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KULU

textiles with narrative

In a practice that merges traditional craft techniques and the digital, Emma Fallon of KULU creates contemporary textiles that are inspired by human connections to landscapes, using hand weaving, jacquard, screen-printing and the Victorian process called ‘shadow tissues’.

We asked Emma: What is it that gives your work its unique signature? I am a hand weaver working with traditional craft techniques and digital processes to create contemporary textiles. My collections range from hand woven, collectable art pieces to jacquard woven cushions and bespoke furniture made in collaboration with furniture maker Jonathan Pryor.

I am inspired by landscape and the human connection with nature, journeying across the British Isles and documenting the land through photography and drawings to create textiles with narrative. The work encompasses a sense of place and aims to create a meaningful connection between people and cloth through the use of techniques rich in history and culture. I have developed a Victorian technique called shadow tissues, combining screen printing with hand weaving by printing the warp threads before the cloth is woven. This unique process is the distinct characteristic exhibited in the cloth.

The origin of materials is intrinsic to the meaning and charm of the fabric, and I work with ethically sourced silks, natural fibres and UK mills to produce luxury textiles, merging antiquity with the modern.

How did you make this new work? A jacquard woven production of luxury silk fabrics has been developed from drawings and paintings and produced with a mill in Yorkshire; this jacquard collection has been used in a collection of furniture made in collaboration with Jony Pryor. Each piece of furniture is handcrafted and the cushions are backed with organic velvet. This is a full UK production and each piece of furniture is available to order as a bespoke commission. Part of the collection are original hand woven, collectible art pieces. I hand hand paint the warp threads before weaving to give a soft, broken effect similar to IKAT. Each hand woven piece is framed in oak and these pieces are available to order as commissions or from a collection of pre-woven pieces.

Where did your inspiration come from? The Storr Collection is inspired by a seven hundred mile bike ride across the British Isles and Outer Hebrides ending at The Old Man of Storr on The Isle of Skye.

Documenting the land through photography and drawings, I develop textiles as woven and printed designs. My work encompasses a sense of place and aims to create a meaningful connection between people and cloth through the use of techniques rich in history and culture.

Work shown: The Storr collection comprises Bench, High Stool, Low Stool, cushions and a silk fabric collection. The framed hand-woven art includes Clouds, Rain and Birds.