Zahra Tyebjee

Shifting Landscapes

I recount an experience of thermal atmosphere where the skin feels touch, pressure, and temperature. On a freezing cold April afternoon in 2016 I was at the Mývatn hot spring in Iceland. In the changing room, I put on my swimsuit. As I stepped outside, a light shower of falling hail was interacting with the hot water, making the air extra steamy. The aqua blue color of the water looked warm and tempting against the cool dark lava rock landscape. I quickly walked to the pool, already shivering. As I entered the icy blue, mineral-rich hot spring, the water felt smooth to touch. Gliding through the silky water gave me a sensation of warmth and calmed my cold bones. The pool was so opaque I could not see my submerged body through the depths of the surface. The steamy air broke the form of the surrounding physical shapes and obstructed my view of the other bathers making me feel encompassed in the atmosphere of the hot spring. 

 

My memory frequently returns to my trip around Iceland, a connection I have tied to the sensorial effects of landscape on the body. This started an exploration into creating immersive, sensorial, tactile environments through the medium of knitted textiles. Experimentation with fibers and knit constructions led to the development of knitted fabrics that function as atmospheric building structures integrated into architecture. 

 

Through my knitted fabrics the terms sun dappled, particles of light, airy, and dense are brought to mind. One knitted fabric structure I created consists of perforated holes and dimensional pleats. The light passes through the negative space of the holes and projects a reflection of shapes in light onto the shadowy pleats. A second fabric knit with a paper yarn functions as a screen. It hangs crisply, is light, and allows a breeze to pass through. In contrast a dense knit forms textured ridges that become fuzzy through the process of needle-punching. The moments created through the material exploration of atmosphere are ephemeral and shifting.