Invitation to the Divine — Amy Putansu

Throughout history and across cultures, textiles have served important spiritual roles. Belief in the protective or auspicious nature of cloth can be found in societies on all continents. The idea that embellishment and pattern may add not only beauty but also a link to the spiritual realm and protection from evil is indeed a potent one. In this lecture Amy Putansu will discuss how notions of spirituality have influenced her own hand-woven artwork. Inspired by Buddhism, Zen design precepts, and the minimalist art movement, Amy presents a powerful way to reimagine textiles as an invitation to the divine.

Amy’s current practice focuses on an unusual weaving technique called ondulé, which produces ever-present waves of threads throughout the cloth. These fabrics are specially constructed for resist dyeing and other alternative techniques. The resulting textile panels are contemplative fields that reference the undulating nature of light, the sea, and expressions of transcendent experience.

Recorded October 4, 2016. Published as a podcast February 13, 2019.

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Ondulé weaving by Amy Putansu