In “Crew Intentions,” Danielle Clough delves into the nostalgic world of 1970s magazines – Huge
Danielle Clough came across a vintage copy a few years ago playboy In an antique shop. She was unknown at the time, and cinematography of the 1970s era, feather-like hairstyles and iconic (if stereotyped) influenced a variety of large-scale embroidered portraits.
The Cape Town-based artist (formerly) searched for pages of popular magazines for faces and environments she could transform into embroidery. Because of the source, Clough is sensitive to the fact that one might expect these images to be oversexed, but “when they are stripped from the context, they may become beautiful and illegally wholesome in the new recalibrated wool world,” she said.
In her solo exhibition Crew intentionNow seen on Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Clough’s distinctive vibrant fiber composition will enter a past era that seems not out of reach in time, but it can feel ancient history when measured by technological and socio-political leaps over the past decades. Through the historical technique of crew embroidery, a form of fiber-working with bare hands, in which wool yarn is sewn onto the cloth, the artist creates a raised and textured surface that can hit nearly any shape or size.
Nostalgia has a comfortable effect when the contemporary world feels overwhelming. In the 1970s, the world was still largely simulated, mainly through email. Magazines and newspapers are printed. The Internet we know does not exist yet, but there are hints (the “modern” Internet will appear in the mid-1980s).
The artist blends new materials and saturated tones with images and styles, and we often associate with earlier ages, both romanticizing and acknowledging outdated attitudes, styles and techniques. “Claff’s appreciation of her materials and themes allows her to have a conversation about graceful aging, celebrating outdated production processes and aesthetics that stand the test of time,” the gallery said.
The 1970s represented a way to explore generational transitions, beauty standards, social norms, photography and representation. Through careful cropping and lighting, Clough combines the effects of the film, with the most provocative works such as “Crewel Intentions” and “Extra The Extra Mile,” in which her characters make eye contact with viewers as if they know what’s in the future store.
Crew intention It lasts until August 24 in Philadelphia. Explore more on the artist’s website and on Instagram.
