BARBARA M. BERK

I created "Aigrette" at the request of curator Hanna Regev for her exhibition Beyond the Warp and Weft:  The Enduring Legacy of the Bauhaus at Ruth’s Table Gallery in San Francisco (2019).  I wanted to create a large piece for the exhibition.  Having just completed "Lace Nine: Sea Currents", I decided to make it 9” wide as well, but longer, much longer, so that I would have more lace with which to play.   Ultimately, the lace ribbon was over 9 ft long.  I used the loose wires at one end to extend the lace, making rosettes on short wire sprays.  After gathering together the long loose wires at the opposite end, I realized that I had inadvertently arranged them in the form of an Aigrette…clearly a manifestation of my love for period jewelry. 

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And very fitting.  The Aigrette is a “hair ornament designed to hold or depict feathers”* that dates to the 17th century. Whether comprised of actual feathers or plumes of diamonds, the ornament was again popular in the 1920’s and 30’s, during the time the Bauhaus art school was operational. 

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*Learn more at Lang’s Antique Jewelry University

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Exhibition:   Beyond the Warp and Weft:  The Enduring Legacy of the Bauhaus (2019)

Artist Talk:   Transcending Textile Structures:  Weaving and Lace Making with Metal (2019)

Exhibition:   Forge the Future at ACCI Gallery (2021)

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