Isa Melsheimer Tuch (Loch I) / Cloth (Hole I), 2012
Fabric, embroidery, sewing thread
120 x 88 cm (47 1/4 x 34 5/8 in)
The works of the "Tuch" (Cloth) series by Isa Melsheimer consist of sheets of old silk curtain fabrics found and embroidered by the artist. In Tuch (Loch I) / (Cloth (Hole I) the pearl embroidery is sewn along the edges of a burned hole. The surface of the fabric preserves the signs of its use, like folds, stains and faded fields of color. The embroidery introduces a new narrative into this 'naturally' created landscape of a worn-down cloth. It emphasizes a seemingly insignificant, quotidian, but potentially dramatic event. The decoration of Tuch (Loch I) / (Cloth (Hole I) accentuates the signs of destruction, the burned hole and torn parts of the cloth. Through embroidery, the signs of destruction appear to be preserved like a precious memory. In the work, the artist plays with the contrast of materialities, the heavy and dense pearl ornament as opposed to the soft, silky quality of the fabrics.
Interconnectedness and merger of cultural and natural environments are one of the main themes addressed by the artist in her works. Tuch (Loch I) / (Cloth (Hole I) shows an interior element, a curtain, as a subject of the natural process of disintegration. The theme of time is highlighted both by the traces of the past on the sheet of cloth and by the laborious time-consuming cultural technique of stitching.
Interconnectedness and merger of cultural and natural environments are one of the main themes addressed by the artist in her works. Tuch (Loch I) / (Cloth (Hole I) shows an interior element, a curtain, as a subject of the natural process of disintegration. The theme of time is highlighted both by the traces of the past on the sheet of cloth and by the laborious time-consuming cultural technique of stitching.