
The arts and crafts influx in interior design is no new trend. Macramé, textile hangings made from repeated knotting or weaving, have been a hot trend since the craft had been relieved of its dowdy 1970s aesthetic. Now, as macramé becomes ubiquitous in stylish interiors, a new vanguard of artists are expanding the medium, re-thinking materials to add to the wall.
Macramé artists such as Emily Katz and Sally England have been heralded as some of the most innovative champions of the medium. Primarily working with the traditional small-scale hangings and teaching workshops, Katz’s work has helped evolve the DIY practice into a major trend in design. While England, who works on large-scale commissions with companies like Instagram and Nike as well as solo exhibitions with Now Space Gallery and Esqueleto in Los Angeles has helped bridge the gap between design and art.
The gap is continually narrowing with young artists such as Rosha Yaghmai who work in mixed media to create wall hangings made from alternative materials like rubber, or optical lenses as in her piece Optometer, Curtain which was shown at Kanye Griffin Corcoran.
San Francisco-based artist Dana Hemenway works with similarly unexpected materials to make sculptures that more immediately riff off of the macramé craft. Fusing tech with the traditional weaving style, Hemenway’s works utilize cord, plug-ins, ceramics, and lightbulbs to arrive at chic industrial pieces.

