Cotsen Textile Traces Talk: Fractals in Textiles
A Hungarian artist duo uses artworks in the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection to explore the idea of fractals and the patterns that unfold in textiles and in nature.
Fractals are geometric patterns that reveal self-similar shapes and details no matter the scale. This fall, the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center celebrates “Fractals in Textiles," a micro exhibition of artworks – from Peru, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Miao ethnic group and the Shipibo-Conibo people – that illustrate the elegance of repetitive shapes, patterns within patterns and mesmerizing motifs.
In this talk, Judit Eszter Kárpáti and Esteban de la Torre will explore the beauty of fractals in textiles and the geometry that underpins everything around us.
About Judit Eszter Kárpáti and Esteban de la Torre
Textile artist Judit Eszter Kárpáti and new media and sound artist Esteban de la Torre are professors at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest, Hungary. Together, they use sound, space, light and time as material building blocks to research fractals and develop performative installations, multichannel sonic sculptures and dynamic surfaces. Their work has been presented internationally in galleries, festivals and exhibitions including the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum. Their work has also been commissioned by Dior and for “Blade Runner 2049,” “Dune: Part Two” and Material ConneXion, among others.
About Micro Exhibitions
Visit the museum’s lower-level galleries to see a rotating selection of objects from the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection. Inspired by contemporary culture and world events, these micro exhibitions are collaborative projects with GW faculty, students and special guests.
About the Center
The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center is home to one of the world’s most significant textile study collections. Assembled by the late Lloyd Cotsen, it consists of nearly 4,000 fragments of textiles created around the globe and dating from antiquity to the present, as well as some 100 sample books. Scholars, faculty, students and artists are invited to schedule a research visit, and the entire collection is accessible online. The center also presents rotating gallery displays and public programs inspired by the collection. Learn more about the center
How to Participate
This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online, and we will email you a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the event starts (1 p.m. EST / 10 a.m. PST). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.