‘Thrifted Palette’ is a series of sculptural woven artefacts that give textile waste a new lease of life. Integral to the series is a personal philosophy which fuses heritage, waste and overlooked industrial spaces.
The salvaged silk is arranged and processed on handcrafted tension frames into material palettes where a range of artisanal weaving and Ikat dyeing techniques sculpturally transform the materials on and then off the loom. Traditional crafts are brought into the discussion by providing an intervention between textile waste and processing which shines a light on its unseen potential.
The works piece together the imperfections that can be celebrated in leftovers, by providing a method to recover high-valued silk production ‘waste’ sourced from British weaving mills.
Artist Biography: Henrietta Dent (b. 1996) is a woven textile maker whose practice overlaps the boundaries between fine art and craft. With a conscious-making philosophy, she carefully constructs a journey of transformation through processing techniques. Drawing inspiration from her upbringing and mixed Thai and British heritage.
Henrietta’s work and interest in the architectural and historical dimension of materials weaving into Limehouse’s rich history of Maritime Trade, Metallurgic and Shipbuilding Businesses, can be seen here as handwoven artefacts providing an interventio between textile waste and processes. What lessons can we learn based on the artist’s choice of materials and aspects of Limehouse’s rich history and how can we use this knowledge to further address the topic of waste and sustainability in our every day lives?
