Young Israelis, Sharon Shalita a textile designer and Maytal Barokas a textile and weave designer have created a series of hand-printed and hand-woven textiles which appear to be in an open dialogue with contemporary art and design without missing out on textile traditions. Drawing inspiration from 18th century “Toile de Jouy” French designs, the two designers join forces and manipulate fabrics which have been woven by hand, combining luxury metal threads (silver and gold) and textile yarns (linen, cotton, silk).
Pastoral compositions of plants and birds originated from engraving work, printed with silkscreen using blue ink decorate the fabrics and create an interesting narrative, which is both contemporary and traditional. By combining soft and rough materials the fabrics present an innovative quality adding a possibility of an expressly three-dimensional surface. The unique encounter between technique, materials and imagery creates harmonic visual and tactile story, integrating the rhythm of the woven surfaces with the graphic quality of the printed images.
The textiles incorporate contemporary design trends and authenticity and will be shown during Milan Design Week 2011 as part of the 'Promisedesign: New design from Israel' exhibition which is curated by Ely Rozenberg and Vanni Pasca.