Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles

Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles

Published by Arsenal Pulp Press
On sale October 2014 in print & digital editionsTrade paper | 8in x 8in | 272pp | $24.95

“Weaving a tale” or “dropping a thread” take on new meaning
when we view textiles as more than functional objects.

Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles explores how clothing and other functional items made with fabric are transformed into narrative-based artworks. Including a range of genres— memoir, cultural fables, pictorial histories, wearable fiction, political manifestos, narrative retellings, and poetic verse—and featuring artists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, Strange Material inventively illustrates the process of writing narratives with a needle instead of a pen, dye rather than ink, cloth in place of paper. Crafters use techniques such as batik, stitching, fabric painting, knitting, crochet, and weaving to unfold their stories. With beautiful images, provocative interviews, and helpful instructions to prompt your own textile storytelling project, Strange Material will inspire creativity through needle and fabric. This October, Leanne will embark on a North American book tour with fellow author-designer-makers Betsy Greer (Craftivism) and Kim Werker (Make It Mighty Ugly!). Together they'll visit San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, DC., visit the following page to learn more including some very exciting special guests! http://45thparallel.tumblr.com/post/88320280411/make-your-voice-heard-the-intersection-of-craft Leanne Prain is a knitter and the author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit and Crochet Graffiti (with Mandy Moore) and Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery. A professional graphic designer, Leanne holds degrees in creative writing, art history, and publishing. She lives and crafts in Vancouver, BC, and can be found at leanneprain.com or on Twitter @LeannePrain. Learn more about books that are relevant to textiles or clothing here on Apparel Search.