The Power of thread: BelaBela

BelaBela

Jana Mršnik and Vesna Štih

From moč niti

After completing studies in textile design and attending various postgraduate courses, the two authors started designing interesting fashion collections and experimenting with various textile projects. Since 2006 they have been collaborating in joint projects and promoting their trademark BelaBela. Their projects link textile, industrial and spatial design. They have exhibited their works at BIO 21, Ljubljana 2008, Galerija Imago, Lubljana 2008, Assembly Festival, Graz, Austria 2009, and at the exhibition Technologies in Fine Arts, Velenje 2009.

They are interested in the modularity of particular elements and the role of the end-user, who can rearrange the product and personalize its use. Thus, they connect and incorporate the rules of the design process into various fields of fine arts and upgrade them into broader meaningful structures. The exhibition presents their project Growing light, composed of transparent pendant textile cylinders. They are condensing inwards, toward the core, the embedded light source, and attenuating outwards. The seemingly tender and fine structure changes with light, with the invisible movement of shadows, while the textile bodies create the illusion of multi-layered space and carry physical and expressive power.

Notable awards

- Designers Society of Slovenia Award for the presentation in the Talents section at the Ambiente Fair, Frankfurt, 2011

- Designers Society of Slovenia Award for the group Exhibition The Power of Thread, Ljubljana, 2010

- BIO22 Quality Concept Award at the International Biennial of Industrial Design, BIO 22, Ljubljana, 2010

- Nomination for the Designer of the Year Award at the Month of Design event, Ljubljana, 2008

References

- Selection and presentation in the Talents section at the Ambiente fair, Frankfurt, 2011

- Selection and presentation at the International Biennial of Industrial Design BIO 21, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2010

Jana Mršnik

1972 – born in Ljubljana.

Graduated in textile and clothes design from the Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering, specialised in hosiery at the company Lineapiú in Prato near Florence in 1997, and continued her education and training at Denmarks Designskole, Copenhagen, 2003, and art studies at the Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering.

Her work includes textile design, textile projects, industrial design, fashion and illustration.

Notable awards

- 3^rd prize Smirnoff, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1996

- Mittelmoda Premio, Gorizia, Italy, 1996

- Student Prešeren Fund Award for undergraduate dissertation, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2000

Selected exhibitions

- Obleka-Oblika, Mestna galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2002

- Imagerie-Art-Fashion, Revoltella Museum, Trieste, Italy, 2003

- Kaunas Art Biennial, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2005

Contact

janamrsnik@yahoo.co.uk

Vesna Štih

1972 – born in Ljubljana

Graduated in textile and clothes design from the Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering and continued her education and training at Accadèmia Internazionale d'Alta moda e d'Arte del Costume Koefia, Rome, Italy.

Her work includes textile design, fashion, patching, textile projects and graphics.

Notable awards

- Mittelmoda Premio, Gorica, Italy, 1997

- 7^th European patchwork meeting, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France, 2001

Selected exhibitions

- Young European fashion designer of the year, London, UK, 1998

- 7th European patchwork meeting, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France, 2001

- 10th European patchwork meeting, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France, 2004

Contact

vesna.stih@guest.arnes.si

Exhibited works

- Light object ∞, 2009, industrial extract, manual composition, polypropylene