TAL NARKISS: DOROTHY WAXMAN INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE DESIGN PRIZE WINNER 2022
Tal Narkiss was born in 1995 in Israel, lives in Tel Aviv and was a student at SHENKAR COLLEGE (Israel).
She was inspired by her grandfather’s antique collection, it was only after he had passed that she found a special interest in the old vessels and started to wonder about how the once functional and vital items, were now mainly aesthetic objects. The conflict between the years of history reflected in the damaged clay, and its current “useless” existence as decoration was a calling to further explore. The historical value of the antiques discriminates them from Tal’s work, focusing on the technique, materials, and contemporary existence of the vessels. The use of hand weaving – an ancient craft, and the choice of linen yarn, a fiber once abundant in Israel, mirrors the connection to the past. The use of technology for the 3D creation and the final sustainable outcome reflect her modern interpretation. This synergy was meant to raise inquiries concerning the influence time has over the meaning of materials, identity, and essence.
PROCESS: “Kelim” (Hebrew word for vessels) is a series of hand-woven three-dimensional vessels, made on a 24 shafts Dobby loom. Tal used 20 shafts to create 10 layers for each weave, by dividing the warp into two groups, crossing one pick through a tubular accordion weaving route, a three-dimensional seamless vase is obtained right after cutting the cloth off the loom. Proceeding to unfold the weave into a vessel in a shape of a vase using linen yarn as the main material, as well as some paper yarn. Part of the yarn was dyed using colorful soil collected from different parts of the Israeli desert. The yarn was soaked in soy milk bath for a few days prior to the dyeing process, in order to create a natural binding between the earth and the yarn.