Specular II

The first Specular was created for the Open Call Competition of the Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art and Design 2023, where it was awarded as one of the 10 finalist artworks and on October 22nd 2023 it received the President's Award - special commendation for textile art. It interprets the theme of 'I AM YOU', meaning that in the search for our own identity we compare ourselves to others through interaction, exchange, sharing and empathy. What's more, we find empathy with others through the identification with the other's emotions. The Specular designs are based on mirrored and interconnected portraits, which reveal different moods. The Specular collection consists of unique tapestries that are handmade in Florence with local high-quality natural and recycled yarns. The interconnected and mirrored portrait geometries in contrasting colours refer to vibrant, enigmatic masks. The Specular artworks can be custom made in varying sizes and numbers of portraits. The colours used for the different portraits are often contrasting, and they vary from pop art colours to soft pastel shades. A special feature of the design is that the framed version of these tapestries can also be hung upside down, depending on the dominant state of mind that one prefers to see.   Specular II is based on a square design and it has 2 mirrored portraits. It was on exhibition in the Netherlands during Dutch Design Week 2023 in Eindhoven and it was sold shortly afterwards. Technique: hand-tufted and embroidered on cloth, crochet edging.  Materials: Wool, recycled and mixed yarns on wooden stretcher.  Numbered and signed artwork.