In a world where disembodied virtual experiences have become the order of the day, Threads of Synergy – a new exhibition of South African tapestry art in the La Motte Museum – pays homage to the artisans’ presence in the making. This exhibition of large-scale tapestries calls for a tactile encounter, regaining sensitivity towards surfaces and reawakening our sense of touch.
As an authentic South African art experience, Threads of Synergy presents a selection of tapestries woven by the Stephens Tapestry Studio and includes South-African artists Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, Sam Nhlengethwa, Cecily Sash and Cecil Skotnes. By extending traditional boundaries between art and craft, tapestry reveals the very essence of creative collaboration between artists, designers and weavers. This exhibition is centred around weaving as an artform – from spinning and dyeing the mohair, to redrawing the artwork designs for tapestry, charting the colours, to the weaving process itself resulting in co-created tapestries that are exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide.
In this new exhibition, the focus is on the authentic and away from mechanisation. In a time of global social isolation, ongoing personal distancing and digital immediacy, we are reminded of the sentiments of textile artist, designer, teacher and writer Anni Albers (1899–1994). While not being against innovative production, she believed that technology dulls awareness of the tactile sense and that it progressively results in an indifference to the perception of touch.
Threads of Synergy in the La Motte Museum adds another sensory experience to La Motte’s acclaimed art offering that includes the estate’s famed Pierneef exhibition, a wealth of sculptures, classical music concerts, the culinary arts and of course, the art of winemaking.
Where: La Motte Wine Estate, Franschhoek
When: from 19 August 2021 until winter 2022
Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 09:00-17:00
Entry: free