Ptolemy Mann
Weaver
East Sussex, United Kingdom
Threaded colour on woven artworks
- Colour is fundamental to Ptolemy’s weaving and dyeing practice
- From a distance, her woven works resemble paintings
- She was commissioned to create a triptych for the Tate Modern
Ptolemy Mann drew obsessively as a child, creatively influenced by her father who trained as an architect, painter, writer and astrologer. During a course in Maidstone, England, a tutor steered Ptolemy away from painting towards textiles, which led her to discover weaving. She went on to study at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, setting up her studio the day after graduating in 1996. There, Ptolemy dip-dyes her thread and weaves on a dobby loom. "Colour is the building block, and weaving comes later," she explains. In 2020, Ptolemy expanded her practice to include Thread Paintings, which are gestural brushstrokes applied directly onto her woven canvases. Her work is held in private and public collections, including the V&A Museum and a triptych commissioned for the Tate Modern.
INTERVIEW
I hand dye and hand weave wall-based artworks. My pieces embody chromatic minimalism: they present a minimalistic aesthetic yet feature intensely saturated colour. I challenge people's perception of the handmade, and I love that at first glance, my work often masks its handcrafted nature.
I use plain weave because this technique helps me achieve my desired palette. My primary focus is the colour itself, its gradation and the specific effect of the ikat dyeing technique. Since plain weave is the simplest structure, it demands perfection – there is nowhere to hide.
My practice is physical and emotional. The process is repetitive, rhythmic and slow, even though I weave quite quickly. It has completely grounded my life, and I never get bored of it.
Weaving is my life's work, which is why I fight for recognition and acknowledgement of the weaving practice as a serious discipline. I feel deeply about the way the value of textiles is perceived – it is not about monetary value, but about principle.
Ptolemy Mann
Weaver
East Sussex, United Kingdom
ADDRESS
Address upon request, East Sussex, United Kingdom
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
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