuru – is an auspicious symbol, representing longevity and fidelity. in folklore these birds are reputed to live a thousand years and in the wild they mate for life. these associations lead it to become a frequent motif on wedding gifts and textiles. many japanese symbols have an associated season, the crane is a bird of winter.
in origami the folding of 1,000 paper cranes is said to grant the maker a special wish. a thousand cranes have also become a symbol of the struggle for world peace, in remembrance of sadako sasaki who survived the hiroshima bomb.
read more:
maker soph 