Leaves of Grass

For centuries the artistic traditions of the Far East have drawn on bamboo as a source of inspiration. In the 20th century many artists involved in the modernist movement incorporated this imagery into their aesthetic expression. In this exhibit we have two very different interpretations of bamboo that celebrate this relatively unpretentious grass that many of us think of as a tree. Achieving a balance between consistent regularity of a repeating design, so necessary in textiles used by interior designers, and spontaneous effects which break up the boredom of static patterns was one of the hallmarks of the textiles produced by Jack Lenor Larsen and his design team. This handcrafted resist-dyed batik produced in the Larsen Design Studio's special workrooms in New York City takes full advantage of the random effects created by liquid dyes as they seep through the thirsty fibers of velvet.