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Drafts in WHITE
Fold, Pleat, Pin, Drape
Issue 6
April 2024
Growing up, I remember seeing Julie Andrews and Vivien Leigh make clothes from curtains in The Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind. I thought to myself, “Who does that?” Then, many years later, I saw the great Carol Burnett stroll down a grand staircase with a curtain rod protruding off her shoulders, hilariously taking this trope a step further with her comedic descent.
I have been using images of draped textiles in my drawings and paintings for years, attracted to their theatricality and potency for mystery. Appreciating the tension between revealing and hiding, one memorable example is the elegant simplicity that Demna, creative director of Balenciaga, captured with a bridal dress he designed for the fashion house in 2021. A perfectly restrained silhouette.
Working with the fabric – folding, pleating, and draping – for our latest light, ORA V, was new and refreshing. It was nice to put aside my chisel and hammer and play with light and soft materials.
Typically, drapery sits at the periphery of a space. It dresses rooms, filters light, and keeps the cold at bay – a guardian of the interior. ORA, on the other hand, is placed away from the exterior walls, hanging on a trapeze, calling attention to the center of the room while illuminating it with an atmospheric glow.
Drafts in WHITE are bimonthly notes from our studio – inspirations, illuminations, and cultural explorations.
Images:
Photography of ORA V by Emily Poole;
wedding dress by Balenciaga from Vogue France;
The Way of the Flower 1, 2019 by Dana Harel.
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