Urban Looms, Recoloring City

Author

Ella SonFollow

Date of Award

Spring 6-1-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Textiles

First Advisor

Anais Missakian

Second Advisor

Lisa Scull

Third Advisor

Amelyn Ng

Abstract

The metropolis has been a dominant and defining aspect of my life. Acutely aware of visual illusions created by the choreographed and unchoreographed movements of people in the streets and the distortions of light and shadow on the glass facades of skyscrapers, I reinterpret the patterns and colors that are in constant interplay into a collection of architectural textiles.

With an emphasis on optical layering, these immersive installations recreate the quality of being spellbound in the city. Scaled to emphasize verticality and activated through transparent overlays and dense color interplay, a rich visual field is activated. In their application, the designs not only transfer easily to the exterior when imprinted in polycarbonate and building materials but to the interior in the form of fabric screens. Each version brings the immensity and vital immediacy of city life to the foreground.

Urban Looms, Recoloring City explores visual illusions created by the choreographed and unchoreographed movements of people, distortions of light on glass surfaces of skyscrapers, architectural phenomena of light and shadow, and the complex urban systems of people and transportation. The metropolis acts as a constant source of inspiration, which I reinterpret into patterns and palettes.

Recommended Citation

Son, Ella, "Urban Looms, Recoloring City" (2024). Masters Theses. 1243.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1243

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.