Rope Wall Tapestries by Textile Artist Joana Schneider

Schlund.

Totem Raufen.

Big Star & Düster Boy.

Big Star details.

Düster Boy details.

Bürgerin.

Originally hailing from Munich, Joana Schneider is a Netherlands-based textile artist whose work is gaining recognition after she graduated from the Textile & Fashion department at the Royal Academy in The Hague. In 2018, Schneider took out both a Keep An Eye Award and the fashion and textile department prize from the Royal Academy.

Using chunky rope and sustainable yarn, Schneider hand wraps and crochets bright and bold abstract face shapes for her Totem series, each with a distinctly different colour palette and expression. Schneider draws her inspiration from fishermen and net makers, having spent many hours studying the techniques used in the netting industries in Katwijk and translating them into contemporary textile techniques. The net makers became her teachers, mentors and the sponsors of the materials.

Fugitive.

Blue Mask.

Totem Twin.

Of her work, Schneider says, “I de- and re-contextualize materials and techniques that often derive from fields that are not necessarily related to established textile techniques. I find beauty in labour, hence I find inspiration in fields such as net making, fishing and hair braiding. I appropriate from these fields and transform my inspirations into costumes for a space.”

Exploring the possibilities and pushing the boundaries of working with rope is what led Schneider to progress her work on to larger scales. Any space with her work hung on a wall instantly becomes a dramatic, theatrical environment with powerful symbolism and face shapes.

“I see myself as an applied artist in many fields as my installations go along with a series of products, such as interior and accessories. Environmental consciousness is key to my designs, therefore I only work with post consumer yarns as well as collected material that I reprocess for my use,” she says.