Comune di Chieri - Rete Civica

THE ARTISTS
BIOGRAPHIES

Sergio Agosti
(Carpaneto Piacentino, Italy,1933 - Chieri, 2003). Painter, sculptor andengraver, in his uninterrupted artisticcareer he has embraced numerous fields ofresearch. Untiring experimenter, from 1970onwards he turned to fiber art, investigat-ing the possibilities of various and unaes-thetic materials combined using soft, brightwools. Then he used cotton yarns in luridcolours set on monochrome backgrounds asa single mark of the rents in the felts and thetorn cards. For the cycle “Ambiguità delsegno”(Ambiguity of the sign) he createdthe “sewn stones”, whose poetry is repre-sented by the allegory of the soft materialthat makes hardness flexible without affect-ing its solidity.

Antonietta Airoldi
(Sala Capriasca, Switzer-land, 1951). A graduate in weaving from theScholastic Centre for Artistic Industries(CSIA) in Lugano, she later attended special-ist courses in Zurich and Paris at the ÉcoleEsmod. For many years she has been in-volved in original research that has led tothe language of wearable art and in particu-lar to the garment-installation. Her work iscentred on the analysis of the relationshipbetween the garment, as a second body, andits extension into space through the use ofclassic weaving techniques combined withnon-conventional materials. Since 1982 shehas exhibited in Switzerland and abroad, aguest at important events in the sector.

Robert Aleawobu
(Klikor, Ghana, 1963). Fol-lowing his secondary school studies, he tooka Master, studying ewe kente, a traditionalAfrican weaving technique. He works forpublic and private institutions.

Eva Basile
(Firenze, Italy, 1962). She studiedfabric decoration, design, printing, weavingand batik at the ISAin Firenze, later graduat-ingfrom the DAMSin Bologna. Amongst thespecialisation courses she has taken are:jacquard fabric design at the Fondazione Ar-te della Seta Lisio (Firenze) with ThierryFavre; ewe kenteweaving at the Blakhud Re-search Centre in Klikor (Ghana); shiboriwithPatricia Black and pre-Colombian weavingwith Chiara Barontini. She teaches jacquardweaving and fabric analysis at the Fon-dazione Arte della Seta Lisio; she also teach-es in prisons and therapeutic communities.Her research is centred on hand-weavingtechniques, on traditional African techniquesin cooperation with Ewe weavers and on theexperimentation of a particular type of weav-ing with card.

Verônica Alkmim França
(Diamantina,Brazil). A graduate in Fine Arts from theUniversity of Belo Horizonte, she then fur-ther specialised in history of art and pho-tography at the Fine Arts University andtook a course in communication and jour-nalism. As a stage and costume designer fortheatre, opera and cinema, she continuedher personal research into wearable art andbody architecture. She exhibits in personal shows, at interna-tional events and in museums such as the Na-tional Costume Museum Lisbon in Portugal,the Anchorage Museum of History and Art(USA), theMuseum of Tropical Queensland(Australia) and the Textile Museum ofBarcelona

Brigitte Amarger
(France, 1954). She stud-ied applied arts with Robert Wogensky andJacques Brachet. Since 1978 she has beeninvolved in artistic weaving with a particularinterest in two- and three-dimensional con-temporary tapestry. At the heart of her poet-ic is a warning about the destruction of na-ture. She uses natural fibres and vegetablefilaments with personal experimental tech-niques, taking inspiration from photographsand macro that she designs herself. She useswriting and industrial materials to investi-gate and attain effects based on the pairslight/shade, transparency/reflection. She hasbeen present at international events, includ-ing numerous editions of the Szombathely Bi-ennial in Hungary.

Simonetta Battoia
(Genova, Italy, 1952). Shestudied weaving at the “Duchessa di Gal-liera” School in Genova, later attendingcourses in silk, velvet and damask weaving atthe Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio in Firen-ze and at the Brozzetti company premises inPerugia. The basis of her research is the studyof the possible use of varied materials inweaving through the analysis of the flexibility,the elasticity, the viscosity and the possibilityof fixing. Elements from nature such as pineneedles and blades of grass find their placein her work, alongside glass, plastic and ny-lon rods. Recently her attention has turned tothe triangular loom, on which the warp andthe weave are woven at the same time

Silvia Beccaria
(Torino, Italy, 1965). Aftergraduating in philosophy she took a qualifi-cation in hand-loom weaving at Torino’s mu-nicipal school, specialising in textile designon four shaft looms with Martha Nieuwen-huijs. Moving away from the rules of tradi-tional weaving, she undertook professionalresearch in the field of wearable art. She hasbeen a guest at prestigious events, includingthe exhibition L’Eccellenza italiana. Per filo eper segno: dagli abiti-scultura di Roberto Ca-pucci al Fashion Design(Italian excellencein detail: from Roberto Capucci garment-sculptures to the fashion design) at PalazzoCarignano in Torino. She has organised di-dactic projects in which weaving is used as ameans of rehabilitation, working as a con-sultant in structures for the mentally handi-capped, detainees and disadvantaged chil-dren. She works with the department ofeducation of the Museo di Arte Contempo-ranea in Rivoli.

Heidi Bedenknecht De Felice
(Stuttgart,Germany, 1947). She studied textile designat the Istituto “Giosuè Carducci” in Comoand followed a course on weaving withPaola Besana and Vittoria Szaes-Salinas,later specialising in ikatdying at Maria El-da Salicew’s workshop in Milano. She hasconcentrated on artistic weaving since1980, taking an interest in manual weavingand natural dyeing. Later she concentratedon the exploration of transparencies and theweightlessness of materials in relation tothe reflection of light. Since 1999 she hasworked on the theme of the kimono andmore recently on the possibilities of plasticin combination with Wood’s lamp.

Margareta Bergstrand
(Helsingborg, Swe-den). She graduated from the Konstfack-skolan in Stockholm. She has worked for theSwedish Arts Council and her works appearin public and private collections.

Paola Besana
(Breno, Italy). She trained inthe United States, in France and in Italy. Shebegan weaving in Scandinavia, then studiedweaving in New York with Lily Blumenau andJack Lennor Larsen and at the CaliforniaCollege of Arts and Crafts (Oaklands). Shetravelled for study purposes to Mexico andGuatemala. She specialised in textilecon-struction and fabric structure with Ann Suttonand in dyeing in Great Britain, constantlytravelling to study and learn new techniques.In 1968 she opened a weaving studio and re-search centre in Milano.Her work is based on the creation on a loomof free three-dimensional structures in aspace to which they relate in tension andequilibrium. She works with double fabricand multiple shafts, creating flat pieces thatopen on more than one plane in space, suchas the tapestries that she exhibited in 1971 inLausanne and in1988 in Lódz´.

Karin Binder
(Leoben, Austria, 1957). Shestudied textile design in Linz and land art andethnosociology of art in Asian countries, whereshe specialised in textile techniques of south-eastern Asia, in particular Indonesia, Thailandand the Philippines. Curator and organiser ofexhibitions and consultant on cultural projects,she holds conferences and courses on specifictechniques such as three-dimensional artisticweaving with projection of light. She exhibitsin international events, and her works are heldin public and private collections.

Lauren CAMP
(New York, usa, 1966). A grad-uate in psychology and communication, sheexpresses her poetic through the medium ofquilting. With needle and thread she speaksof jazz music, which represents a fundamen-tal part of her work, of civil rights andwomen. Her innovative works have been in-cluded in important publications, in Ameri-can and European museums and on cinemasets. She has won numerous awards: the Sur-face Design Association financed the cre-ation of “Need is a Voice”, one of the artist’slargest series of works which will be trans-ferred to museums in 2009. Her work is host-ed in public and private collections and hercycle of portraits “The Jazz Factory” wasexhibited in American museums between2004 and 2007.

(Leonilde CAMPORA
(Campomorone, Italy,1953). After taking a diploma at the artisticlyceum in Genova with the professors Boc-chi, Alfieri and Prampolini, she lived forsome years in Rijeka (now in Croatia) in di-rect contact with the naïf painters from whomshe learned the technique of painting onglass that she combines with weaving. She isparticularly interested in investigating sur-faces/depth and light/colour. She is a teacherof drawing and history of art in a secondaryschool. She shows her work in personal ex-hibitions and at cultural events.

Teodolinda CAORLIN
(Venezia, Italy, 1946).Following her studies at an artistic lyceumand a diploma in weaving, in 1966 she openedan atelier of textile design that allowed her tobuild experience based above all on her artis-tic research. Initially her experimentation wasbased on the tapestry and the relation betweenmaterial and light. Subsequently she began totake an interest in colour, favouring the pri-mary colours and making visible not only theweave but also the warp, which became a sig-nificant part of the work. In the last decade thedominant motif has been the human figure,protagonist of relationships, contacts, consid-erations and emotions, symbols of existentialpassages. She is a lecturer and has taken partin important exhibitions, also representingItaly, such as the International Symposium ofTextile Art in Graz (Austria) in 1992

Giustino CAPOSCIUTTI
(Civitella in Val di Chia-na, Italy,1946). He holds a diploma in paint-ing from the Accademia Albertina di Belle Ar-ti in Torino and since 1967 he has worked inthe field of education and artistic promotion,working in particular with the mentally hand-icapped. He began exhibiting in 1969 and in1983 founded the event FiloArx,a collectivework of fiber art created through the individ-ual elaboration of thread. After years of ab-stract painting, he was struck by the beauty ofthe jute canvas and began to discover it ratherthan covering it in colour, arriving at the de-weaving which, respecting the work of theweaver, allows the development of numerousexpressive possibilities

Wanda CASARIL
(Venezia, Italy, 1933). Sheholds an art diploma from the Istituto Stataled’Arte in Venezia and subsequently took adiploma in textile art. She has taught textiledesign at the Istituto Statale d’Arte in Veneziaand since 1983 she has dedicated her timeexclusively to her creative activity. She hastaken part in numerous international exhibi-tions such as the Biennale Internationale dela Tapisserie in Lausanne, the InternationalTriennial of Tapestry in Lódz´, the Interna-tional Tapestry Network in Anchorage (USA)and the Miniaturtextil Biennale in Szombat-hely (Hungary).

Jeanne-Marie COCHERIL
(Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, France, 1935 -Torino, 2000). She studied atthe École Esmod in Paris, laterworking in the field of fashion.From the seventies onwardsshe studied the techniques ofhand-weaving and traditionaland contemporary tapestry,with particular interest, inthe latter years, for the three-dimensional and embossedeffects with the technique ofdouble warp. She exhibitedat international textile artevents. She created numer-ous cycles including“Masks”, “Arazzi bianchi”(White Tapestries) and theseries “Végétation” (Vege-tation), a group of three-di-mensional works. She tookpart in numerous exhibi-tions in Italy and abroad

Mario COSTANTINI
(Penne, Italy, 1946). He re-ceived his diploma from the Accademia diBelle Arti in Roma under the professorsMafai, Avenali and Bianchi Barriviera. Hehas dedicated his time to investigating popu-lar weaving, with particular attention to an-cient and contemporary situations in thetown where he lives, and where he studieslocal history. His textile sculptures draw onthe traditions of the Abruzzo region. Heteaches textile design at the Istituto Stataled’Arte in Penne and exhibits frequently.

Marina COSTANTINO
(Perosa Argentina, Italy,1950). Since 1978 she has been working onmanual weaving creating fabrics for cloth-ing. In her most recent research she also usesfelt to create sculptures. Since 1994 she hasorganised with the association “Amici dellaScuola Leumann” in Collegno (Torino) the ex-hibition Filo lungo filo(Thread long thread).Since 2002 she has worked with the educationdepartment of the Museo d’Arte Contempo-ranea in Rivoli. She exhibits frequently at tex-tile art events.

Cinzia TARALLO
(Rivoli, Italy, 1955). Follow-ing a diploma from the Istituto Tessile in Tori-no, she became interested in textile experi-mentation using various techniques and typesof materials: fabrics, collage, plaster, etc. Sheworks with Marina Costantino in organisingthe event Filo lungo filo(Thread long thread)an annual review of artistic crafts held since1994 at the Villaggio Leumann in Collegno(Torino). She exhibits in Italy and abroad.

Helvecia (Kela) CREMASCHI
(Mendoza, Ar-gentina, 1940). After graduating from the Uni-versity of Cuyo in Argentina, she undertookher personal research into natural dyes ap-plied to fabrics. She opened a tapestry atelierin Buenos Aires, in 1976, then she moved toPeru to study the techniques of pre-Colombiantextiles and with the designer Manuel Sorercreated the first atelier of modern tapestries.Her experience continued in Colombia. Shehas lived in Italy since 1994 and teaches atthe Accademia di Belle Arti in Como.

Joanna CRONE
(Arnhem, Holland). She stud-ied applied art, subsequently taking a spe-cialist course. Her research is concentratedon unusual materials experimenting withpossibilities and impossibilities. She useselectric wires, coloured wires from streetlamps, wine bottle wrappings and objects oc-casionally found in the street. She sews, cuts,shapes these raw materials to obtain two-and three-dimensional sculptures. She showsher work at personal exhibitions and inter-national events.

Meike DALAL-LAURENSON
(Güstrow, Germany,1938). A graduate in history of art at the Uni-versity of Richmond in England, where shetook numerous specialist courses, and a Mas-ter in fashion and millinery, she has dedicat-ed herself to the study of weaving and subse-quently to felt, specialising in millinery. Her research centres on the possibility of cre-ating works of wearable art using woollen fi-bres without the assistance of any kind of tool.As well as exhibiting in international exhibi-tions, she is an editor and organiser of events.

Elyse De LAFONTAINE
(Plessisville, Canada).She studied fine arts specialising in textile de-sign at the Centre des Textiles Contemporainsof Montréal. Her research began withmillinery, which she considers a wonderfulschool of sculpture, leading to weaving-non-weaving and the use of materials includingfeathers and horse hair, to which she attrib-utes a spiritual significance. She shows herwork frequently in personal exhibitions and atinternational events.

Katharina DELLA CHIESA
(Biel/Bienne, Switzer-land). She holds a diploma as couturièreatthe School of Fine Arts in Zurich. Using handstitching, colouring and beading, folding,washing and structuring, she seeks a con-nection between the fabric and the expres-sion of emotion. Her works require lengthypreparation, since they develop in a constantrelation between form and content. Shemainly uses silk, paper or cotton and pastelsfor chromatic effects.

Marie-Noëlle FONTAN
(Toulouse, France,1948). A graduate in history of art from theUniversity of Toulouse, she studied Indianweaving techniques in Guatemala at theMuseum of Mankind, at the Ixchel Museumand in the villages in direct contact with thelocal weavers and the Mayan traditions. Herwork is expressed through the use of naturalelements (flowers, leaves, twigs, etc.) withwhich, through simple weaving she createssculptures, large installations and artist’sbooks. Her work is frequently hosted in mu-seums and at international events. She wasawarded the “Grand Prix de la Création dela Ville de Paris 2007 - section Métier d’Art”.

Claude e Andrée FROSSARD
Were born in Neuchâtel in Switzerland respectively in 1935and in 1937. Claude is a sculptor and Andréeis a weaver. Together they work on experi-mental projects dealing with the problem ofintegration of the work with architecture.Since the early fifties they have been presentat the most important international fiber artevents, such as the historical editions of theLausanne Biennial and the Triennials at Lódzand Szombathely. Their works have beenhosted at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Parisand in public and private spaces.

Valeria FUSETTI
(Ferrara, Italy, 1948). Shetrained at the Scuola di Moda Vitali in Fer-rara and in modern techniques at schools inthe United States and Switzerland. She man-aged her own tailor’s shop in Ferrara formany years. She is a lecturer in modern andcontemporary techniques of patchwork, quilt-ing and appliqué. As well as exhibiting as afiber artist at important international events(including the Carrefour Européenne duPatchwork at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines andthe World Quilt & Textile Competition in theUnited States), she organises exhibitions andevents in her field. As a historian and expert,she works with specialist magazines forwhom she writes articles and columns

Lucia GATTI
(Torino, Italy, 1973). A graduatein fashion design from the University ofUrbino, she works as a fashion design con-sultant for important labels and produces arange of “one-off” clothing. She pursuesartistic research into garment-sculptures as abody shell. At the centre of her work is nature,from which she takes materials (twigs, pinecones, leaves, etc.) she then plaits and weavesideally reconstructing the human body.

Luciano GHERSI
(Genova, Italy, 1952). Fol-lowing a degree in Philosophy he turned toweaving, working on the contaminationbetween art, design, crafts, philosophy, anth-ropology and psychophysiology. He also exhi-bits his textile work on the contemporary(non-textile) art circuit. He runs textile work-shops in India, Ghana and in Algeria among-st the Saharawi refugees. In Italy he workedwith weaving centers for the handicapped andwith squats. He has published studies andtexts on weaving in books, magazines and onthe Web, where he has numerous documents,images, videos and blogs. He lives and worksat Porchiano del Monte, in Umbria where hehas founded the Facoltà di Tessere (Faculty ofWeaving).

Siri GJESDAL
(Stavanger, Norway). She stud-ied at the Bergen School for Teachers andtook the Cours de la Tapisserie Moderne inGeneva. Subsequently she followed the teach-ings of Rosemarie Koczy, honorary memberof the Guggenheim Foundation. She has beenweaving experimentally since 1973 usingpaper and drawings, but also linen, wool,fragments of fishing net picked up on thebeach. At the centre of her research is natureand the environment. She has created numer-ous works for public and private clients. She isa member of the Norwegian Association of Artsand Crafts and exhibits at international, European a

Sara HAMMARBERG
(Sundsvall, Sweden,1950). A graduate in history of art at the Uni-versity of Stockholm, she specialised at theSchool of Applied Arts and Design in the samecity. She has taught drawing and since 1978has been a professional artist. Her works areheld in public and private collections

Sugane HARA
(Tokyo, Japan, 1961). A gradu-ate of the Tama Art University, she teaches atthe Tohoku University of Art & Design inSendai. The simplicity of sewing representsthe linguistic tool chosen for her work whichis based on feminist themes. In particular, infabric she identifies the means through whichwomen of the past expressed themselves astheir only means of communication and at thesame time, an expression of interior values.She exhibits in Asia, America and Europe

Ane HENRIKSEN
(Randers, Denmark, 1951).She studied weaving at the School of AppliedArts in Kolding subsequently holding the roleof head of department of weaving at theAcademy of Fine Arts in Jutland. She is amember of the Scandinavian association forartists and scientists.Her research is ascribedto “new classicism” through the recovery oftraditional weaving techniques.

Nanna HERTOFT
(Frederiksberg, Denmark,1936). Her research is centred mainly on thetapestry, whose creative process begins withthe dyeing to arrive at the spinning and ma-nipulation of materials. She creates herworks directly on the loom using the gobelintechnique and inspired by the nature of theNorth. She shows her work at internationalevents and has been a member of the Inter-national Exhibition Committee of the Min-istry for Cultural Affairs in Denmark

Dorthe HERUP
(Ærøskøbing, Denmark, 1953).She studied at the School of Art and Design inBergen and Oslo and at the National Collegeof Applied Arts in Kolding. Her experience inthe textile field began in the seventies whenshe attended the studio of Else Marie Jacob-sen at Kristiansand in Norway. Her work, withconsiderable decorative impact is developedthrough mystical themes using contrasts ofwoven and unwoven threads where light anddark create calm and movement.

Silvia HEYDEN
(Basle, Switzerland, 1927).She studied at the School of Arts in Zurichdirected by Johannes Itten specialising inweaving. Fiber artist e violinist, she carriesout her research in the field of tapestry usingpersonal techniques that see her use the loomlike the strings of a violin. Her research hasled to the development of “feathered weav-ing”, through which she obtains an innova-tive dimension in her tapestries. Her worksare on display in European and Americanmuseum collections.

Sue HILEY HARRIS
(Brisbane, Australia, 1950).She studied fine arts at the College of Art inQueensland. She specialised in weaving on ahand-loom and for many years conducted re-search into silk fibres. She uses dyes with nat-ural pigments such as indigo and pigmentsfrom the land in which she lives. She mainlyexpresses herself through three-dimensionaltextile sculptures on autobiographic themesbetween art and life. She exhibits throughoutthe world and holds workshops in Australiaand the United States

Marussia Kalimerova DRAGANOVA
(Sofia, Bul-garia, 1953). A graduate from the Academy ofFine Arts in Sofia, she is a member of numer-ous institutions and cultural associations in-cluding Women in Textile Art in Miami (USA)and“Arelis - Association pour la création etla diffusion de la tapisserie française” (Paris).She frequently exhibits internationally and herworks are on display in public and privatebuildings.

Akiko KOTANI
(Waipahu, Hawaii, USA, 1940).A graduate in history of art from the SlipperyRock University where she is now an emeri-tus professor, she took a master in Fiber Artfrom the Tyler School of Art and studied theMayan weaving techniques in Guatemala.Her works are held in important museumsincluding the Metropolitan Museum of Art(New York). She has created public and pri-vate works, amongst which a large tapestryfor the international airport of Pittsburg. Sheis involved in a vast number of internationalexhibitions. She creates tapestries and in-stallations using sewing and perforation, at-taining evanescence through layers andtransparencies

Chantal KÜNG
(Digione, France, 1954). Shehas taken numerous courses in weaving, em-broidery and bobbin lace, in particular atthe Filambule Textile Scool in Lausanne. Inher work she uses industrial materials thatshe transforms and decontextualises, insert-ing them in the new fragile and precious di-mension of tapestry and three-dimensionalsculpture, created using traditional weavingtechniques.

LA CANTRA
Non-profit social association,founded in Chieri in 1999 operates in thefield of art, culture and solidarity. La Cantratakes its name from the spool rack that gath-ers a number of spools of different yarnwhich together contribute to form the warpon which the weave is formed, symbol of anassociation in which everyone with their var-ious abilities contributes to the project thatbrought them together. It is a territorial ref-erence point for schools and training centresand participates in educational projects andcultural events.

Agneta B. LIND
(Backe, Sweden, 1952). Shestudied art in Stockholm and Aachen in Ger-many. Her research centres on tapestry usingthe technique “Norwayn röllakans” and onexperimental sculptures using various mate-rials such as boat canvas, sails or metalsworked using textile methods. Her works areon display in hospitals, schools, banks,churches and other public spaces

Shao-JI LIANG
(Shanghai, China, 1945). Agraduate from the Academy of Fine Arts inZhejiang, the artist also studied in Europeand the United States. Shao-Ji Liang worksin the field of design and is a member of theProvincial Association of Applied Arts inZhejiang, exhibiting his work at interna-tional events.

Esther LLONA DE LA PUENTE
(Bilbao, Spagna,1948). She takes part in textile art exhibi-tions in Spain and Europe. Since 1995 shehas won numerous awards in fiber art andcontemporary art competitions

Nando LURASCHI
(Legnano, Italy, 1928). Hetrained at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bre-ra (Milano), subsequently undertaking per-sonal research into the experimental possi-bilities of glass. He has studied the technique“Dalle de Verre” taking specialist courses atthe Centre International du Vitrail inChartres (France). With the cycle of worksdedicated to garments he began to take aninterest in Fiber Art, and in particular in gar-ment-objects, working with glass fibre, juteand other materials. He has conducted nu-merous study trips in parallel with numerousexhibitions in Italy and abroad.

Federica LUZZI
(Roma, Italy, 1970).A gradu-ate in literature from the Università dellaSapienza in Roma with a thesis on Magdale-na Abakanowicz, she took a diploma in sculp-ture in wood, tapestry and macramé weavingat the Scuola Comunale di Arti Ornamentali“San Giacomo” in Roma. Following studiesin Poland and Hungary she specialised incontemporary and three-dimensional tapes-try techniques with Droppa, Latkowska,Owidzka, Cremaschi. She sculpts concentrat-ing her attention on the theme of the “seed”and experimenting the use of the verticalloom and unconventional materials. At thesame time she has worked on the artist’sbook. She exhibits at Italian and foreignevents. Since 2003 she has been a represen-tative of “Arelis-Association pour la créa-tion et la diffusion de la tapisserie française”.

Renate MAAK
(Stralsund, Austria, 1936). Shestudied at the Hochschule für IndustrielleFormgestaltung in Halle. Since 1981 she hasbeen a fiber artist and a lecturer in textiledesign. She exhibits at important interna-tional events and is the organiser and artisticdirector of the ITASin Graz (Austria). One ofthe paths of her multifaceted research is theancient technique of knotting with the use ofmodern and flexible materials.

Mirela MARINESCU
(Bucharest, Romania,1968). She studied at the schools of art inBucharest and Amsterdam. In her work sheloves to experiment with various techniquesusing paper, transparent and synthetic mate-rials and concentrating attention on tactilesensations. She exhibits at fiber art eventsincluding the International Miniature TextileBiennial of Szombathely (Hungary).

Cherilyn MARTIN
(Bristol, England, 1951).She studied at the Bourneville School of Art& Design in Birmingham, at the ManchesterMetropolitan University (specialising in em-broidery) and at Bristol University. She usesthe textile medium to express her affinity withthe tactile heredity of the past. She has de-veloped a personal style combining a pas-sion for exploring the use of sewing with aninterest in quilted surfaces. The stratificationis a fundamental element that allows her tosculpt and draw using fabric and thread, andto investigate the effects of light on the tactilesurface. She exhibits constantly in Europeand the United States.

Susan BARRETT MERRILL
(New London, CT, USA,1946). Sculptor and textile designer. She grad-uated from the Goddard College in Plainfield(Vermont), and has also studied at the New Ex-perimental College in Jutland (Denmark) andthe Harvard College in Cambridge (USA). Shehas taken courses in art, theatre and mytholo-gy in various cities in the United States and atParos (Greece). She was a pioneer in the teach-ing of textiles to the disabled. Her vast researchconnects the loom to life and the search for wis-dom. Her masks called “Zati”, woven using anoriginal technique, represent the expression ofa personal itinerary. She has written a manualon weaving. Her works are exhibited in manycountries through out the world.

Augusta MOLETTO
(Ala di Stura, Italy, 1944).She studied weaving with Martha Nieuwen-huijs. She is one of the founders of the asso-ciation “Il filo e il gesto” and a member ofthe group “Filo e forma” for research intonew weaving techniques. Working on theanalysis of hand-weaving and traditionaland contemporary tapestry, she studies rep-resentations of mountain landscapes and or-nithological figures. She has also conductedexperiments into the portrayal of the humanface. She teaches weaving at the Universityof the Third Age in Italy, organises weavingworkshops for the disabled, textile trainingcourses for teachers and awareness activitiesin the field of manual skills and textile cre-ativity for children. She exhibits her worksand organises events.

Gina MORANDINI
(Udine, Italy, 1931). Fiberartist and organiser of events, she has beenworking in the field of textile art since 1956.Following a teaching diploma in domestic sci-ence she opened her own hand-weaving work-shop and in 1958 created the artistic weavingsection at the Istituto d’Arte in Udine, whereshe taught until 1991. She brings to the textilemedium her artistic expressiveness and fol-lowing a period in which she focussed on tra-ditional textile techniques, her researchopened to experimentation with metals, andmore recently with felt. As well as exhibitingin personal shows and international events,she curates and organises important eventsincluding the “Valcellina Prize” for youngfiber artists, which she founded and whichshe has curated for the past five editions.

Cecilia NATALE
(Roma, Italy, 1949). She stud-ied weaving at the Scuola Comunale di ArtiOrnamentali “San Giacomo” in Romawhere she later took a course in macramèwith Diana Poidimani and specialist courseswith Beate Hauser and Graziella Guidotti.She has experimented with tapestry andknotted rug techniques using non-classic ma-terials such as rope. She displays her work inpersonal exhibitions and in Italian and for-eign fiber art events.

Martha NIEUWENHUIJS
(Amsterdam, Holland,1946). She trained in cosmopolitan artistic set-tings in various European countries. Shemoved from Paris to Torino in 1966 and hereshe graduated in political sciences. In the ear-ly seventies she began experimenting with fiberart, working both as an artist and organisingevents to promote fiber art in Italy. It was thenthat she conceived the International Biennialof Fiber Art Trame d’Autoreheld in the townof Chieri. At present her research convergeson painting, writing and artist’s books. She isinterested in shared art and has created two se-ries of artist’s books with the painter ClaudioJaccarino: Metamorfosie Sguardi(Metamor-phosis and glances) and with the artist Chen Lia series of works entitled Incontri(Meetings).With these two artists, in 2007, she foundedthe Movimento internazionale d’arte condi-visa AR.CO. (Movement for shared art). Sheregularly takes part in contemporary artsymposiums in Italy and abroad. She has ex-hibited in Italy, France, Holland, Germany,Spain, Hungary and Switzerland.

Erny PIRET-HEUERTZ
(Luxemburg, 1940). Fol-lowing her studies at the atelier of MarcelVerhofstadt (Accademia de St. Josse, Brux-elles) and with Carol Chaine, she conductedresearch into innovative and common mate-rials and their use in unconventional ways. Inthis field she is currently experimenting withpersonal techniques, in particular sewing andwith a new method for using basic tulle. Re-cently she has concentrated much of her en-ergy on promoting textile artists in Europe,curating events and exhibitions. She was artistic coordinator of the TriennaleInternationale de la Tapisserie et des Arts duTissu de Tournai and of the Ki-monologue ex-hibition. She is the founder of the group ofartists ETAI(European Textile Art Innova-tions). She collaborates with Kakuko Ishii,lecturer at the Kyushu Sangyo University inFukuoka on the exchange exhibitions be-tween Japan and Europe.

Lydia PREDOMINATO
(Trieste, Italy). Fiberartist, she began her career with EnricoCrispolti at the Biennial in Gubbio in 1976.She has exhibited at the most important in-ternational exhibitions in the sector, includ-ing the Biennial in Lausanne, the Triennialin Lód, the International Symposium inGraz and the Triennial in Kyoto. As part ofher vast activity she also organises numer-ous events such as the Amelia Biennial. She is also involved in the organisation andcurating of the Valcellina Prize for youngtextile artists. She founded and held the course in weav-ing at the Scuola Comunale di Arti Orna-mentali in Roma and has taught at the Isti-tuto Centrale di Restauro (Roma). She is a lecturer at the Accademia d’AltaModa Koefia in Roma.

Esther RAMSEIER
(Zurich, Switzerland,1944). She studied architectural design at theTechnikum Winterthur in Zurich and textiledesign in Switzerland, where she teaches ap-plied art. She also teaches drawing andpainting and curates various projects. Sheexhibits in Switzerland and Europe.

Rosmarie REBER
(Berne, Switzerland, 1952).She took a diploma in hand-weaving and hasstudied at the schools of art in Berne andBasle. In 1986 she began weaving copperand silk. The shadows produced by the lumi-nous yarns became very important for herresearch and were integrated into the workusing both artificial and natural light. Sheexhibits in international events and herworks appear in collections such as the Tex-tilmuseum in St. Gallen (Switzerland).

Luisella ROLLE
(Torino, Italy, 1955).A gradu-ate in pedagogy from the University of Tori-no, she trained artistically in numerous Tori-no workshops. Her research reflects topicsrelating to art and behaviour. She became in-terested in fiber art through the local textiletraditions, combining anthropological inter-est with the allegory of woven yarns. She hasworked with numerous artists and, since1997, she has concentrated on teaching pro-jects for junior schools. In this field she hasworked with the Galleria d’Arte Moderna,the Galleria Sabauda and the FondazionePalazzo Bricherasio in Torino.

Gulla RØNNOW LARSEN
(Copenhagen, Den-mark, 1947).She studied traditional and con-temporary textile techniques at the weavers’association in Copenhagen and completedher training with specialisations in fiber art atthe Academy of Fine Arts in Aarhus. She weaves unusual materials into her ta-pestries such as rusty rings, tarred linenthreads and wax. In particular she investigates experimentalmixed techniques such as the transferral ofphotographic images onto various supports:metal, fabric, wood, etc.

Daniele ROSSI
(Moncalieri, Italy, 1974).Diploma in Fine Arts and a degree in sculp-ture from the Accademia Albertina in Torino.Painter, sculptor, organiser of events in co-operation with foundations and museums, heholds courses on Celtic history, art and cul-ture in Piemonte. He also curates and or-ganises conferences-exhibitions linked to thethemes of the linguistic minorities. In hisRagnà,large textile installations of land art,he links the anthropological research to therecovery of ancient traditional crafts.

Valeria SCUTERI
(Stignano, Italy, 1953). Fol-lowing artistic lyceum and studies at the Ac-cademia Albertina in Torino, she completedher training in direct contact with the painterDeabate, later dedicating her time to paint-ing and sculpture and, in parallel form 1976onwards, to textile research using an experi-mental loom and mixed off-loom techniques.Her garment-objects and wearable sculp-tures have been displayed and presented asperforming works at international events andmuseums such as the Musée du Textile deHaute Alsace in Wesserling and the Car-refour Européen du Patchwork in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, which hosted a personalexhibition. One of her garment-books waspresented during the event Torino WorldBook Capital with Roma.

Marialuisa SPONGA
(Milano, Italy, 1942).She became interested in textile art from theseventies, subsequently approaching fiber artwith a view to research. She has studied artistic weaving with Gian-nangeli, natural dyeing and shibori with theAssociazione Tintura Naturale and withRossella Cilano, then felt with Helga andLise Schwabl. Her research investigates thepossibility of flexible materials and of con-temporary tapestry with the technique of as-sembly and the non-traditional use of thesewing machine. She uses any material thatcan be sewn with a needle. Since the ninetiesshe has exhibited her work at internationalevents throughout the world.

Valentina STEFANESCU
(Calarasi, Romania,1969). She is a graduate in textile art fromthe Faculty of Fine Arts in Timisoara inRo-mania, where she also teaches. She exhibitsin Romania, in Europe and in the UnitedStates. She is the curator of events andcourses in the visual arts

Helle RUDE TROLLE
(Skamby, Denmark, 1958).A graduate in experimental weaving from theDanish University of Education in Copen-hagen, she studied the use of the digital loomat the School of Design in Kolding, whereshe teaches weaving. She exhibits in her owncountry and at foreign events, including theInternational Textile Competition in Kyoto.

Zabu WAHLEN
(Vevey, Switzerland, 1943).Following humanistic studies she dedicatedherself to creating tapestries, installationsand textile miniatures using the traditionalbrocade weaving techniques and the use ofmaterials such as barbed wire and film. Herwork begins with the body and extends to hu-man history: the weave of the tapestry be-comes the body surface. Physical pain isevoked through lacerations. She exhibits atinternational events in France and abroad.

Carol WESTFALL
(Everett, PE, USA, 1938). Shestudied at the Maryland Institute College ofArt in Baltimore. She was the head of theweaving department a the Montclair Univer-sity in New Jersey. In her fiber artist lan-guage she uses the digital loom to create ta-pestries and installations. In some works sheuses images taken from medical texts, withwhich she creates drawings on the loom thatvary according to the light. She exhibits inthe United States, in Europe and in Asia atimportant international events.

Roberto ZANELLO
(Torino, Italy, 1944). Af-ter his secondary school education hestudied weaving in France creating,from the sixties onwards, artisticjewellery using silver wire andalso working with batikand shibori. Subsequentlyhe used rust to colour fab-rics and show the passage oftime through his work. He createslarge installations experimenting withthe most diverse materials and at the sametime creates artist’s books and teaches inschools, institutes and museums. He exhibitsfrequently in Italy and abroad.

Sabine ZEILER
(Dresden, Germany, 1949).After working on fabrics and their use inartistic language, she began to express her-self above all with silk, which she dyes com-bining it with metal, gold, wood and othermaterials. At present her works are influ-enced by the traditional shiboritechniqueand the arashimethod with which she at-tains unexpected effects. Her murals are often more than six metreswide and her works are displayed in exhibi-tions throughout the world.