Filz

Felt is fashionable. Since the 1980s, not only couturiers and designers, but artists as well have become more interested in felt. This publication, for the very first time, provides a thrilling survey of current creative activities which may be based equally on Joseph Beuys as on ethnological traditions. It is felt as a medium, or frequently the felting process itself, which dominates the artistic message of many works. Artists such as Inge Evers or Claudia Merx, for instance, develop their images directly from felting techniques. Others may be more interested in the sculptural potential of felt or explore its material characteristics like Erich Koster, who turns felt into stiff material, from which he saws 'technoid' structures, or Ulrike Hau, who makes weapon-shaped felt objects. There are also artists who are attached by felt's resemblance to skin and thus its connectedness with the body, for example Celio Braga, who considers the body in terms of its vulnerability and frailty. Together with such artistic interpretations, the book illustrates the use of felt in fashion and design.
This is a comprehensive study of what artists make of felt at the beginning of the 21st century, recorded in captivating illustrations accompanied by texts illuminating the fascination of felt and its significance in contemporary art and design.