Ivana Taylor
Sydney-based Ivana Taylor brings textiles and woodwork together in her sculptural creations that span lighting, furniture, rugs, and art — we chat to her about an artistic pursuit that also includes staying active and journaling.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
Wrapped Gestures Circle Sconce detail, designed by Ivana Taylor. Photo: Jamfactory
‘Touch is what drives my love for textiles and timber – both materials ask to be touched and admired by the human senses,’ says Ivana Taylor. Photo: Xenia Taylor
H&F: How does your day begin; do you follow any rituals?
Ivana: My day begins with a hot drink, some breathing exercises and a dance workout if I can! I never got over my teenage love for Jazzercise and aerobics because I find it a beautiful balance of physical challenge and fun. Mornings or evenings also involve journaling. I find writing words help me decode and dismantle chaotic trains of thought.
Does your method differ between your objects? For example, from a stool to a light, or a rug to printed textiles?
My method changes and adapts depending on what I’m designing/making. Even if the design is basic, I’m still green in the design and making of furniture and lighting, so it entails more planning, consulting the talent of the Furniture Studio at JamFactory and working through scaled prototypes. I find sculptural forms and textile design a whole lot more intuitive, so if it’s the first time I’m forming a piece, my approach is more playful and willing to experiment.
Your materials span textiles and timber; why did you pick these? Do you think you’d ever be drawn to different mediums?
Touch is what drives my love for textiles and timber. Both materials ask to be touched and admired by the human senses. However, recent experiments with some strange but deliciously tactile materials to make continuous yarn from (including some weirdly divine insulation sheeting) have triggered a curiosity for exploring unusual wrapping resources, so watch this space!
Can you tell us more about your process?
My process nearly always starts with a simple textile technique applied to a rigid form. Most of the designs I work with come from observing how interlacing, weaving, knotting and/or stitching, interact with a structure. I like to explore that through larger scale or repetition.
The Beau Stool designed by Ivana Taylor. Photo: James Howe
Kokoshnik designed by Ivana Taylor. Photo: Dean Toepfer
“Most recently, my process explores the visual and physical rhythm of wrapping and how it can soften an inflexible inner framework, create a gentle sensual tactility that invites touch and transforms structure into sculpture.”
Ivana Taylor pictured with Calum Hurley & Jordan Leeflang, celebrating the end of completing the associate program in the Furniture Studio at JamFactory. Photo: JamFactory
You are both a sculptor and furniture designer. How do art and design combine in your practice?
A simple way to abstract design and art in my practice is structure and skin. The structure is designed using basic construction techniques and materials to form the inner framework, and the textiles could be seen as the art, forming the enveloping skin. They’re interdependent and expose each other through their intimate interaction. I see story as the link between art and design in some of my work, especially when there’s an underlying relationship or idea to evoke.
What was it like growing up with a costumier mum, who you described as a ‘fabric-junkie’? Do you feel the same way now?
It was fabulous. There was always fabric in the house, so I got to understand fabrics very young and also understood history through the costume and fashions of each period.
We had some very memorable mum-made clothes and dress-ups that stimulated some of the most hilarious role-playing as kids and skit-performing as teenagers. We’ve been privileged to see so many plays, and seeing mum’s costumes in a TV Ad or her name in movie credits, doesn’t get old. It wasn’t until I was a teen when I started making my own clothes, which I still love to do, that I realised how much engineering and geometry goes into any garment for the human body.
I have a strong bond with mum; especially now, she’s become a professional mentor for me, having led a similar life, navigating the fluctuations of a creative industry, juggling both part-time and freelance work. Returning to work in her workshop during one of the covid lockdowns in 2019 gave me a rare return to the space and the making approach of my youth, which later led to the Wrapped Gestures series.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your projects?
Movement and costume are my two main forms of inspiration. I love the story embedded in elements of costume. A simple gesture, prop or type of garment can mean so much. Witnessing mum transform sketches into garments and costumes led me to witness costume as an experiential prop or object and a kind of symbolic fulcrum designed to trigger a different way of acting, thinking and being.
You recently completed a foundation year as Furniture Associates at JamFactory. How was this experience? What did you learn?
My time at JamFactory has been an intense but invaluable deep learning experience. The key thing I’ve learnt is not to be afraid of my own style and what I want to say through my objects and to honour the power of playfulness.
Jam also exposed me to some phenomenal and encouraging role models. A key mentor was Andrew Carvolth, head of the furniture studio, who I get to work with now in my role as production manager.
At Jam, I’ve also had amazing opportunities, including working with artisans at the APY Art Collective, forming relationships to and doing commissions for interior design companies, as well as opportunities to participate in competitions and exhibitions like Denfair and Melbourne Design Week that have built my understanding of the design world and how I want to exist within it.
All of these opportunities also helped my practice gain momentum and led to representation by Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert. Lastly, I’ve been able to cultivate a greater awareness of how I work and make it sustainable – not just financially but also emotionally.
More big things — this year, you were included in Vogue Living’s top 50 products designers, featured in NGV’s Melbourne Design Week, and recently nominated as a finalist in The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2021 . How does this all feel? Especially as a pretty recent grad in the field!
It’s a massive honour to have my work on these platforms! I can’t pretend it didn’t dredge up a lot of imposter syndrome, especially when you’re on the same magazine page as people you greatly admire. But seeing what I originally thought was “my strange craft practice” respected and loved out in the world has given me the chance to redress how I value and see my own practice and its relevance.
