Gitte Hansen
Textiles are an intimate part of our lives and directly impact our well being. They clothe, protect and adorn us. They are everywhere: in our homes, workplaces and the environment. They also exist in abundance. How we use and perceive textiles can silently say volumes about us and our culture. If our textiles could speak, what would they say?
My ongoing preoccupation with the textile medium is focused on investigating constructed textiles using natural dyes, earth pigments and stitch applications. This work enables me to revitalize old and discarded fabrics, trims, buttons and other findings to create new ideas about cloth. My formal knowledge about textiles started in 1978 where I completed my four year studies at Kolding Design School in Denmark (called Kunsthandvaerkerskole at that time). Years later, I completed my Masters in Design Practice at Northumbria University in the UK. Through my many years of working off and on with every textile dyestuff and technique imaginable, I have always returned to working with natural dyes.
I hope the work on this site will inspire you in your own creative search.
Quiet Conversations
February 19 - March 15, 2021
Fabrik (Australia)
Walnut dyed linen tea towel, indigo, goldenrod, weld and madder root line and silk stitching threads, indigo dyed wool fabric, and shells button embellishment.
The Heart Show
February 3 - 21, 2021
Gerrard Art Space (Toronto)
Silk screened earth pigments, foil cochineal, madder root dyed wool, mohair pom pom, cochineal silk stitching, and discarded trimming.