Five artists have adorned the Horta Museum, an Art Nouveau gem in Brussels, for an exhibition themed 'Like on velvet. Fabric takes over the walls of the Horta Museum.' Their work will be on display from Friday until 30 June next year.
The artists invited to decorate rooms in the former home of architect Victor Horta (1861-1947) included designer Louisa Carmona. She transformed the kitchen and laundry area, reimagining 100% loop velvet into everyday items to honour the domestic work that once flourished there.
Sisters Flore and Pauline Fockedey have turned the breakfast room into a velvet enclosure, and in the ‘lady’s boudoir,’ Elise Peroi has crafted a puppet theatre in a tribute to flowers, a reference to the theatrical architecture of the room and the garden.
Artist Marc Van Hoe also contributed to the exhibition, revealing velvet as a tactile lustre representing time and history in the family lounge.
The velvet exhibition reflects Horta’s marked taste for the fabric. “In the 19th century, textiles were used to shield you from street views,” curator Benjamin Zurstrassen noted.
The artists collaborated with various craftsmen, such as velvet cutters Florence and Martine Moulis, to realise their creations. “This event forms part of our aim to make the Horta House a type of laboratory; this is one way to create a lively space,” added the curator.
The works can be viewed every day except Monday at the Horta Museum in Saint-Gilles.
