andrea zittel

I've always been a big admirer of artist Andrea Zittel's work...mixing issues of architecture, design, fashion, and ergonomics, she has created installations and objects that challenge traditional uses of tools, garments, and living spaces. Based in NYC and Joshua Tree, California (where she has a survivalist compound/studio) her work is a fabulous counterpoint to the art-vs-craft debate that so many of us seem to get mired in. She has created moveable personal islands, "carpet furniture," trailers, and uniforms, among many other things. Her blurred boundaries and mix of utopian/nihilistic/survivalist approaches to her designs are a real inspiration.









Andrea Zittel's website
(oops! had the wrong link--now it's correct!)

articles:
metropolis japan today
PBS Art 21, a DVD documentary series on contemporary artists that I highly highly highly (can't stress enough!) recommend everyone watch...rent it or check it out from your local library!

On her wearable designs:
"Since 1991 the technical and conceptual evolution of the A-Z Uniforms Series has been gravitating toward an increasingly direct way of making clothing. The goal has been to create attractive and sophisticated designs through very simple techniques and with basic materials.

"After the creation of the A-Z Single Strand Uniforms (which reducing the “tools of production” to simply crocheting strands of yarn directly off of ones fingers), A-Z next began to consider the strands of wool and how these could also be in some way reduced or simplified to a more "elemental" form. What if one could make a dress directly out of the fiber itself? A period of experimentation resulted in a technique where washed and carded wool is "felted" directly into the shape of a shirt or dress. Because the clothing is made as one piece there are no seams, and if needed one can use a safety pin to position the garment correctly on the body."