Anni Albers’ pioneering journey in elevating textiles to fine art is discussed with guest Marian Bantjes, renowned for her intricate, ornamental designs that blend typography, art, and personal storytelling.
Anni Albers’ pioneering journey in elevating textiles to fine art is discussed with guest Marian Bantjes, renowned for her intricate, ornamental designs that blend typography, art, and personal storytelling.
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About Anni Albers
Anni Albers is widely considered to be the foremost textile designer of the 20th century. She made major innovations in the field of functional materials and at the same time she expanded the possibilities of single weavings and individual artworks. She was also an adventurous graphic artist who took printmaking technique into previously uncharted territory.
Not only was she a pioneering textile artist, and printmaker, but she was an educator whose work redefined the boundaries between craft and fine art. She may arguably be THE person responsible for helping the masses see textile as art, not just craft. She studied at the Bauhaus, taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she continued to push the limits of weaving, experimenting with unconventional materials and techniques. Her book On Weaving (1965) remains a seminal text in textile design.
About Marian Bantjes
Marian's Books:
I Wonder
Pretty Pictures
Marian Bantjes (b. 1963) @bantjes is a Canadian graphic artist who is known for her signature maximalist style. Her intricate ornamentation creates texture and illusion, and challenges the minimalist boundaries of traditional graphic design.
Her clients include Pentagram, Saks Fifth Avenue, Print Magazine, Wallpaper* , WIRED, Creative Review, The Guardian (UK), The New York Times, AIGA, TypeCon, and more.
Her career spans 3 stages: she started in the 80s as a book typesetter for a publishing company and then from there she became partner at a small design firm in Canada, working on brand identity and communication designs.
In 2003 Marian decided to embark on the work that has brought her international recognition and fame as a world-class visual designer
Her work has an underlying structure that frames its fluid nature and she has an impressive way of interweaving word and image.
She says "throwing your individuality into a project is heresy" but she has built a career doing just that, as her signature style is unmistakable. In 2007 she released Restraint, a typeface that integrates her style of ornamentation to be used as shapes and borders.
Marian has been honored with several awards over the years and her work is now part of the permanent collection at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.