The TextielMuseum invited artist Tanja Smeets to develop the installation 'Nebula and the Soft Machine'. The installation consists of two parts, each made using a different technique: laser cutting for 'Nebula' and knitting for 'Soft Machine'. An intensive period spent in the TextielLab enabled Smeets to develop new materials and applications, such as three-dimensional, laser-cut felt shapes, knitted round strands with hundreds of loops and various colour transformations on the knitting machines.
‘Nebula’ (dust cloud) is a tranquil work in grey comprising whimsical laser-cut felt shapes that appear to drift across the floor and up the wall. The felt is held together by grey plastic leaf catchers and tie-wraps. In the centre of the installation is 'Soft Machine', a surreal knitted growth with goblet-shaped protrusions. Together, the two parts create a landscape in which each work exists independently. The installation suggests dynamic growth, evoking mental images that are not easy to place. In this work, Smeets pushed the boundaries of the materials to produce thick, opulent structures. The textile materials and use of colour allowed her to work like a painter and construct large installations with these materials in several spaces.
Combining the different techniques in this work presented a challenge. Although the machines in the TextielLab have limits, the project also provided an opportunity to experiment and play with these limits. As Smeets wanted to construct three-dimensional objects from a flat fabric, she first worked out the design on paper to determine how the objects had to be cut to achieve the greatest 3D effect. The fabric was then laser cut into whimsical shapes and the structures were unfolded and put together.
Elusive, insidious growth processes play an important role in Tanya Smeets’ work. Her installations seem to take over the spaces they occupy. The organic forms infiltrate a place, attaching themselves to walls and ceilings, sometimes even appearing to embed themselves in the fabric of the building, like a malignant growth. The clusters of restrained white, black and occasionally brightly coloured structures are reminiscent of fungi and toadstools. These structures are often made from simple but unusual industrial materials such as plastic soup spoons, polyester or knotted plastic thread.
