Sandra Schollmeyer

Textile sculptor

©Sandra Schollmeyer

Textile sculptures

Sandra loves bright colours and strong contrasts
She previously worked for the Goethe Institute
Her works explore a dialogue with space

Sandra Schollmeyer is a textile and set designer in Hamburg. Her product design studies began in Kahlsruhe, where she was granted a scholarship to study at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome for two semesters. Upon returning to Germany, she enrolled in Textile Design at the HfbK in Hamburg, immersing herself in all textile techniques, such as tufting, weaving, screen printing and dyeing. After a semester, Sandra realised she could achieve a lot with her hands. Alongside her applied work and design activities, Sandra is interested in textile research and development. She worked as a project manager, consultant and researcher for the Goethe-Institute in Bangkok and Indonesia on the three-year regional project IKAT/eCut. The project explored the past, present and future of textiles in southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand between tradition, technology, art and design.

Interview

©Sandra Schollmeyer

©Sandra Schollmeyer

Do you master special techniques?: Hand weaving, braiding, and knotting ropes and cords that are very thick for these techniques are my specialties. My work resembles macramè in some ways. Most of the materials I use are made of synthetic fibres or cotton and they are usually between 2 and 12 mm thick. I use strong ropes for both warps and wefts. I built my own loom to be able to weave this thickness.
Where do you get your material from?: Seafaring and sailing shops are often where I buy my ropes. Hamburg has a few of them. Mountaineering shops also stock good ropes. Hardware stores, haberdashery stores, and markets overseas are also good sources. I am particularly happy when I find material in beautiful and strong colours, which is often the case in South East Asia.
How do you choose and combine colours?: Strong colours and strong contrasts are my favourite ones. I also like to experiment with unusual colour combinations. I usually select colours intuitively. Drawing with the cord while weaving is similar to using a coloured pencil when painting. The final result is seldom clear. Some of my choices are also influenced by fashion or by natural phenomena, such as the blue hour in Hamburg.
How would you describe what you do?: In my work, I want to give the techniques I use a contemporary look. It is equally important to me that my works have their own physicality but are connected to their environment in such a way that they serve as sculptures but also enrich the environment in which they are installed.

Sandra Schollmeyer is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2009