Rene Detrixhe's 'Heirloom' Tablecloth Honors Nature's Delicate Bounty
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Artist and artisan Rena Detrixhe has collected thousands of seeds in Lawrence, Kansas, stitching them into delicate, sophisticated gossamer-like tablecloths. In her project titled ‘Heirloom’ the seeds form gentle star, flower and pinwheel patterns so delicate that the seeds appear airborne.
Describing herself as a ‘hunter and gatherer of materials’, Rene views nature as the finest of artistic creators, showcasing a bounty for the artist’s personal creativity and exploration of humans’ relationship with her. A quote from Lucy Lippard describes this synergy of reverence and respect.
Art must have begun as nature — not as imitation of nature, nor as formalized representation of it, but simply as the perception of relationships between humans and the natural world.
Detrixhe’s motivation behind this particular project stems from a desire to dialogue about the intersection of art and the environment. “The table and cloth were created to exist as a stage or platform,” the artist says on her website. “As part of its exhibition, individuals were invited to participate in a round-table discussion including environmentalists, ecologists, biologists, artists, and other researchers.”
