Helena Hietanen

Helena Hietanen, Helsinki-based sculptor by TEXTILE DESIGNERS.

HINT: Technolace wall hangings.

"Fabricated from strands of optic-fibers, her work combine handicraft traditions and cutting-edge fibre-optic technology to create textiles that transmit light. Hietanen discovered fibre-optics at a trade fair and she discovered how to adapt it to create traditional lace patterns by combining traditional hand craftsmanship with today's technology, which is what she had wanted to do all along."*

*from the book TEXTILE DESIGNERS, at the cutting edge. By Bradley Quinn.

Astrid Krogh

Astrid Krogh, Denmark-based designer, by TEXTILE DESIGNERS.

HINT: Fibre-optic textiles, the visual pulse of light.

"Krogh anchors her designs to new technologies by weaving lenghts of optic strands into iridescent tapestries that glow, illuminate and flare into a rainbow of brilliant colours. 'My work incorporate artificial light but they are not artificial light sources themselves. My work is mostly influenced by the daylight I see outside my window'. "

"Altought Krogh works with hi-tech materials, she relies on traditional techniques to craft her textiles. 'It is very important to me to be able to switch between old craft techniques and new technologies'."*

*from the book TEXTILE DESIGNERS, at the cutting edge. By Bradley Quinn.

Nani Marquina

Nani Marquina, Barcelona-based designer by TEXTILE DESIGNERS.

HINT: From traditional rug design to new tactile heights.

"Marquina's textured designs are characterized by the striking depth of the materials she uses. Ranging from softly tufted low-pile reliefs to long strands of fluffy wool fibres, her carpets seem ready to embrace the whole body, rather than just cushion the feet. 'Textures are a way of representing the union of two feelings: view and touch'. Many of her textures are inspired by nature and she readily accepts the challenge of recreating the beauty of the natural world in the fibre form."*

*from the book TEXTILE DESIGNERS, at the cutting edge. By Bradley Quinn.