Pattern of Crafts

The wall piece is created from hundreds of leaves and flowers, handcrafted from both “noble” materials like silk and leather, as well as recycled waste materials, such as cans, milk cartons and old rags. By utilising waste materials found in rubbish bins and confronting them with the delicacy of silk, Séverina seeks to take the mystique out of the so-called “noble” materials by showing that beauty mostly depends on the artisan’s savoir-faire and imagination.

● Type: Wall piece
● Dimensions: 91 H x 136.7 W x 10 D cm
● Material: Silk, leather, recycled textiles and cartons, wooden frame
● Date: 2019 - 2021

Exhibition curator Sebastian Herkner took the geometric pattern of the terrace of the Basilica of San Giorgio, on San Giorgio Maggiore island, and invited selected master artisans to interpret this lace-like octagonal pattern in a graphic artwork. Severina’s wall piece is created as a garden for a lizard. On a misty winter morning, a tiny lizard crossed Séverina’s path at the Basilica of San Giorgio, while she was studying the pattern of the Basilica’s terrace. The lizard following the white lines of the pavement became the inspiration and starting point for Séverina’s project.
The artisan collected waste materials needed for the panel directly from her neighbourhood recycling bins in Lisieux. People were intrigued seeing her rummaging through the bins; when they found out that she was about to turn all this waste into an artwork for Homo Faber, they started to leave packages of their recyclables for her. Thus, many people from her city participated in this project, eager to see the result.

Pattern of CraftsExhibition