Accumulation
The lungi is a traditional garment made from a rectangular woven cloth that is wrapped and knotted around the body. Wide, colourful blocks are woven to overlap in the weft and warp direction to create a vividly coloured surface. The starting point of this collection, however, was not the actual physical garment, but photographs of the lungi. Once the colour is removed from them digitally, a newly interpretable structural surface emerges.
The resulting images are digitally processed, and in a first step, new colours in a muted range are added in. Then, traditional floral embroideries are added and overlap with the structure of the lungi. As a third element, organic patterns complement the composition. While these collages seem to float in an immaterial, empty space, their basic design elements organize themselves again into new forms and arrangements. Variations of these endless digital combinations can then be transferred back and become real life garments.
Theresa Grünfelder