IN THE DRIFT OF PAPER
Paper
Isobel Napier
Presented at Collect by Flow Gallery
For this elegant installation, Isobel Napier’s delicate paper ‘textiles’ are suspended below the arches of Somerset House’s Nelson Stair.
Finding beauty in simplicity, the installation explores how the transformation of materials through craft can influence the feeling of a space.
Drawing from the heritage of textile traditions, Napier uses contemporary digital processes to reimagine the language of textiles through paper. By meticulously cutting lines to mimic warp threads, she evokes the intricate patterns and textures of fabric, transforming solid materials into ephemeral creations.
The pieces in the installation are mutable, favouring an organic beauty rooted in imperfection and change. They reference fraying edges and the natural colouration of cloth that has been used, evoking histories.
The architecture of Somerset House provides a backdrop for the balance between solidity and fragility, history and innovation. The open volumes of the space allow air to move freely, gently shifting the forms as they respond to the currents, enhancing the sense of fragility and flow.
Here, the spirit of craft is not just in the materials but in the way they interact with the space, creating a living environment. This reflects Flow Gallery’s curation for Collect 2025, where The Spirit of Things is experienced through the quiet, sensorial presence of crafted works.