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© Soledad Santisteban
© Soledad Santisteban
© Soledad Santisteban
© Soledad Santisteban
© Soledad Santisteban

Soledad Santisteban Villanueva

  • Textile sculptor
  • Bilbao, Spain
  • Master Artisan
Soledad Santisteban Villanueva Textile sculptor
Contact
Spanish, French
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+34 652770201
© Soledad Santisteban

Felting sculpture

  • • Soledad began her career in 1983
  • • In 1985 she opened her workshop
  • • Her first object was a blanket on the low-warp loom

After studying at the School of Architecture and graduating in Geography and History, Soledad Santisteban Villanueva studied Preventive Conservation, in which she specialised in the textile world. In 1985, she opened her workshop in Bilbao where she researches and teaches traditional textile techniques: felting, loom weaving, bobbin lace, crochet, tapestry, macramé, vegetable dyes and the conservation and restoration of textile heritage. All her creations are the result of the research she carries out in her workshop. After studying and getting to know natural fibres in-depth, Soledad makes them evolve, breaking their limits, which allows her to create expressive and suggestive pieces. "All my works arise from shapes that create lines, profiles, surfaces and volumes, concave and convex, either to collect, hold, open, close... It bursts" she says.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Soledad Santisteban
  • © Soledad Santisteban
  • © Soledad Santisteban
  • © Soledad Santisteban
  • © Soledad Santisteban
Photo: © Soledad Santisteban
Cextil Latxa Kaiku

This soft sculpture is made with felted wool. The conical trunk container, starts from a circular base which gradually opens and ends in a totally irregular way (it can remind the observer of milk falling on the ground). It is felted by hand forcing irregularities in the surface itself. It is made with the woold of Latxa sheep, which is a coarse wool from the Basque Country and is naturally white in colour.

Height 40 cm
Diameter 20 cm

Photo: © Soledad Santisteban
Cextil Latxa Vellon

This soft sculpture is made with felted wool into a nearly cylindrical container. It is made directly from a freshly sheared fleece, which produces a smooth brown interior and on the exterior the hairs of the wool open outwards, as it is possible to see in the sheep themselves. Those hairs are multicoloured – from brown to grey, almost white. It is made with Latxa sheep's wool, which is a coarse wool from the Basque Country, it is used in its natural colour of brown/grey.

Height 50 cm
Diameter 25 cm

Photo: © Soledad Santisteban
Sisal sculptures 1 and 2

These pieces are woven according to a pattern of planes that are joined by straight lines. The planes are simple geometric shapes: square, rectangle or triangle. These can then be curved according to the user preferences. Sisal 1 comprises four rectangular planes of different lengths, which are joined together like a book. Sisal 2 is a square and a triangle joined at their diagonal, and a pair of cuts that allow the user to intertwine these planes. They are flexible and changeable pieces that take advantage of the properties of the material and its execution to achieve their maximum expression. The technique used is a personal adaptation of the tapestry technique. The colour is the natural colour of the sisal branch.

Length 120 cm
Width 55 cm
Height 40 cm
Length 52 cm
Width 52 cm
Height 45 cm

Photo: © Soledad Santisteban
Open White Sphere

This soft sculpture is made with felted wool. It is a hollow sphere that when resting on the ground is flattened with openings that allow the observer to see inside. Small external volumes break the figure of the sphere. It is made with wool from Churra sheep, a rough wool from Castilla. It is used in its natural colour, in this case white (ecru). The outer surface is rough and with small and large floating elements, which allow us to observe different layers in the felted fabric corresponding to a handmade felt that reinforces these irregularities.

Height 45 cm
Diameter 80 cm

Photo: © Soledad Santisteban
Grey Sphere

This soft sculpture is made with felted wool. It is a hollow sphere that when it rests on the ground flattens out with small openings (although inside it is accessible but not visible). It is made from the wool of Xisqueta sheep, a rough wool from the Pyrenees of Lérida. It's used in its natural colour, in this case very light grey. The outer surface is rough and with small floating elements, corresponds to a handmade felt that reinforces these irregularities.

Height 50 cm
Diameter 70 cm

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