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Explore Artisans Museums & Galleries Experience Itineraries About
© Signe Emdal
© Theis Mortensen
© Chris Milne
© Theis Mortensen
© Theis Mortensen

Signe Emdal

Signe Emdal Textile creator
Contact
Danish, English, German
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+45 61650925
© Theis Mortensen

Twisting textile traditions

  • • Signe opened Emdal Studio in 2007
  • • She has a master's in flexible materials from Kolding Design School
  • • She did an apprenticeship with Danish master Ole Strange

Informed by craft traditions, but pursuing contemporary innovation, Signe uses digital and analogue textile processes to create tapestries, artworks and unique products. Inspired by nature, master artisans of the past and historic objects, her work is a harmonious mix of cultures, periods and methods, always with the aim of connecting: the past with the present, tradition with the modern world, and craft cultures from different places. “Most of my new concepts, visions and ideas arrive when I’m not working. Therefore, I must prioritise off-work time over the actual work,” she explains. Signe also likes to connect with museums, artists and brands that share her philosophy, which has resulted in collaborations with Floor Story, Skagen Kunstmuseer and The National Gallery of Denmark .

Read the full interview

Works

  • © All rights reserved
  • © Daniela Reiner
  • © Kristian Emdal
  • © Daniela Reiner
  • © Kristian Emdal
Photo: © All rights reserved
PLANT design

This textile design by Signe was created in collaboration with the Leebecca Studio based in New York City. The digital ornamental artwork was influenced by a study of interior fabrics and the three-dimensional effect created by curtain pleats.

Photo: © Daniela Reiner
Mon Seul Désir

The inspiration for this piece came from the medieval French tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn that symbolised the five senses and a sixth – the heart – that controlled the others. The heart is represented in this design by a rose. The piece was made on a vintage industrial Jacquard knitting machine from 1984 using the cross-over lingerie technique with inverted colours on each side.

Length 230 cm
Width 120 cm

Photo: © Kristian Emdal
My Little Icelandic Pony

Using Icelandic yarns, this piece is a fusion textile merging Turkish carpet knots with the Scandinavian rya tradition of wool rugs with a long pile. Central to its inspiration was the long body-memory hypothesis: the ability of the body to store memories. The fur-like fabric, TOUCH, evokes sensorial experiences, recalling human layers of invisible fur, showing how our living skin is a direct passage to our inner life.

Height 75 cm
Length 50 cm
Width 18 cm

Photo: © Daniela Reiner
Astrid’s Rose

This piece interprets a painting by Astrid Holm in the National Gallery of Denmark’s permanent collection. The explosion of flowers depicted in the tapestry is a way of expressing the theme of emancipation presented in the painting, which is also core to Holm’s life story. The piece was made on a vintage industrial Jacquard knitting machine from 1984 using the cross-over lingerie technique with inverted colours on each side.

Length 210 cm
Width 115 cm

Photo: © Kristian Emdal
Kimono Scarf with Palm Design

In vintage knitted Jacquard fabric, using Italian yarns, this is a scarf with a loop and lock function to wrap and tie it round the body. Merino wool adapts to variations in temperatures, making the scarf wearable all year round. The palm leaf is a signature design of Emdal Studio.

Length 180 cm
Width 70 cm

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