(Re) Fashioning Fiber at Green Spaces NY

Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard and Melissa Kirgan of Eko-Lab's 'Trees In The Dark, Dresses In The Light' mixed media fiber drawings/sustainable fashion installation and Abigail Doan's 'Fiber Flotsam Colony' on table (photo by Abigail Doan)

Kaori Yamazaki's eco-fiber jewelry installation (photo by Emma Grady)

Sibyll Kalff's 'Little Books' along wall baseboard and Abigail Doan's recycled flotsam fiber forms on wall and floor (photo by Abigail Doan)

Gorgeously green and colorful Eko-Lab models Dina Liss (on left) and Danielle Bowen (on right) looking fresh in make up by Masae Satouchi (photo courtesy of Eko-Lab)

Eko-Lab designers Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard with models Dina and Danielle looking sustainably gorgeous

Fiber/textile installations by Atefeh Khas, Tara Goodarzy, Renata Mann, Michelle Vitale Loughlin (with soundscape by Matt Pass), Kaori Yamazaki, Meiling Chen, Brece Honeycutt and Abigail Doan in this view (photo by Abigail Doan)

Fiber/textile installations by Atefeh Khas, Tara Goodarzy, Renata Mann, Meiling Chen and Kaori Yamazaki in this view (photo by Abigail Doan)

Fiber/textile installations by Tara St. James, Atefeh Khas, Tara Goodarzy, Renata Mann, Michelle Vitale Loughlin (with soundscape by Matt Pass), and Meiling Chen in this view (photo by Abigail Doan)

Tara St. James' paired-ensemble, 'Skyline Skirt and Cobweb Bolero' (Study NY S/S 2010 Collection) created from (re)fashioned twill tape and design studio 'waste textiles'. Love her signature recycled zipper necklaces (photo by Emma Grady)

Michelle Vitale Loughlin's 'Towers 1-3' crafted out of recycled tomato stands, natural fiber knitted on the artist’s first knitting machine with an accompanying sound component entitled, ‘Tower Strings’ by Matt Pass in which three twelve-foot piano strings were strung and then played with wineglasses, mini fans piano hammers, and a French horn piece (photo by Abigail Doan)

Meiling Chen's Clothes Make the Man/’Coat of Many Colours’ embroidered garment crafted out of a vintage shirt donated by a friend, flea market threads, and recycled hanger from the laundromat - installed with Renata Mann Jewlery (photo by Meiling Chen)

Mixed media drawings/collages by Meiling Chen installed with Renata Mann Jewelry (photo by Meiling Chen)

Meiling Chen's Clothes Make the Man/‘Wear Your Heart on your Sleeve’ embroidered garment crafted out of a vintage shirt donated by a friend, flea market threads, and recycled hanger from the laundromat - installed with Renata Mann Jewlery (photo by Meiling Chen)

Mackenzie Frere's 'Study for Breathing 3' (detail). A gossamer-like net hand-crafted out of silk, safflower petals, and madder root

More photos viewable on Eko-Lab's flickr page. Detailed views and profiles of specific works to come. Coverage of (Re)Fashioning Fiber also appears on Treehugger and PLANET mag online.

This group exhibit will be on view at Green Spaces NY through August 13, 2010 with special gallery hours on Wednesdays between 4 -7pm throughout the summer.

(Re)Fashioning Fiber with Atefeh Khas, Tara Goodarzy, and Persian New Arts

'Mashalak Jangel' (photograph by Rahele Zomorrodinia)

(photograph by Rahele Zomorrodinia)

(photograph by Rahele Zomorrodinia)

I am thrilled to have Iranian fiber/environmental artists, Atefeh Khas and Tara Goodarzy, participating in the upcoming exhibit that I am curating, (Re)Fashioning Fiber at Greenspaces NY.

Portuguese Castle/Hormoz Island, Iran (photograph by Rahele Zomorrodinia)

I have been in touch with Atefeh over the past year or more - thanks to another outstanding Iranian environmental artist, Dr. Ahmad Nadalian at the Paradise Art Center in Polour, Iran. Atefeh and Tara have particpated in a wave of environmental art festivals in Iran (organized by Nadalian) as well as being founding members of The Persian New Art Collective. I also featured Atefeh and Tara's fiber 'peace bracelets' on Ecco*Eco in March.

Fiber installation in progress on Hormoz Island, Iran (photograph by Rahele Zomorrodinia)

Environmental fiber installation on Hormoz Island, Iran (photograph by Sharnaz Zarkesh)

Fiber installation at Orumieh Lake/Tabriz, Iran (photograph by Sharnaz Zarkesh)

These exquisite images really speak for themselves, and this for me, is the beauty of the site-specific, eco-crafting work that Atefeh, Tara, and their contemporaries collaborate on. Even though Iran is worlds away, these green forests, distant shores, and ancient salt lakes seem like they are all glistening and spun from the same elements and fiber as ours.

(Re)Fashioning Fiber opens on May 20 in NYC.

(Re)Fashioning Fiber with the Women of Iran

photo by Shahnaz Zarkesh

Beautiful, handcrafted fiber 'peace bracelets' being distributed by Iranian artists, Atefeh Khas and Tara Goodarzy.

photo by Shahnaz Zarkesh

Atefeh and Tara have been reviving the domestic arts of their grandmothers and mothers via eco crafting initiatives meant to promote community building and environmental awareness. They are also part of the Iranian/Persian New Art Collective.

photo by Rahele Zomorrodinia

Atefeh Khas and Tara Goodarzy will participate in the upcoming group exhibition that I am curating for GreenSpaces NY in TriBeCa called (Re)Fashioning Fiber. Details to come.

You can also read more about my involvement with the Paradise Art Center in Polour, Iran here.