Stéphanie Lacoste

Curiosité Textile

Textile creator

©Beatrice Prestage

Striking tactile contrasts

Stéphanie makes textiles by weaving together unrelated materials to form a whole
She uses traditional weaving techniques on table and countermarch looms
Her textiles are used for interior design, fashion and in other artists' works

Stéphanie Lacoste trained at the renowned French art schools École Boulle and École Duperré and has since developed her practice as a multimedia weaver. To produce her pieces, she blends traditional weaving techniques with innovative material combinations. "I see weaving as both a grounding practice and a continuous exploration," says Stéphanie. As well as working on traditional looms to weave disparate materials together, she also dyes her threads with plant extracts. Through experimenting with the inclusion of varied materials such as wood, straw, stone, and metal into woven fabrics, she creates unexpected textures and light effects.

Interview

©Beatrice Prestage

©Beatrice Prestage

What inspires your creative process?: Weaving grounds me by connecting me to history and to the world around me. My craft fulfills an inherent need for expression and allows for continuous research.
What place does tradition have in your practice?: I work with traditional techniques on table and countermarch looms, often dyeing my threads with natural plant extracts. I also like to push the boundaries of weaving by incorporating unconventional materials like wood, straw, stone and metal – which I call my ‘weaving materials’ – to create unexpected effects between textures.
What techniques do you use?: From mordanting to dyeing and weaving, I follow a millennia-old tradition. I reinterpret these techniques by incorporating into my textiles materials such as straw, wood and stone and repurposing them from their original use, leading to unexpected effects.
What do you enjoy the most about your work?: I enjoy making fabrics using warp and weft thread techniques, creating material fusions where light reveals subtle gradients or, conversely, striking contrasts.

Stéphanie Lacoste is a master artisan: she began her career in 2009 and she started teaching in 2009