Slow.Blue.
Hairy
Valentina Angelucci2022 Summer Residency
Valentina Angelucci’s project transforms discarded fishing nets of any size, reclaimed from marine debris and landfill, into a new ‘hairy’ textile that can be used as the skin of a structure or urban furniture, among other potential applications.
In 2019, the Guardian reported that over 640,000 tons of fishing gear get dumped into the ocean every year. Despite earnest recycling and reclamation projects, collection and reuse of nylon and poly fishing nets remains a significant task. In this project, nets are collected, cleaned, cut, partially unwoven and then rewoven to create a new tactile and inviting textile. This transformative process neutralizes the capacity of the nets to ensnare wildlife, as well as compacting the scale and weight of the net and making it easier to manipulate. The “latch-hook” weaving technique is so simple to learn that people of all ages and abilities can get involved with the production of the fabric, and the panelized design allows for easy aggregation of pieces into a larger textile. This initial research and development phase proposes to use the textile in tensile, outdoor structures–as hammocks and sensory curtains–winding through the trees in Nolan Park. These structures highlight the tactile quality of the material, inviting viewers to touch it, lie in it, and experience the different qualities of the front and back of the fabric, the front being the ‘hairy’, unruly side, and the back being the knotted and structured side. These prototypes hint at the myriad ways in which the textile can be used. The project encourages community engagement and interaction, and sits at the intersection of art, architecture, and environmental activism.
In 2019, the Guardian reported that over 640,000 tons of fishing gear get dumped into the ocean every year. Despite earnest recycling and reclamation projects, collection and reuse of nylon and poly fishing nets remains a significant task. In this project, nets are collected, cleaned, cut, partially unwoven and then rewoven to create a new tactile and inviting textile. This transformative process neutralizes the capacity of the nets to ensnare wildlife, as well as compacting the scale and weight of the net and making it easier to manipulate. The “latch-hook” weaving technique is so simple to learn that people of all ages and abilities can get involved with the production of the fabric, and the panelized design allows for easy aggregation of pieces into a larger textile. This initial research and development phase proposes to use the textile in tensile, outdoor structures–as hammocks and sensory curtains–winding through the trees in Nolan Park. These structures highlight the tactile quality of the material, inviting viewers to touch it, lie in it, and experience the different qualities of the front and back of the fabric, the front being the ‘hairy’, unruly side, and the back being the knotted and structured side. These prototypes hint at the myriad ways in which the textile can be used. The project encourages community engagement and interaction, and sits at the intersection of art, architecture, and environmental activism.
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