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About the Biennale
The second Saint-Etienne International Design
Biennale was held in France from the 7th to the 15th of October 2000.
New Zealand was represented in this extensive
exhibition with a selection of printed textiles.
The Biennale included the work of 2000 designers
from over 100 countries, presented in the expansive industrial display
spaces of the Saintt-Etienne Exhibition Park.
The approach taken by the organisers
of this unique event is quite distinctive.
They seek to provide a spotlight on the diversity
of design in the world through a variety and astounding quantity of
designed objects.
The biennale does not show graphics or digital
design. It includes industrial, furniture, interior, architectural,
fashion, textile and product design.
Saint Etienne is a city of 200,000 people, one hour's drive south
west from Lyon.
Once the centre of manufacture for ribbons, haberdashery, weapons
and bicycles St Etienne, like many French industrial centres, suffered
a decline in the mid 20th century, when such production faltered.
New Zealand
Printed Textiles Exhibit
The New Zealand Exhibit presented
the work of twelve New Zealand printed textile designers and was displayed
alongside a presentation of the 'Patterns of Identity: Textiles in
Aotearoa' website.
The display was composed of three
triangular stands draped with textile lengths, juxtaposed with printed
garments on mannequins. The
website was presented on a shiny white Imac computer.
The POI project presented the
work of twelve New Zealand textile designers:
Jean Clarkson, Sonia Drake, Patricia Edwards, Adrienne Foote, Angela
Fraser, Kay George, Susan Holmes, Barbara Joseph, Roisin Kearny, Daphne
Mitten, Sue Pearson, and Nora West.
While there were a number of other displays that included textiles,
including a daily programme of fashion parades, the POI display was
the only specialised textiles exhibit in the show.
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