Nadine goepfert interview
Textiles into Art. Words IRINA ROMASHEVSKAYA
We often think of textiles as mere clothing materials, not realizing their inherent potential for art exploration and research. Textiles are never truly considered to be an art medium, but German-based textile designer Nadine Goepfert thinks otherwise. Through constant research and collaborations with other artists and designers, Nadine is on her way to change that perception. “As long as I can remember I’ve had a great interest in traditional textile techniques and craftsmanship, so in my work I constantly experiment with the diverse aspects of the materiality and structure of textiles. My projects are based on research and conceptual thinking, and in some of them I explore the wide field of eventualities by creating open situations, which form the basis for my textile designs and art installations.” But what makes textiles so important? Nadine is very passionate about her work as a textile designer: “Textiles are one of the most multifaceted materials known to mankind. I like the idea of having an ability to start at the absolute beginning of a product. When working on a textile, the NU-MODE´ THE AWAKENING A/W 2013 .122
only thing you get right at the start is plain yarn, but it offers plenty of possibilities for interpretation. And this is what makes it so exciting to work with.” Is textile an art medium or a simple clothing material? This is definitely a subject open for discussion. But Nadine doesn’t insist on her role of being an artist, “I see myself as a textile designer, and not necessarily an artist, although art and philosophy are definitely influencing my work and create the starting point of my projects.” Working with textiles, like working on any other art project requires a lot of research, insists Nadine. “I have quite a big interest in literature and philosophy, so most of the time I start reading and researching tocreate some kind of a working concept, which doesn’t need to be profoundly elaborate. I try to leave some space for surprising developments or even mistakes during the working process, which will often lead my work in a completely different direction.”