Incantations thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Incantations

Tapestry
1988 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Liza Collins trained as a painter at the Northeast London Polytechnic. She went on to study tapestry at the Royal College of Art under the tutelege of the prestigious weaver Marta Rogoyska. Collins' work shows a similar use of colour, shape and the same liveliness in its execution as her mentor. Her imagery, however, is unique and 'Incantations' is a superb example of her eccentric colour schemes and inventive composition. Collins uses traditional weaving techniques to create her tapestries, which in contrast are often rather innovative in their outcome. She looks to nature as an unending source of inspiration for her work and her creative eye is stimulated both by the traditional English garden, inhabited with flora and fauna, but also by the night sky when it is 'populated with moonbeams, sand surf and shooting stars', as can be seen in Incantations.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleIncantations (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Tapestry woven in hand dyed wool on a cotton warp
Brief description
Woven tapestry 'Incantations' of hand dyed wool weft on a cotton warp, designed by Liza Collins, Great Britain, 1988
Physical description
Woven tapestry of hand dyed wool weft on a cotton warp. With bold abstract imagery.
Dimensions
  • Top width: 1375mm
  • Bottom width: 1378mm
  • Weight: 8.5kg (Note: Weight with pole.)
  • Proper right length: 1017mm
  • Proper left length: 1010mm
Production typeUnique
Object history
Purchased. Registered File number 1989/1411.
Summary
Liza Collins trained as a painter at the Northeast London Polytechnic. She went on to study tapestry at the Royal College of Art under the tutelege of the prestigious weaver Marta Rogoyska. Collins' work shows a similar use of colour, shape and the same liveliness in its execution as her mentor. Her imagery, however, is unique and 'Incantations' is a superb example of her eccentric colour schemes and inventive composition. Collins uses traditional weaving techniques to create her tapestries, which in contrast are often rather innovative in their outcome. She looks to nature as an unending source of inspiration for her work and her creative eye is stimulated both by the traditional English garden, inhabited with flora and fauna, but also by the night sky when it is 'populated with moonbeams, sand surf and shooting stars', as can be seen in Incantations.
Collection
Accession number
T.341-1989

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdSeptember 16, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSON