ian berry transforms last spool of denim into a secret garden of whimsy

the indigo stories shown here are hand-cut pieces of denim. not just any denim: the textiles belong to the final role to ever be produced by cone mill’s white oak plant. the plant shut down in 2017, after 100 plus years of manufacturing, but now, at the hands of british artist ian berry, the final spool of blue has become ‘the secret garden,’ at children’s museum of the arts (CMA).

images courtesy of children’s museum of the arts and will ellis photography

from now until april 29, 2018, visitors can walk beneath floral fabrics, blue bunnies and toys: a denim on denim world, ‘the secret garden.’ ian’s been perfecting his techniques with the jean-medium for over ten years. it’s evident through his experimentation that the fabric’s distinctive grains (deep blue, shiny white, everywhere in between) add enough texture and depth on their own. he does not burn, or bleach or paint on them. he simply opts to reshape the sturdy fabric with scissors, and adhere them together with glue. 

the secret garden accompanies CMA’s exhibition ellen harvey: ornaments and other refrigerator magnets, an exhibition of new and recent works by ellen harvey that explore the use of ornamentation in scenes of both urban life and in nature. ian berry’s monochromatic wonderland fits right in.