Kelly Gruber

 

 

 

My work is a collection of textile landscapes that explore the creation of imagined worlds. This current body of work is inspired by research I have done on celestial landscapes such as stars, nebulas, and galaxies. My interest in cosmic entities and movements is one that I have been exploring since childhood when I began avidly reading science fiction. Since then I have found that research is central to my art practice and the work that I produce is a record of how I process, understand, and synthesize this information. My current work blends my research on the cosmos with textile processes to create my own imagined universe. I have been studying images taken by the Hubble telescope of our known universe. I then use dye techniques to create unique yarns that when woven or knitted refer to these cosmic landscapes. I see my work as a form of science fiction. Nebulas and stars are vast and exist in space outside of my own immediate experience. Since the cosmos are not made out of fiber and dye the final product is a fiction, a world that exists solely in the structure of the fabric.