Tiersa Nureyev: The Lineal Project

Reception: Saturday, November 6, 2021 | 4–7 pm

From Tiersa Nureyev:

"I began my career as a seamstress and then trained as a fashion designer. When I became a mother, I adapted my skills for jewelry and accessory design, costuming, and teaching. I continue to engage professionally in disparate roles in the arts but now seek an opportunity to merge all of my varying paths into one cohesive art and design practice.

"I am inspired by investigating new ways to approach materials and also by the possibility for endless iteration on any given theme. This is evident in my use of textiles. I transform fabrics into skeins (not unlike yarn) and then weave, braid, knot, form, dye, and embellish them. The nature and function of these constructed objects change in relation to scale, from a small piece of jewelry to a large fiber sculpture. I make drawings of those textile structures and forms which can stand alone as pieces of art or become repeating prints, that becomes fabric, which can cover or interact with any surface be it any upholstered piece of furniture, a garment, or graphic wall art.

"The Lineal Project speaks directly to my interest in creating a series of works that connect dots and highlight conceptual and technical skills based on linear concepts. Whatever form the realization of the project may take, I envision it ultimately as an installation highlighting the iterative process coupled with live and recorded programming to engage visitors in a larger conversation about the ways in which Creatives often split their time toggling between multiple vocational roles (maker, designer, artist, or educator) yet can distill those creative threads into a single, multifaceted statement.

"For The Lineal Project I envision an immersive, mixed-media installation through which visitors will follow a 'line' that moves from a more traditional exhibition of two-dimensional line sketches and drawings, into spaces that become increasingly complex with three-dimensional hand and machine sewn structures and paintings, and finally transitions into a vast expanse of printed fabric covering an entire wall, with sculptural upholstered objects throughout the space. These same textiles will comprise the collaboration’s (with Laurie Elaine) costume constructs, and potentially be fabricated into large scale fiber-based objects to be used in a kinetic partnership with live (or recorded) choreographed performers. Along with the installation and collaboration, I am sharing my workspace via an open studio-like format so that viewers can observe firsthand the process of iteration as it unfolds."

The Lineal Project is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, Crankstart, and Dawn Redwoods Trust.

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