SHAPE OF NOW FASHION RESIDENCY | ANNE GUITTEAU & KATRIN SCHNABL

ANNE GUITTEAU AND KATRIN SCHNABL

January 14 – 28, 2018

Joining forces, Annie and Katrin are collaborating on building a multi-dimensional knitted environment. Using discarded plastic that has been carefully cut and repurposed into yarn, the traditional craft of knitting becomes the vehicle for a conceptual exploration of space, environment and body.

Having both independently knitted with plastic before, this residency provides a unique opportunity for a larger-scaled investigation. For the Shape of Now opening both co-created the circular ‘Bubble I’, and ‘Bubble II’ (shown in window). The studio residency allows for an expansion of this idea spatially and to build what one can’t see: the gyroid structure that makes up plastic on a molecular level.  This knitted environment provides a way of exploring this unique dimensional space with our body.

The collaborators are also interested in the conversations that this creative process creates: about the materials themselves, about repurposing plastic that most often is intended to be immediately thrown away, about the invisibility of the environmental crisis of this disposable culture and these relationships to fashion as a reflection of deeper cultural shifts.

BIO

Anne Guitteau is a knitwear designer and artist. Her work explores the complex relationship between fashion, form and function, blurring the line between garment and sculpture. Combining traditional techniques and alternative materials, she lets her shapes form organically and playfully.  

Her work has been featured in prominent fashion publications including Harper’s Bazaar, WWD, Elle Magazine, and the cover of the Chicago Tribune style section as well as on the runway during New York Fashion Week and at The Walk, SAIC’s annual fashion show. Her work has been displayed in the Sullivan Galleries’ 2014 Graduates Show, and the 2015 BFA Show.  

Katrin Schnabl is a designer, artist and educator. A trained dancer and skilled pattern-maker, Schnabl fuses her two passions to create sophisticated and modern clothes that move sensuously on the body. She has designed for acclaimed dance companies and art performances, which remains an important part of her creative practice. The process of imbedding meaning into pattern-making techniques also informs much of the artist’s recent installation work. By placing her hand-cut and sewn assemblages into unexpected locations, she heightens our perception of clothing as a membrane that filters information between individuals and their shifting contexts and interactions. Through distinct capsule collections, the German-born designer also continues to refine her esthetic since launching her first collection in New York in the late ‘90s. Through her clothing and accessories, Schnabl strives to empower women by creating items reflecting their dynamic lives. In 2004, Schnabl was invited to teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she currently serves as the Associate Professor and Sage-Endowed Chair of Fashion in the Department of Fashion Design.

UPCOMING WORKSHOP

Sculptural Knitting

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