ALT A Review
2021
Unframing Art: Alba Amicorum liberates art from the frame and onto fluid fabric – to be worn, draped or wrapped in any way you like
BY PHOEBE FRASER
For this year’s London Craft Week, Alba Amicorum presents a new interpretation of Man Ray’s work in collaboration with the Man Ray Trust: a limited-edition series of scarves based on original paintings and photographic works – including his signature art form, the ‘rayograph’, created by placing objects on light-sensitive paper. Working with muse and protégée Lee Miller, Man Ray used the process of solarization to create stunning portraits, nudes and still-lifes in which subjects circumscribed by shadowy lines appear to radiate a heavenly light.
Celebrating outstanding British and international creativity, London Craft Week brings together over 250 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world. A curated selection based not on price or fame, but underlying substance. Plus, that essential dash of magic and inspiration that separates great from good.
Situated in London’s historic Belgravia Mews, Atelier Alba Amicorum will be open to visitors throughout the festival Monday – Sunday from 11:00 – 17:30. Visitors can tour the studio, preview the series, and meet Darshana Shilpi Rouget, the designer and brainchild behind the brand.
From her Belgravia studio, artist, graphic designer, and collector Darshana Shilpi Rouget conceived Alba Amicorum in 2020 as an incubator for wearable textile art. She says, "We make art to wear as scarves, using the finest natural fabrics as our canvas. Each simple cloth square continues the creative process by inspiring personal style."
The medium is scarves, meticulously printed in limited editions, resulting from collaborations with artists and artisans. Their work is translated onto the finest silks and cashmere by a skilled family of Italian artisans in Como, who print scarves for the fashion world’s most prestigious designers.
A numbered certificate of authenticity accompanies each limited edition piece, and the scarves are all packaged in a bespoke box made from wheat straw paper. Following a zero-waste policy, each scarf comes in a reusable fine cotton muslin pouch with a recycled ALBA AMICORUM tag which can be planted in soil and transformed into wildflowers. Gift boxes are available, handmade in Japan, from Paulownia wood.