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CHRISTOPHER FARR LAUNCHES RUGS DESIGNED BY EMERGING TEXTILE ARTIST IRENE INFANTES
Hand knotted in India of Persian wool, design of the Gravitation rug by Irene Infantes for Christopher Farr is based on a collage of colorful abstract forms.
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LONDON -- Spotlighting its commitment to creating new and exciting designs, supporting emerging creative talent and producing the finest quality handcrafted rugs, Christopher Farr will launch a collection of four designs by emerging textile artist Irene Infantes in July.
Available through the company's showrooms in London, Los Angeles and New York, and online at christopherfarr.com, the rugs may be viewed as contemporary collages of textiles and forms that impact Infantes' daily life. Found objects and photographs, once discarded and unseen become treasured by Infantes for their color or composition and subsequently create the colorful abstracted shapes in her artworks.
The Levitation rug by Irene Infantes for Christopher Farr is hand-knotted in Afghanistan of handspun Afghan wool.
The repetition of a single line running through her designs represents the journey the artist is undertaking, while the collages act as moments in time along her path. Infante's series of four designs for Christopher Farr is drawn from a body of works titled The Social Life of a Material and have a bright contemporary zeal, yet they also have a depth and distinct quality of material and execution.
Each rug has been masterfully handcrafted, in different locations, exploring some of the vast arrays of techniques available to Christopher Farr when producing new works.
A flatweave of Matka silk, the Sevilla rug by Irene Infantes for Christopher Farr uses vertical lines and small circles, with a very textured matt surface.
Levitation and Magnetism are hand-knotted in Afghanistan where locals have long farmed sheep for their lanolin rich wool, which is especially durable and which absorbs dye in a satisfyingly unpredictable way. The subsequent effect, once knotted, creates a movement of color and tones that seem to add a heritage to these contemporary patterns. Gravitation and Seville are hand-crafted in India, the former knotted from pure wool, the latter is flat-woven from slubby raw silk, creating an entirely different textural effect.
The Magnetism rug designed by Irene Infantes for Christopher Farr contrasts contemporary forms with an intense abrash accentuated by the thick, coarse and low pile knotting technique found in the ancient nomadic rugs of Afghanistan.
"Christopher Farr is committed to nurturing new creative talent. Irene's work caught my eye after seeing her degree show at Central St Martins. There was something assured and fresh with her use of color, with a spirit that breaks through tired conventions. I had no choice but to invite her to work with us," said Christopher Farr.
Textile artist Irene Infantes
A native of Seville, Spain, Irene Infantes moved to London in 2010, where she completed a BA in Textile Design at the Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design. During her studies Infantes was afforded the opportunity to design a special collection of prints for Anthropologie, to be sold in their latest shop opening in Spitalfields, London.
She also received a 'Textprint' award which led her to exhibit her work at the Chelsea College of Arts and the textile fair Premiere Vision in Paris, where she was shortlisted for the Clothworkers Interior Award.
Her work has been exhibited across the UK and throughout Europe, including the London Design Festival, London Design Business Centre, Lethaby Gallery, MoOD Brussels and Museum of Arts and Design in Hamburg.