Marina Contro

Jul 31

Handweaver and artist Marina Contro opened her San Francisco studio  to  friend – and Jeune Otte cofounder – Elise Bergman. The conversation? Textiles (Marina has taught  at both School of the Art Institute of Chicago and California College of the Arts) and the relationship between functional objects and art objects (Marina's recent collab with Commune comes to mind). The photos? Snapped by Elise.

JO: Tell us about your artwork.

MARINA: I weave functional textiles for the home and clothing – and I make artwork with cloth. As artworks, my textiles explore the relationship between objects of use and art. I like relatively simple cloth that lets the material shine.

JO: What's new in your studio?

MARINA: I’m sampling in my studio right now! I’m currently working with a new hemp yarn I got from someone in India. It’s a bleached single ply yarn. After this, the next few samples I will work through play more with color and weave structure. For me, sampling is somewhere between sketching and recipe development. It is creative but also technical and notes are very important.

JO: How does clothing play a role in your life?

MARINA: Well, I love fashion! It’s how I became interested in textiles and weaving. I love high quality fabrics and garments that can be worn for a long time. I really love when a garment and the fabric work together, when the drape or structure of a fabric connects with the shape of the garment and the body. I wear a lot of black but every once in a while I really like to have fun with color! Sort of similar to the cloth I like to make: either very simple, plain cloth or wild jacquards.

JO: Any thoughts on the Vivienne Blouse?

MARINA:  The crisp linen felt so chic. I also love how the fabric can feel soft or crisp depending on what I want. Soft without an iron or crisp with a press and even some laundry starch (I love a starched linen). I like the blouse with jeans or bigger pleated trousers. I can wear it so easily, to the studio, to class, to dinner out. The balloon sleeve makes it stand out as more than just a white blouse. It can go for the whole day.