Reddish Orange: Ruskie

Heidi Pietarinen´s textile art collection Reddish Orange –
Ruskie was exhibited in Gallery Pihatto, Lappeenranta in
2020. The jacquard woven and printed textiles visualize the
textiles from her grandparents’ home in Sortavala, an area
that was evacuated and ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944.
The collection is an imaginary series of textiles because
her grandparents took nothing with them when they were
evacuated, except a few photographs and a black chair.
The layers of the textile collection are constructed from
the narratives of three generations. Different materials –
living, moving, figurative and symbolic – are combined to
create new compositions, in the layering of materials, the
past is given new life. The new Reddish Orange textile art
collection will be exhibited in Gallery Valo in Rovaniemi in
2022. Although the collection is in the name of one author,
the artistic process is not limited to one person.

Key words: Art-based research, textile design, materialdriven design, a living design medium, co-designing