Exploring new angles of textile
- Katarina uses traditional textile techniques in a new context
- She designed for IKEA and initiated the Re Rag Rug project
- She uses knitting, but also folding, weaving and plaiting in her work
Sustainability plays a huge role in the artistic world of Katarina Brieditis. The Stockholm-based artisan is known for using mostly recycled materials to create her objects. She started practising her craft full-time in 1997, after graduating from the University College of Arts, Crafts & Design in Stockholm. In her work, Katarina is focused on finding new ways of using old textile materials and applying experimental knitting. Her objects are regularly exhibited around the world and sold commercially. She designed for IKEA, Linum, and Svensk Slöjd. Katarina also runs a textile design studio with Katarina Evans where together they organise Re Rag Rug. This sustainability-focused project aims to find creative ways of reusing materials to make rag rugs.
INTERVIEW
When I was a child, I always drew, painted, or played with my mother’s yarns. She taught me crochet, sewing and knitting. My grandmother, a professional weaver, greatly encouraged me. My father, an artist, also played a significant role in nurturing my interest in the craft.
Digging into every possibility in a textile structure or technique, as well as playing around with colours and structures. I also enjoy the challenge of finding creative possibilities that could have an impact on a world of textile over-consumption, production, and waste.
The thrill of being in the middle of a process whose end is yet undefined. I love how big the textile world is. Whatever I do, my work leads me onto a new road of possibilities. The more I learn, the more I want to investigate.
My interest in the traditional craft, its expression, function, techniques, and the stories behind have always been a great source of inspiration to me. In Sweden, we have a rich cultural heritage to dig into and I am sure that living here has shaped me.
