Net-work; lace and the (con) figuring of space
Lesley Millar
2009
The Net-work research project will inform the development of an exhibition and an accompanying publication, both of which will explore and reveal the ‘projection of lace on space’.
The focus will be on contemporary approaches to lace making and its relationship to architecture and installation art. The starting point for the project is the Japanese concept of Hashi; the edge of one thing and the beginning of another and Ma; the space in between things.
The research project will explore the relationship between the magical, symbolic spaces associated with darkness, and the (light) abstract, multidimensional spaces affiliated to emptiness. The dual identity of lace will form the basis of the investigation: that of the light and ethereal and that of the dark and transgressive, specifically through the placing of work within particular spaces. This approach has cross-cultural and trans-national resonance for architecture, for the activity of lace making and for creative and analytical curatorial interpretation.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery will be the lead venue for the exhibition that will feature a number of international artists.
