“From Lausanne to Beijing“
11th International Fiber Art Biennale
Online exhibition until 16.02.2021
“Red Obsession” (detail) by ETN member Tiziana Tateo, 167 x 127 cm, selected for the 11th International Fiber Art Biennale “From Lausanne to Beijing”
The 11th International Fiber Art Biennale „from Lausanne to Beijing”, hosted by the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and the China National Arts and Crafts Society, is presented online for the very first time. Despite the Covid 19 pandemic, the organizers received a flood of submissions from fiber artists worldwide. Over 1,000 submissions by artists from 56 countries were sent to the organizing committee. Judges, academic consultants, and curators from 13 countries evaluated the works with several criteria in mind: relevance to the current cultural moment; uniqueness of creative ideas; and diversity of technologies. One Gold Award, 4 Silver Awards, 11 Bronze Awards, and 79 Excellence Awards were presented in recognition of fiber artists who created outstanding works in this pandemic time.
The "From Lausanne to Beijing" International Fiber Art Biennale embraced this year's difficulties and sought out new opportunities in this time of crisis. "Symbiosis and Coexistence" was chosen by the organizing committee as this Biennale's theme after rounds of intensive discussion. The virtual exhibition hall is the heart of the show, connecting fiber art with the current moment and social responsibility. This new technology has helped bring fiber artists worldwide together with audiences online.
Since their creation, the "From Lausanne to Beijing" International Fiber Art Biennales have been continuing the spirit of modern tapestry kindled by the International Lausanne Tapestry Biennials. In 1999, the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University took up the fire of international fiber art, brought the international fiber art exhibition from Lausanne, Switzerland to Beijing, China, and founded the «From Lausanne to Beijing» International Fiber Art Biennale. The exhibition has gradually become a profound cultural and artistic exchange brand, a spiritual home for Chinese and foreign artists to meet, exchange and discuss. This year, the 11th Biennale continues to pursue the intrinsic nature of fiber while also exploring a new format: the virtual exhibition.
For this exhibition, two departments from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University — the Department of Art and Crafts and the Department of Information Art & Design — collaboratively created an online exhibition hall, aided by input from 3 institutions' online exhibition teams. The virtual format expanded the scope and space of the artwork, connecting audiences with fiber art and providing a rich artistic experience.
While viewing the pieces, the audience can choose between a conventional in-person experience (i.e. a linear progression through forewords and introductions, judges' works, award-winning works, and short-listed works) or a non-linear journey browsing and comparing by continent or artist. Additionally, newly introduced interactivity enables audiences to break free from the traditional viewing experience. From multi-level fiber spaces that can be entered with a swipe, to zoomable detail views of artwork, to videos of the production process, the virtual space offers all-new perspectives through which to enjoy fiber art.
Form your own opinion how you like this new exhibition format and enjoy:
https://lbfiberart.ad.tsinghua.edu.cn/
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