A delicate lace-themed art exhibit and a sheet metal fabrication shop might not go hand-in-hand for most of us, but for textile artist Meghan Price they are closely woven together. Price is an artist, textile designer, and teacher at the OCAD University. Her interest in woven fabrics and new technologies led her to experiment with weaving non-traditional materials through the art of sheet metal waterjet cutting.
Waterjet technology is most commonly used for fabricating parts for machines since the industrial cutting machines can cut intricate and complex shapes without affecting the inherent structure of the material. The accuracy and complexity of lines, and the wide range of cutting materials that waterjet machines provide, are appealing to many visual artists.
Price created Habitat Wave, a complex waterjet-cut steel lace sculpture that expresses the patterns and interconnections of nature and culture. The work was created with enamelled copper wire and loom weaving and needle lace-making techniques. The sculptures were then scanned, converted into vector drawings, and then put through CAD software for the water-jet cutting machine.
Her work has been a part of the Love Lace exhibit in the science and design Powerhouse Museum of Sydney, Australia.
Westway wants to know if you have created any complex and intricate waterjet designs in your fabrication shop. Share photos of your waterjet projects with us. Send us an email, post on our Facebook page, or mention us on Twitter.
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