Contemporary Aubusson Tapestry

The project Weaving of a unique contemporary tapestry of 85 cm by 110 cm (33" x 43") in the Aubusson style (low-warp loom), a first collaboration between Royal College of Art graduate Anaïs Gerber and Julie Ruelle, a professional tapestry weaver owner of studio Willyarn. The creators and the origins of the project Anaïs Gerber was born and grew up in Paris. After studying Applied Arts for six years in London, UK, and living in Norway for four years, she settled on a small island off of the West Coast of Canada, where she dedicates herself to visual arts and translation (her other passion), amongst her goats and chickens. Over the years, Anaïs has developed a very unique, whimsical visual world. The medieval tapestries of the Loire Valley castles in France, which she visited as a child, made a strong impression on her and have been instrumental in shaping her aesthetics, and they continue to fascinate her. Anaïs exhibits her drawings and lithographs regularly in Canada and in France. Julie Ruelle, originally from Normandy, is a professional weaver near Aubusson, the capital city of tapestry in France, and she owns and operates Willyarn, her tapestry weaving studio. She holds a diploma in arts of the loom as well as a Masters of philosophy, and she has also studied literature and environmental science. Julie produces her own threads, as well as draws and weaves her own art pieces. Partnerships with other artists are also an important part of the craft of tapestry weaving, and she also interprets other artists’ works on her looms. Julie recently worked on the Tolkien tapestries that were on display at the Cité de la tapisserie in Aubusson. Together, Anaïs and Julie decided to get one of Anaïs’s watercolours woven, “Third type encounter”, producing what they hope to be the first of a series of tapestries woven by Julie and inspired by Anaïs’s artwork. Project details The original watercolour “Third type encounter” is inspired by real-life events! You can see a peahen and a chicken, against a thick vegetation background. This peahen once turned up on Anaïs’s land, when she first got chickens. The peahen intuited that this would be a good place to eat… But she apparently had never seen a chicken before, and the first encounters were quite hilarious. It is this improbable scene, in the forest of British Columbia, that Anaïs immortalized with this piece. When the idea of a partnership with Julie emerged, this image was a natural choice due to its composition and the textile potential of the colour palette. But its very theme is also a tribute to traditional European medieval tapestry, royal farm animals being a common feature in the old pieces. The tapestry which will be born of Julie’s interpretation of Anaïs’s piece will therefore be equally contemporary and rooted in tradition, in both form and content. With this first partnership, the two artists wish to affirm the vitality of contemporary French tapestry. Weaving is a time- and material-consuming art form, which are both costly. We reach out to you to enable to creation of this piece, which we intend to show to various galleries and cultural institutions. Your support will not only help us bring this tapestry to life, it will most importantly help us be able to promote our artistic duo with sponsors, who will be able to judge the potential of our partnership based on a tangible piece, and support us for the creation of other tapestries in the future. Gifts and your role as donors We will offer our donors a range of gifts in proportion with the contributions, from a simple photograph of the tapestry sent by email to a 12" x 16" printed reproduction signed by both artists as well as a mini tapestry specially woven by Julie. The most generous donors will also be invited to Julie’s atelier to see the tapestry being taken off the loom! Neither Julie nor Anaïs have the funds to finance the making of the tapestry. Your help makes it possible! The contributions will allow us to pay Julie for her work and to pay for the materials (the wool). Once the tapestry is done, Anaïs and Julie are planning to exhibit it as much as possible, both in Canada and in France, in order to introduce their duo to a wide audience. If at any point during this exhibition phase there is interest and the piece is sold, the funds from the sale will be put towards the weaving of the next tapestry. In effect, your help with this project will help us launch a much bigger adventure. We are counting on your support!