My solo exhibition “Miriam Parkmans Palett” opened at LUX gallery in Östersund on November 25ht. It’s my biggest solo show to date, presenting a large and generous view on my 10 years as a textile artist. Open until January 27th, 2024. All photos by the brilliant Martina Ankarfyr/Campher.
"Vakna, somna, vandra" installed in Stockholm City Hall
In June, 2023, the 5 x 2 m big tapestry “Vakna, somna, vandra” was installed in Stockholm City Hall to celebrate and commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the iconic Stockholm building.
Studio Supersju (the weaving collective that I am part of since the founding in 2016) got the commission in 2022 and produced the tapestry between November 2022-May 2023. It’s woven in one piece by all of the group’s six members in the technique “Moorman” - a sort of relief-building tapestry technique invented by Theo Moorman in the early 20th century. The commission included a three-word theme: “Love, warmth and care”. The group choose to interpret these words in an abstract motif, using colors to evoke emotions uniquely to each viewer.
The tapestry is installed in the stairway to the tower, also functioning as the entrance to the building for the Royal family, the Nobel prize winners and the wedding couples who, on every Saturday year-round, walk up and down these stairs on one of the most important days of their lives. That special feeling - equal to the couples and the Nobel prize winners - was also something that Studio Supersju included in their research and inspiration for the tapestry. That day, and the first morning after will forever be extra special for them. What is a morning in Stockholm? The group listened to songs from the passed 100 years and found a shiny read thread connecting them through the decades - that very special light, breeze and air of a Stockholm summer night, and early morning. With it’s location spread out on several islands - connected by a multiple of bridges - the water and the near-by archipelago is always present. Combined with the light and bright Swedish summers, those are two components that makes us walk.
In the 1962 classic “Sakta vi gå genom stan”, sung by Swedish jazz icon Monica Zetterlund, a walk such as that is described in timeless, romantic words:
“Åh det är skönt, när mitt Stockholm är grönt, sakta gå hem genom stan (…) Åh, det är natt, å på avstånd hörs skratt, en spårvagn går ensam och tom. Klockan är två, hela himlen är blå, hemligt går träden i blom. (..) En kyss, sen börja vandra igen, ensamma i hela stan…”.
In the 1982 song “Tidig Stockholmsmorgon”, sung by Turid, a fragile morning is described, where the romance is put on test, a conflict lingering from the night before. But in the wee small hours of the morning, with the window open to the “city still asleep”, a small window of reconciliation also opens:
“Mellan höghus, över vatten / Gryningsljus och skuggspelsmönster /Än en stund är staden stilla/
Å din hand e mjuk och varm/ Smek bort det som gjort mig illa /Lägg ditt huvud på min arm”
In 2016 Frida Hyvönen released the song “Min stad” which tells a tale of the reluctant relationship between Stockholm city and it’s many immigrates. The conflict of where you once left, where you feel like you belong and the city you want to make your home but don’t always feel home in:
“Tittar ut över min stad /Solen går upp på Gröna Lund /Slår en lov runt Gullmarsplan och dyker ner vid Hornstull /På bänken vid Mariaberget häller vi upp i glasen /Bland turisterna som fotar Riddarholmen och Gamla Stan och gamla solnedgången”
All of these songs, and their lyrics, inspired to the motif of the tapestry, where one might see a sunset or sunrise glisten on calm waters, and the title, which translates to “Wake, sleep, wander.”
To see more of the process behind the piece, go to the Studio Supersju website. To see the piece live: book a ticket on the regular guided tours through the website of Stockholm City Hall, and ask to see the “100-year anniversary tapestry”.
Rya workshop!
This summer I’m hosting a rya workshop - at one of my favorite places!
The two-day course will take place at beautiful Lappudden in Nordingrå county, High Coast, and will focus on the rya knotting technique from a sample- and experiment point of view. We’ll work in frame looms and try different ways of using yarn and color to create depth, structure and shadow effects in your rya. The result will be small samples to develop in your big loom at home, or keep as wall hangings and/or other pieces of art. Beginners and experienced weavers are welcome!
The workshop will begin with a design class and to get the creative flow going and I’ll bring a generous amount of samples and works with me to study.
Read more and sign up here at the Västernorrland Museum website - scroll down to “Sommarkurs - väv rya 12-13 augusti”. Welcome!
New collection of shawls, scarves and baby blankets
A new collection of four shawls, four scarves and two baby blankets will release in my web shop on Saturday March 4th at 1.30pm Swedish time. This will most likely be my last web shop drop of the year - read why, plus more information on each shawl and scarf, in my latest newsletter!
This time, I hade the pleasure of including two of my best friends in the photo shoot - Mira and Karoline. I’ve put some extra effort into these photos and I’m really happy with the result!
Pattern for Järbo
I’ve released the pattern for two of my “Fuzzy winter wool shawls” with Swedish yarn producer Järbo. It can be downloaded for FREE here !
Above, “First Frost”. Below, “Mini marshmallows on top”.
For these shawls I’ve used the Swedish wool yarn from Järbo, plus a variety from their new “Selection” series, including a fine mohair Tweed yarn from Scotland and a super soft jak/alpacka/silk blend. I had a lot of fun as usual creating the color combinations for these shawls!
Miriam Parkmans Palett at Bar Oas
Photos from my solo exhibition, “Miriam Parkmans Palett” taking place at Bar Oas, Stockholm March to May 2022. I really enjoyed installing my work in this beautiful environment and liked the idea of surprising bar guests with handwoven art. The exhibition got many positive reviews and six pieces sold - including the brand new piece “Hej vän” (top left in above photo) to a well-known Stockholm gallery owner. All photos by Martina Ankarfyr.
Miriam Parkmans ”Palett” på Bar Oas
Jag ställer ut vävar på Bar Oas, Drottninggatan 73, Stockholm, fr o m torsdag den 24 mars!
Välkomna! // I’m opening a small solo exhibition at one of my favorite spots in Stockholm: Bar Oas. Located at Drottninggatan 73, you’ll find my woven pieces hanging there from March 24th and a few weeks ahead. Welcome!
Spring Winter collection drops in one hour!
My next collection of hand woven shawls and scarves in plaid cord drops at 1pm Swedish time!
I won’t make more of these for now so if you’re interested in getting one, I’d say now’s the time.
I will also donate 10% of my profit from today’s sale to UNHCR to help their work in Ukraine.
Spring Winter collection drops tomorrow!
My next collection of fuzzy winter wool shawls and wool scarves drops tomorrow, Friday March 4th at 1pm Swedish time (GMT +1). It consists of four individual shawls and four individual scarves, in colorways inspired by the current season - spring winter. The sun starts to feel warm again on your cheeks, the birds ar chirping and drip drops are heard from every roof but there’s also snow and the ground and minus degrees at night. It can be quite a lovely time!
Above is the fuzzy wool shawl “Blåsippa”, named after one of Sweden’s most longed for spring flowers. It has a certain blue/violet color that just shines from the brownish muddy ground when they arrive. You can’t miss them! And neither should you, if you’re interested in getting a shawl or scarf from this collection. Last time we sold out in 30 minutes, so don’t snooze if you’re keen on one this time! I won’t be making more of these until the fall, at earliest.
Read more here in my latest newsletter and here on my Instagram page.
New fuzzy wool shawls coming!
I am working on a new collection of fuzzy winter wool shawls - and a new design of wool scarves! Sign up to the newsletter to get more information on release date and details on each shawl and scarf first hand.
The English version is here!
It sure took some time but I am delighted to say that the English translation of “Att Väva” by me and Arianna Funk is finally here! It is published by Trafalgar books and even if they did change the cover in a way I’m not 100% happy about, the content is still the same. It can be ordered online from great stockists such as GIST yarn in the US and Hand knit yarn studio in Canada. If you have a local book store you’d like to support, we’d be thrilled to have them carry our book, and would of course be very happy to know about it!
Enjoy!
Studio Supersju x Kornellen Vårdboende Örebro Kommun
In 2021, us in the group of Studio Supersju got our first public art commission! We’ve been working on it during the whole year, from the first application precisely a year ago to planning and sketching the proposal to winning the commission and now finalizing the very last bits of the total of 5 hand woven pieces that are going to be installed at Kornellen care home in Bettorp, Örebro municipal in February 2022.
Above and below are a few photos from our process, awaiting professional photos taken by photographer Ylva Sundgren coming soon.
Fuzzy winter wool collection drops tomorrow!
My final web shop drop of the year happens tomorrow, Saturday December 4th, at 1pm Swedish time (GMT +1). It’s a collection of fuzzy winter wool shawls in plaid cord, a technique and a project researched and started during the internship of Borås textile design student Norea Haapalainen.
Read more about the collection in my latest news letter, here!
April 2016
Looking back on a series of analog photos taken by Angelica Elliot during the graduation project of 2016, when I was making my first big slitrya - “Lockrop/Längtan”. I love these photos and their real analog feel - how the colors come through and the grain that suits the motif so well. Like a still life documentary, Angelica captured what would become the beginning of my future practice; the “budding” of my love for the rya technique. It also shows the environment provided by Handarbetets Vänner: a small but rich space where so much of my knowledge started. Enjoy!
Studio Supersju på Slöjdgalleriet i Linköping
“Det innersta, en kärna full av energi. Kraftfull men sovande, väntande, längtande. Kan inte pausa, tänker på försörjningen, på meningen. Frustrerande frusna tillstånd, uppbrott och eufori. En värmande tröja eller en ögonblicksbild från en hoppfull morgon.
I utställningen på Slöjdgalleriet undersöker medlemmarna i Studio Supersju det innersta. Individuella verk där minnen och sensationer vävs samman blir till i en ordlös konversation. Det är här du hämtar kraft.”
Läs mer här!
foto och layout: Miriam Parkman
Follow my new tapestry project on Patreon
I’m making a series of posts about the process of my new project; a self-portrait tapestry to be exhibited in the Studio Supersju exhibition at Slöjdgalleriet in Linköping, opening February 25th. If you are curious to see the making from sketching and planning to the finished object, go to my Patreon page! For now the posts are free for everyone, but if you enjoy the posts, please consider signing up to become a Patreon. This supports me with a small monthly fee and you will get emails whenever a new post has landed. I will share more thoughts and methods than ever before so don’t miss out! ;)
Slitrya - background and history in English
My co-author and colleague Arianna Funk has written a piece about the Swedish Slitrya, a form of rya woven softer and more blanket-like than the sturdier and tightly woven floor rug. I made my first slitrya for my graduation project in 2016 and have since continued to explore and develop this technique further. Arianna’s using two of my pieces as examples in her article and you can read it online here.
Process: "Sage" 2019
Pictures from the process of making “Sage” , April 2019. All photos by Miriam Parkman.
Indigofera x Miriam Parkman
A short reel made by me and Creattalent for my takeover of the Indigofera Instagram account in October 2020. It shows a normal morning waking up in my apartment, having breakfast, getting dressed, going to the studio and starting to work. I'm wearing the full range of garments from the High Coast collection and that piece I'm working on in the loom is the "Beach Glass Dazzler pillow case. 2" soon available on my new web shop!
Midnight Dazzler Blanket
These striking images were taken by Douglas Luhanko on the day of the launch of the High Coast collection at Second Sunrise store, Stockholm. They truly show the vibrancy of the colors in the blanket, and it’s thick, fuzzy yet smooth and flexible construction. I am also wearing the Weaver’s jeans and Cliffs and Moss shirt from the collection, with a 1960s hat and 1950s boots.
See more of the Miriam Parkman x Indigofera collaboration here . The collection can be found here , here, here and here.