Meet our newest fiber art installation, The Fifth Element from artist Julie Kornblum. According to classical lore, the Four Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; and the fifth element is Love. Julie tells us that the exact name of this piece comes from the movie of the same name starring Bruce Willis (and many others). In the film, our hero and his companions and must discover the Fifth Element in order to save all life on Earth (and perhaps the entire universe as well!).
Julie Kornblum’s The Fifth Element at the LBYS
The piece measures 86” x 86” and is woven in an overshot pattern. Overshot weaving patterns were used historically for coverlets in Early American homes and involve yarns with three different functions: Warp, Pattern Weft, and Tabby Weft.
- The Warp is the yarn threaded onto the loom. It is the length grain in a piece of woven fabric, and can be a few, dozens, or hundreds of yards long.
- The Pattern Weft shoots over large areas of the Warp, giving us the term overshot.
- The Tabby Weft interlaces with the Warp and gives the textile its structure. Because the Pattern Weft shoots over so much of the Warp, the piece would not stay together without the Tabby Weft.
The Warp and Tabby Weft for The Fifth Element are a mixture of Lion Brand’s cotton yarns, and the Pattern Weft is made of fused plastic strips.
We are thrilled to feature this remarkable work!
The Fifth Element will be on display until the end of April, 2012.
Interested in learning more about weaving? Come by our free weaving club! Click here to learn more and to sign up.
