By now you probably know about my obsession with the work and lifestyle of French ceramicist Cécile Daladier; while visiting her in the south of Paris several years ago, a delicate, decorated loop of wire in the corner of her studio caught my eye.
Daladier made her garland from a utilitarian loop of wire from the hardware store that she flecked with tiny scraps of fabric.
Her project made me suddenly remember a small cardboard box wedged in the back of my closet full of fabric scraps (the result of an ill-fated project I undertook a couple of years ago in which I pulled apart a ratty vintage quilt).
Much like Daladier’s tree branch decorated in pieces of (attractive) plastic as a political statement about refuse and trees in Paris, the wire garland is her way of turning scraps into art—which, if you ask me, is the sign of a true artist.
Photograph by Natalie Weiss for Remodelista.
Photograph by Alexa Hotz.
Each garland has its own predetermined color palette; this one is a mixture of red, pink, and tan with a few unexpected pieces of black fabric threaded in between.
Daladier unfurls the garland to display its impressive length.
Photograph by Alexa Hotz.
This post is an update; it originally ran on August 6, 2013, as part of our In the Art Studio week.