Automobile Fabric 1959

This square of automobile fabric was created by the Chatham Manufacturing Company, we don't know exactly when. It is interesting to think about artmaking as a production process, and vice versa, like a dance between intention and accident. The threads here are woven together, an interplay of black and white. It's rough to the touch, I imagine, with a strong surface. When I zoom in, the texture of each individual thread is really apparent, and the overall rhythm of the weave becomes complex, almost painterly. You can imagine the movement of the machine that made it, back and forth, line after line, each one slightly different. I think that the random imperfections that occur across the surface are a feature not a bug. The subtle variations across the fabric remind me of Agnes Martin’s grid paintings, with their hand-drawn lines that are never quite perfect. Ultimately, this fabric is a reminder that art—and even industrial design—is an ongoing experiment.