Creative articles about quilting

European Patchwork Meeting 2013, Part 1

The 19th European Patchwork Meeting was held from 12 to 15 September 2013 in Ste Marie-aux-Mines and the surrounding districts of the Val d’argent in Alsace, France. At this event, the largest and most important of its kind on the European continent, more than 1000 works were exhibited and the supporting program offered lectures, guided tours of the exhibitions, courses and workshops, sales exhibitions by designers and a huge area for dealers – absolutely everything you could possibly want! Over the four days of the event, tens of thousands of visitors came to the main venue at Ste Marie-aux-Mines and to Ste Croix-aux-Mines, Lièpvre and Rombach-le-Franc, where there was something going on everywhere, for example in churches and various halls.

Kim Hye Sook (South Korea): Dramatization of Memory, detail



I would like to start by presenting some exhibits that were selected for the international competition that is held every year. The theme this year was ‘Déformation – Distortion – Verformung’ and I had the great honour of being appointed to the jury, which also included Dr Sue Marks (UK) as President and Elsa Brits (ZA). We undertook the selection several weeks beforehand, but only had access to anonymous photos to use as a basis up to this point. The three of us were therefore very excited to see the originals – labelled with their titles, but still without the artists’ names – which we once again scrutinised in detail before awarding the organiser’s main prize.

Kim Hye Sook (South Korea): Dramatization of Memory (left), Vineta Cable (UK): Blown Against Forever (right)(re)


It was a very difficult choice, but it finally fell to ‘Dramatization of Memory’, an excellent and extraordinary work by Kim Hye Sook from South Korea. She won a cheque for more than 3000 euros and her work was bought for the organiser’s collection.

Prize winner Kim Hye Sook (South Korea) in front of her quilt ‘Dramatization of Memory’, detail


The prize ceremony took place on Friday afternoon at the theatre in Ste Marie-aux-Mines and some of the winners even attended in person. In addition to the main prize, several sponsors awarded money and prizes in the general category.

For the first time, it was possible to participate in the competition as a lecturer/teacher in a special category. The main prize was a trip of several days to the capital of Japan, Tokyo, and the opportunity to teach there. This fantastic prize was donated by the Japan Handicrafts Instructors’ Association (JHIA) …

Winner Elisabeth Nacenta de la Croix (CH) in front of her quilt ‘Magic View’

 

… and the Japanese delegation chose the attractive work ‘Magic View’ by Elisabeth Nacenta de la Croix (CH). Elisabeth, who, like everyone, was very surprised, could hardly take it in at first, as she was called to the stage as the final winner.

Barbara Lange (D): Monochrom 9 The Beehive (centre), Monique Gilbert-Oversteyns (B): Sabi-Samurai (right)


The photo above shows the exciting works in the ‘Lecturer/Teacher’ category, which, like the other submissions, are all a uniform size of 100 x 100 cm.

Barbara Lange (D): Monochrom 9 The Beehive, Detail


The highlight on this richly embroidered quilt is a mirror pyramid. If you look inside from different angles – in accordance with the theme – the bees appear to be deformed.

Regula Affolter (CH): Graue Mäuse (left), Jutta Briehn (D): Spuren V: Verformung – Feuer (right)

Rita Frizzera (I): White Noise

Paul Schutte (ZA): Distorted Ocean: Oil spills and pollution (left), Isabelle Wiessler (D): Dans le miroir de l’océan (right)

Linda Colsh (B): The weather in her head

Kim Hye Sook (Südkorea): Kim Hye Sook (South Korea): Dramatization of Memory, detail (left), Vineta Cable (UK): Blown Against Forever (centre), Jette Clover (B): Words 5, detail (right)

Juliette Eckel (D): Textile Deformation

Juliette Eckel (D): Textile Deformation, detail



Juliette won the prize from Magic Patch with this exciting work which, as can be seen clearly from the close-up, has a very interesting surface structure and processing technique.

The number of submissions increases from year to year. It was a difficult task for the jury to select the best and most original pieces according to specific criteria, such as reference to the theme, originality, composition and technical execution, on the basis of over 150 photos submitted. However, I am convinced that the organisers have succeeded in putting together a very versatile and attractive exhibition, which will be now be touring for more than a year as a travelling exhibition. Visitors encounter fascinating quilts and lots of new ideas – a rich source of inspiration for their own creative endeavours.

Hiromi Hayashi (JP): Open Minded (left), winner of Quiltmania, Marina Tavella (I): Good Vibrations (centre), winner of France Patchwork, Verena Giavelli (I): A Dancing Square for Bea (right) – photos taken before the award ceremony

Marita Lappalainen (FIN): Net, detail

Monika Schiwy-Jessen (D): Mirror Effects


Monika won the prize, a cheque for 500 euros, offered by the magazine Patchworkideen, with her brilliant quilt ‘Mirror Effects’.

Christine Mouget-Vuillemez (F): Jeans experience (left), Ellen Aasa (NO): Out of Focus (right)

Susan Chapman (UK): City Slickers (left), Grace Meijer (UK): Old into New (right)

Ildiko Polyak (H): Digital Dance (left), Brigitte Didier (F): Ondes, detail (centre), Brigitte Kopp (D): In Motion (right)

Brigitte Didier (F): Ondes (left), Monika Flake: Lichtbrechung, detail (right)


‘Ondes’ won the prize donated by AURIfil: a case of threads worth 650 euros.

Rahel Elran (IL): Log Cabin #2 (left), Solange Lasbleis (F): Le miroir brisé (centre), Monika Flake: Lichtbrechung, detail (right)

Christine Neumann (D): Rainbow Umbrella Confusion, detail, Karin Pfunder (D): Butterfly or Waterlily, Lynette Weeks (AUS): Fireworks New Year’s Eve, Eti David (ISR) Solo Dancer 2, Chiba Keiko (JP): My Kaleidoskope (from left to right)

Karin Pfunder (D) in front of her quilt ‘Butterfly or Waterlily’, with which she won the prize from Kaleidoscope: a box of books worth 500 euros.

Eliane Schurgast (CH): Fleur au vent (left, in the middle ground), Gabriele Schultz-Herzberger (D): Mutation of the Square (right, in the middle ground)

Petra Kooij (NL): Distortion


At the end of the section on the competition exhibition, it is only right to include an award-winning work: The BERNINA prize went to Petra Kooij from the Netherlands, who was unfortunately not present at the ceremony. Congratulations!

Overall, the extremely diverse exhibition ‘Déformation – Distortion – Verformung’ includes enchanting quilts, all totally different in terms of their interpretation as well as the materials and techniques used, which I am, of course, unable to present in full here. And, as is always the case, even the best photo cannot replace the original. An overview by the organisers is available here.

A new competition for the 2014 EPM taking place on 20 May has already been announced and comes under the theme ‘Imaginer … – Imagine … – Stell dir vor …’
While the exhibition ‘Déformation’ was shown on the first floor of the theatre, in the main hall on the ground floor, Kay Triplett (USA) presented …

… an exhibition of works belonging to her: ‘The Chintz-Quilts from the Poos Collection’. The 25 quilts shown all originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and …

… are in an impressively good state of preservation. Patchwork, appliqués, Persian appliqués and embroidery perfectly combined with fancy motifs and unusual designs!

We continue with a look at a next highlight: for the first time in Europe …

17th Quilt National Biennial (USA)

… the organisers are proud to present 26 works from the Quilt National 2011. This biennial competition organised byQuilt National (USA) is one of the most prestigious events anywhere in the world, and the exhibition has previously only been shown in the US.

Jan Myers-Newbury (USA): Firebox (centre)

Since the competition was launched in the US in 1979, at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens (Ohio), the project has continued to develop steadily and very successfully. Meanwhile, the works submitted from around the world now leave traditional quilting far behind. The techniques that are combined under the heading of ‘surface design’ (such as dyeing, decoloration, designs created on the computer and printing etc.) and all kinds of manipulation of fibres and fabrics are used. Quilt-makers around the world have elevated the creative endeavours of a handicraft into an art form that begins with the creation of the fabric itself and no longer relies solely on commercially produced materials and patches. Nevertheless, the basic techniques, such as piecing, appliqué and embroidery are retained, although with the addition of new techniques, such as computer design and a variety of printing techniques. Quilts have become art quilts In addition, more and more works now carry social or political statements – as is often the case in the visual arts.

Pat Pauly (USA): Pink Leaf 2, (left), Janet Bass (USA): Nature’s Rohrschach (right)

Janet Bass (USA): Nature’s Rohrschach, 2010, 99 x 246 cm

Barbara Watler (USA): Banana Bloom, 2010, 132 x 107 cm

Barbara Watler (USA): Banana Bloom, detail

Anke Kerstan (D): Kaleidoscope II, 2009, 130 x 180 cm

Luanne Rimel (USA): Venetian Stone 2, 2010, 46 x 46 cm

Luanne Rimel (USA): Venetian Stone 2, detail

Inge Mardal and Steen Houghs (F): La Tristesse Damals and Today, detail

Shoko Hatano (JP): Color Box #13, 2009, 137 x 201 cm


In this award-winning work, Shoko Hatano expresses her concern about the destruction of the natural environment caused by global climate change.

Shoko Hatano (JP): Color Box #13, detail


I would like to conclude the first part of my report here. Further parts are planned.

***

Photos:(C) Dr. Wolfgang, Gudrun und Valerie Heinz


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