Signe Emdal (DK)

Palladio is a tapestry-like wall sculpture created at Statens Værksteder in Copenhagen in 2020/2021, commissioned by The Michelangelo Foundation for the 2022 Homo Faber Biennale in Venice, Italy. This unique artwork draws inspiration from the colours of Venice—water, air, and sky—and the intricate octagonal lace pattern of the terrace of the Basilica of San Giorgio, designed by the Italian architect Palladio. For the work, the artist developed the signature Loop ~ Medium Series technique, hand-knitting rows of delicate mohair loops on a vertical cotton warp using a tapestry loom. This method emerged as a handmade translation of the electric tufting gun technique, adapted after the artist’s wrist could no longer endure the pressure of the machine. The work also references the architectural perfection of Pelican’s foot sea snail shells from Skagen, Denmark, whose spiral diamond-like surfaces inspired the artwork’s texture and colour palette—closely mirroring the hues of Venice despite their Nordic origin.

Visual artist and Master Artisan Signe Emdal approaches the sculptural medium as an intuitive act of embodying sensory memories, as well as her passion for proces, dialogue, delicate light, structures, landscapes, art & cultural history, community building, ancient carpet and rug traditions, feminism, innovative social models and cosmos.