Kvadrat Fall 2023 Collection Release: Vicolo by Åsa Pärson
Vicolo is a subtly lustrous checked curtain designed by Åsa Pärson. It features a rhythmic woven pattern, inspired by Italian alleys and streets, comprising a play of differently sized rectangular tone-in-tone forms.
The textile’s cosmopolitan yet warm design, which evokes a sense of looking down from above onto city blocks divided by roadways, is particularly versatile: it can be hung both vertically and horizontally, and it also changes expression according to the proximity of the viewer.
Vicolo plays with light and shadow to compelling effect. The curtain derives its shimmer from a complex construction that unites two contrasting yarns. Åsa Pärson, who works with handwoven samples, meticulously calibrated the density of Vicolo to balance privacy and vibrancy. The textile is slightly translucent but does not reveal views of the other side.
Vicolo comes in ten colourways that offer varying levels of contrast between the yarns. The textile’s graphic look is boldest when the difference between the colours is most pronounced.
Åsa Pärson: “For Via and Vicolo, the construction is simple yet complex, and completely depends on the right combination of colour hues. The warp in the sketches uses a superfine yarn with such a high density that the visible threads become more like shades of colours mixed in subtle variations.”
The curtain shares colours and conceptual DNA with Via, also by Åsa Pärson. Both textiles were initially inspired by the time she spent at a weaving studio during a residency in Florence. Reflecting this, the designs work together particularly well. Vicolo is particularly well suited to healthcare and contract market spaces, as it meets the sector’s stringent testing and performance standards and is fire retardant.
Åsa Pärson Designer Åsa Pärson is a master weaver, with a reductive approach to designing textiles - allowing only the essential elements to remain. Her designs reflect her preference for fixed structures and have a clean, simple, and timeless expression. She originally studied at the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås and at Konstfack - the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. She studied jacquard weaving at the Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio in Florence, which keeps traditional weaving and production techniques alive, and has also studied dyeing techniques in Japan. Åsa Pärson’s works played a part in the 2021 ‘Travel as a tool’ exhibition at Vandalorum in Sweden, which considers the importance of travel for Nordic designers. Furthermore, her books Fabricate (2017) and Yoroke (2021) have both been awarded the Swedish Art Book award. Kvadrat Kvadrat was established in Denmark in 1968 and has deep roots in Scandinavia’s world-famous design tradition. A leader in design innovation, Kvadrat produces high-performance, design textiles, rugs, acoustic and window covering solutions for both commercial and residential interiors. Our products reflect our commitment to colour, quality, simplicity and innovation. We consistently push the aesthetic, technological and functional properties of textiles. In doing so, we collaborate with leading designers, architects and artists including: Miriam Bäckström, Raf Simons, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Alfredo Häberli, Akira Minagawa, Peter Saville, Roman Signer, Doshi Levien and Patricia Urquiola. For more infromation, visit: https://www.kvadrat.dk/en