Something old - something new - the poetry of change

Contemporary textile art talks always about change and future. In this masterclass-week with Britta Ankenbauer we will working with fibres, yarns, fabric, we will experiment with paints and inks, we are stitching and connecting textiles and other materials. It’s all about a circular process of creating. Our starting point will be using something old and turning them into new exciting ideas and results: this is our week!

Are you a material collector? Are you interested in sustainability and re-use of materials? Are you excited about creation and textiles? Are you interested in finding out your own pathway of creating new, sustainable and exciting work? Do you love change and reconstruction? Do you love experiments, not knowing exactly where to go?  In this week we will work with “Something old” and add something new to get into this circular movement and change. 

You can bring (old) materials, unfinished work or your beloved clothes or garments. We will work something new with it. First, using different methods of altering materials, we will explore a lot of possibilities. We use deconstruction and reconstruction methods. We use paint or other materials to alter colours or texture on the surface. We use text or poetry to find a story behind…  Then – probably the hardest thing in the process- you’ll decide where to go with your creation. After having a direction to work you can start making. 

This will be a week full of inspiration and new ideas.

Materials you need (don’t buy too much new things, look first in your stock and what you already have at home):

• Something old: garments, unfinished work (UFO), materials you have stored for a long while, something precious. We concentrate on textiles, but old books or objects are also very welcome to work with

• Textile Materials: different fabrics (also white ones to paint or print on), 

• Different yarns (wool, knitting yarn, cotton yarn, … see what you have and what you like, bring enough that you are able to wrap something)

• Small rests of textured material (lace, felt, papers, other flexible materials)

• Embroidery threads in different colours and qualities

• Some Papers and MixedMedia Materials (special paints or inks, if you like to work with something special) 

• If you like to sew by machine and embellish with machine stitching: bring your machine, threads and the additional tools like stitching or quilting foot, needles, etc.

• Good, sharp needles for hand stitching and embroidery (I love the John James needles because of their sharp points)

• Personal Scissors or roller cutter, optional: knitting or crochet needles (for small textures)

• Your Sketchbook and your favourite mark making tools (Brushes, inks, stamps,…)

• Inspiration: what inspires you (photos, stories, text, poetry, magazines, natural objects, books?): bring some of it with you or make photos of it