By Ingrid Keneally
At a moment when the overriding mood is the embracing of craft made by hand, it isn’t surprising that the unique collections of wallpaper scenes and hanging sculptures touched with whimsy and a distinct colour palette from Brooklyn-based textile artist and designer Dana Haim are compelling textile lovers to fall in love with them. Haim, who received a BA in Textile Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, and then an MA in Design for Textile
Futures from the Central Saint Martins in London, is currently based out of Brooklyn, New York. For her sculptures she uses her signature pom-poms swinging from original materials such as driftwood, deer antler sheds and starfish, and these works carry a sublime beauty as natural as the real world.
- A turning point in your career:
When I was commissioned to make a memorial quilt for Wieden + Kennedy’s London office in 2010. The London offices of international advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy commissioned me to create a three-metre by three-metre square quilt in commemoration of Martin Cole. Cole, the Wieden + Kennedy planning director, tragically passed away in 2009. Some of Martin’s clothes were donated for use in the construction of the quilt.
Martin’s friends from WK and I made approximately 1000 pom-poms by hand which were used to create the type across the top. It read ‘Get It Done’ which was Martin’s motto and legacy to WK. The piece is installed at the Wieden + Kennedy head office 'The Cole’ on Hanbury Street, London.
It was a crucial moment, as it made me realize that I wanted to do good with my work and make work that had some emotional or social significance. This lead me to pursue my work with artisans around the world as I love the idea of empowering communities and makers while helping to preserve important textile crafts.
- What was it about your childhood that influenced what you do now?
I was brought up in a very creative environment, my mother is a talented artist and designer and was a huge inspiration to me growing up. She was also very entrepreneurial, so watching her start her own business was a big influence on me.
- The professional achievements you are most proud of:
I am really proud of what I have planned for 2016. I recently partnered with artisans in Mexico and Guatemala, which is something I have always wanted to do and have been trying to do for a while, so finally starting to see that come into fruition is super exciting and is a dream come true.
4.Your thoughts on the rise and rise of hand-crafted textiles:
I think an exponential increase in use of technology and involvement in the digital world, is making people crave the handmade in their worlds outside of screens. I believe people want to feel cozy and want to be surrounded with more earthenware inspired products since most of our everyday lives involve, in large part, a huge amount of technology.
5.Your fantasy wool project:
I am working on it; I am getting my wool rugs off the ground and dream to get them out to thousands of homes worldwide.
6.Your favourite textile artists:
Sheila Hicks, Annie Albers, Sheila Pepe, Gunta Stolz, Annette Messager, and many more.
7.Your favourite woollen item in your wardrobe, or home, and why:
I have a huge collection of textiles that I collect from my travels and a few of them are woollen. My mother brought me these amazing woollen pom-pom necklaces from Morocco that I treasure very much.
8.What is the present state of your workspace?
It is filled with textiles, plants, books, and rugs. One day soon hopefully, pets too.
- What textile task would you suggest for a beginner?
Making pom-poms of course. Learning knit and purl is also a safe bet.
- The KPC Yarn hue you’d happily work with yourself:
That is impossible for me to answer, as I love every color. I do have a soft spot for the Novomerino Ocean Blue and Energy Blue. I also love the Chinchilla, Ivory, and Limewash. Something about an earthy and neutral palette is very inspiring to me right now.