‘Cafe Curtains’ invites viewers to rethink their definition of materials that might normally be considered refuse. Working with used tea or coffee bags and filters, textile artist Jennifer Coghill wants to inspire conversations about alternative ways to look at what we might otherwise throw away. By reimagining the after-use of these unusual materials to create functional and decorative window panels, their humble origins are elevated and given an unexpected new existence.

The use of cafe curtains is thought to have originated in Vienna in the 19th century. Created to hang from a rod partway down a window frame, they provided cafe patrons with privacy from passersby while allowing sunlight to enter above. By situating her reinterpretation of this classic cafe decor in an actual coffee shop, Coghill further contextualizes her choice of materials and form. Using the panels to only partially obscure the windows, she allows viewers glimpses of the interior, creating a new perspective on both the work and its location.

DesignTO in the Trinity Bellwoods BIA

‘Cafe Curtains’ is one of 10 projects in the Trinity Bellwoods BIA, a vibrant neighbourhood running along Dundas Street West between Bathurst Street and Trinity Bellwoods Park. During the DesignTO Festival, you are are invited to walk Dundas Street West as a gallery, exploring the neighbourhood and seeing work from artists and designers in businesses’ storefronts and windows.

• Unseen Interiors by Angela Cho at Milky’s
• excerpts from the little table project by John Booth at bookhou
• exhaust by Marcelline Siu at Dirty Laundry
• Experimental Collage – Series 3 by Warren Steven Scott at Comrags
• What Was, Now Is by Hilary Arellano & Holly Chang at Capri Shoes
• Eating Cherries, Braiding Hair by Elena Mahno at Sovereign State
• Language Structures by Paul Aloisi at Worth Gallery
• Cafe Curtains by Jennifer Coghill at Hamers Coffee
• Nọrọ: Sit & Stay by Chuma Asuzu at Saving Grace
• The Bar Stool by Salva Modarres at Northern Belle

On Sunday, January 29, join DesignTO for ‘The Lifecycle of Objects‘ featuring Angela Cho, Hilary Arellano and Marcelline Siu at the Trinity Community Recreation Centre.