“The work I am currently making is an intervention into found images through embroidery, cutting, and collaging. The images I use are from women’s high fashion magazines and pornographic images found on the internet. These make up the basis of most of my work although I am starting to explore newspaper imagery as well. My main concern as an artist is how one responds to the mass of imagery in the world. Altering these is central to a lot of my work.”
- Inge Jacobsen
I captured a quick glimpse of a picture TopShop posted today and was instantly smitten. These are pieces from UK based artist Inge Jacobsen who has intricately hand-stitched Vogue covers and other fashion magazine advertisements and photography spreads. Each piece takes her 40-50 hours to complete. Jacobsen turns the ordinary, commercial, and transitory into something permanent. She also ties the ancient, respected craft of hand-stitching with the quick simple process of mass printing. As Flavorwire put it, “The new form invites us to spend longer contemplating images we usually breeze through without a second thought.” I adore these pieces and would love to own one for display – lovely works of art.
Jacobsen told Vogue:
“I start by making the holes for the thread by hand, measuring them by eye and hope the lines line up. I sew over the covers, which some might see as cheating, but I’m not doing this to show off my skills as an embroiderer – I’m doing it as an exploration into popular culture and the culture of massed produced imagery. It’s about taking something that is widely available and making it a one of a kind. These pieces cannot be duplicated or reproduced, not by me or anyone else because each piece is unique.”
Read more about Inge Jacobsen.
all photos from ingejacobsen.com
