Fashion meets Art: Pae White

The space between...the space between here and there. It is often forgotten in our efforts to get to the next destination. Or in the case of physical space, it fades into nothingness as our eyes move from focal point to focal point.
 

For artist Pae White though, this is the space she explores in site specific installations like her 2013 exhibit in London called “Too Much Night, Again.” Using string, the installation criss-crossed in what would otherwise be the white space of nothingness around artwork featured on the walls. The air became three-dimensional as the strings travelled overhead, creating patterns of color, texture and form. 

The use of string in fine art demonstrates White’s tendency to use craft materials, elevating a typically mundane material to one for higher thought and beauty. A single string joined a multitude, creating spaces that varied in string density as they attached to the wall to spell words from the artist’s nighttime ponderings.


 Like White, Sarah Burton utilized a string-theme in her Fall 2017 collection for Alexander McQueen. Strings of red, white and blue dangle from sleeves and bodices. 
They are woven in patterns on dresses, resembling the heavy stitching found on upholstery or baseballs. The thick strings also dangle from bags, creating a fringe that moves with each step. 

In their heaviest form, the strings are woven in such a high volume that they become a tweed-like fabric. 

There is a transient quality to both the art and fashion designs. Both creations showcase how the strings can be combined or stitched in a way to hold something to together. Whether it be a dress or a three-dimensional form, a single string becomes something much more when utilized in a high quantity. But just as the strings dangle from the dress sleeves or spread into open spaces in the gallery, there is evidence they can pull apart into nothingness.

Runway Photos: Vogue.com
Exhibit Photos: 1301pe.com