Women in Design
The Met x Ann Gish Embellished Collection
Inspired by the ancient jewelry and metalwork in The Met collection of Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman Art, Jane Gish of Ann Gish Luxury Linens (suite 402) and Alicia Goodwin of Lingua Nigra collaborated to create uniquely adorned pillows. Goodwin’s brand Lingua Nigra, based in Chicago, creates handmade jewelry that she calls “sculptural design for everyday adornment.” Each design represents a thoughtful artistic dialog between the two makers informed by historical inspiration and time-honored production techniques.
Gish says “Our longstanding collaboration with The Met has allowed us to take a range of approaches to get inspired, including translating non-textile art objects into woven and printed textiles. For this new capsule, I wanted to experiment with adornments such as buttons, trim, and the like. Working with a jeweler to create these dimensional elements felt like a natural evolution of the concept. I’ve admired Alicia’s work for a long time and was so happy when she responded to my direct message about a collaboration on Instagram.”
Selecting four artworks that Gish felt resonated most for the combination of ancient technique, organic forms, and lustrousness of the metals, she and Goodwin collaborated to conceive the designs, scale, and potential placements on textiles. Goodwin then sketched the pieces, hand-carved them in wax, cast them in brass, and etched antiqued textures, adding glass beads and cabochons to certain pieces. Gish then refined the textile designs to present the metalwork in the most sophisticated form.
“For thousands of years humans across the globe have practiced metallurgy and the magic of lost wax carving. I have always been inspired by the beautiful designs of MesoAmerica in particular. Ancient cultures ranging from the Mesopotamians to the ancient Egyptians developed similar metalworking practices independently, long before electricity and so many other modern innovations. Utilizing the same techniques, so many years removed from the creation of the original art objects, lends a certain hand that is visible in the final product.” Goodwin says.
