Rowan Mersh - Textile Sculptor / Jewelry Designer

[wheneveriwakeup]

Rowan Mersh is a textile sculptor who explores form and fuses design with technique, emphasizing experimentation as the focus of his practice.
Mersh is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, the first to win the Mercury Art Prize, profiled in design magazines and featured on the cover of the acclaimed author’s book Fashioning Fabrics, which examined his alongside textile (fashion) icons Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan to mention a few.
Mersh’s work is process oriented, the work reveals itself within his practice, as it takes form and reveals shape depending on the emphasis and materials / focus du jour. His innovative fabrics that could equally be regarded as sculptures, have already been acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum to be part of their permanent collection; his work has also been exhibited internationally in galleries and independent spaces. Most recently, during February 2007 London Fashion Week, Mersh’s sculptures/body pieces/oversized jewellery pieces have become sought after fashion items, being presented in a striking installation at Saville Row’s B Store.

valerydemure.com

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Mersh’s recent collection pays homage accidentally to the Victorian Era, with an elegant yet simple stylistically elaborate twist of irony and contemporary feel to new fibers applied in an unordinary application. With a self-professed limit to black and white, the designer creates a new vocabulary using stretched jersey, reinventing the notions of jewelry, sculpture and fashion without any boundaries except to explore the form at the end of his expedition.
Hehas developed a very unique aesthetic, which is at once obvious upon encounter of his various larger and smaller sculptural form whether it be in fashion, photography, textile, canvas vacuum formed fabrics or any other experimental agenda in which he embarks…
Rowan Mersh invites us to celebrate our lust for feeling texture, removing colour from the equation and drawing thematically on our impulses to adorn ourselves in irresistibly, tactile fabrics with a twist, lending irony and investing character depending on the application and the personal function to his form.

valerydemure.com

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

The Shape of Music

Media - knitted stretch jersey and CDs

The Prize: Nationwide Mercury Prize Art Competition

Prize Description: £5,000

Judging Panel: Sir Peter Blake, Artist; Tim Marlow, Director of Exhibitions, Whitecube Gallery; Mark Tappin, Designer; Simon Gofton, Designer.

About the Artist: Rowan Mersh was born in Bourenmouth in 1983. He studied art at undergraduate level at the Loughborough University School of Art and Design before completing his MA at the Royal College of Art, London. As well as being a full time artist Rowan is also lecturing part time at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College.

artlink.com

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Rowan's creations exude inventiveness and earnest cerebration. So young he is, too. Will be interesting to see how he progresses though I have a feeling he will be great..!

If anyone is interested in viewing more of his work...
http://www.rowanmersh.com/index.php?base=pages&page_id=contact

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Tape Sculpture...

random-international

 

[gius]

I think his work is so interesting.. I love his experimentation
From all of what I've seen till now, I guess it's not exactly fashion
more like sculpture and art... I haven't seen anything that can be worn in everyday life

I posted something of his in the Flourishes & Finery thread
It's from that Fashioning Fabrics book

This is a striped jersey knit, made with approximately 5,000 toothpicks

 

[valerique]

amaze amaze! this is really exciting

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Ooh Gius, thank you for adding! He's quite impressive, non? To answer your question, I believe he's about 24 or so.

Valery Demure represents such talented artists. There are three threads in the More Accessories section that may interest you, Gius.

 

[valerique]

... I believe he's about 24 or so.

yes, he was born in 1983

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

More photos..!

rowanmersh.com

 

[gius]

Ooh Gius, thank you for adding! He's quite impressive, non? To answer your question, I believe he's about 24 or so.

Valery Demure represents such talented artists. There are three threads in the More Accessories section that may interest you, Gius.

I don't remember asking about his age but that's interesting --incredibly young!

Which threads do you mean...
threads about Valery Demure or just specifically Rowan Mersh?

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

^ There are threads dedicated to Ligia Dias & Florian Ladstaetter; both are represented by Valery Demure's firm.

 

[semolinapilchard]

susie bubble did a nice little entry about him today and i'm ashamed to admit it's how i first learned of his work. quite enamored.