An excerpt from my interview with Swiss visual artist, Charlotte Stuby for my website.
Full interview can be seen here: dorrellmerritt.co.uk/Charlotte-Stuby-Interview
All images © Charlotte Stuby.
DM— In my initial email to you, we spoke previously a little about the similarities of your work to that of Asafo Flags. In regards to your style, how varied is your creative lineage? Do you have inspirations outside of textiles that you like to incorporate within your work?
CS— Daily architecture is a big inspiration for my work. My intention is to turn familiar situations into uncanny installations. The objects I make could become uncanny in their surroundings but familiar at the same time. Symbols of identity as landmarks, emblems, logos are also very inspiring in general for my practice.
DM— You recently exhibited ‘Keepsake’ at Kunsthal Gent— what was the starting point for the installation? Tell me a little about the accompanying musical performance on the opening night.
CS— The starting point was to experience the space, and make a textile piece for this environment. The installation assembles and recomposes the observations, memories and fascinations coming from the space, and from my own history. This piece Keepsake could act as a witness and companion of Kunsthal, as it is part of the Endless exhibition. About the musical performance, I invited my friend Verveine to play in front of the banner. I wanted to share a moment of contemplation with the visitors, as well as making an interlude during the exhibition’s opening.
DM— Your work frequently makes use of, or is based around the use of primary colours, especially blue. What is it about this particular palette that you enjoy the most?
CS— It’s very instinctive for me to work with bright, vibrant and bold colours which create contrasts directly. I work rarely with shades and colour gradient. It might comes from the fascination I develop for flags and these identity patches and certainly from the surrealists painters.
DM— Functionality and practicality play quite big roles within your artistic output— things like flags and car/bike covers especially. What is it about creating artwork that can be actually used, attracts you to that approach of making?
CS— Indeed! I cherish this friction point between function and art. The thing I like the most is when an object has to be activated to exist, when it depends on that. The strength of a flag needs the wind to float. A car cover without the car is an obsolete object. I want to look at banality with this altered attention and convert banality into absurdity/poetry.
DM— In 2018 you published ‘Creatures in reality’ with Grafische Cel— tell me a little about that. What was it like applying your work and approach to a single, physical artefact like a publication?
CS— Creatures in reality was my masters thesis that I was invited to publish. It is an essay about textile in landscape. A wandering regarding outdoor objects and architecture, while observing textile elements and their enigmatic presence. Their fascinating shapes become strange and surprising creatures. About the object of a book, I like the fact that it is frozen in terms of temporality.
DM— Your work teeters between installation and textile; the evolution of your work over the years is interesting and exciting. What are you working on at the moment? How do you see your work evolving further in the near future?
CS— I am working on new narrative and visual compositions on tapestry and classical textile techniques, as I’m doing a one year residency at TAMAT in Tournai (BE). Alongside this, I’m working on a collaborative project of shelters with my friend Juliet Merie, and on some set design and artwork for musicians. I hope I’ll always keep this diversity of projects; it’s crucial to my practice....