Victorian crazy quilts were textiles made for display. They adorned the public space of the parlor rather than private space of the bedroom. The compositions of these quilts did not follow traditional patterns, but were the product of the seamstress’ own sense of invention. Beyond their decorative function, Crazy Quilts had a social function. Crazy Quilts were most often viewed during the visits called “calling hours” that brought people together to share news and socialize.
Drawing from this tradition, Carol Padberg’s Interactive Crazy Quilts facilitate a contemporary mode of social connection and information-sharing. Each crazy quilt in this exhibition is embedded with a high capacity, color barcode that links to a website or blog. This participatory format allows viewers to use a smart phone to learn more about the subject of the work.
Eight works are on display in the exhibition NEW/NOW: Interactive Crazy Quilts by Carol Padberg(Jan 28-April 24, 2011). The earliest piece connects to a single webpage that is dedicated to the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace. Seven additional crazy quilts are part of an ongoing series which incorporate blogs as an extension of the physical artwork which allows the viewer to experience the context of the work via technology.
To develop this work Padberg traveled far away from home, and also back to herroots. In Ghana, West Africa, she immersed herself in an environment where clothing is decorated with symbolic patterns in the form of woven Kente cloth, printed Adinkra textiles, and wax print fabrics. While making her own sewn abstractions she rediscovered the game-changing textile works of Sonia Delauney, who helped shape early European modernism. And as she sat at her own sewing machine, she felt the pull of her own European-American ancestors. Sewing has been an important part of her family for several generations.
The connective force holding these disparate influences together is Padberg’s lifelong painting practice. Whether she expresses her ideas in collage, textiles, large scale vinyl wall drawings, or a painted surface, her process is remarkably consistent. Through an additive use of materials, she explore content through color, composition-and a purposeful experimental process.
What is abstraction? What is code? As she reflected on these questions through making art, Padberg arrived at a hybrid form that speaks in the dialect of the information age.
TEST OUT the image of the full quilt above for a preview of how they actually work. Just download Microsoft Tag on your smartphone (go to http://gettag.mobi), then use the program to “click” on the image!
Don’t miss the opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6pm or the Art Happy Hour on Thursday, March 10 from 5:30-8pm.