A partial exhibition of fibre based sculptures by Charlotte Blake created during the pandemic and successive lockdowns. ‘External Influences’ explores the effect of situational cognizance on the act of making art. The process of making can be a monotonous one, one without clear thought or intent, in which the maker looses themselves in the process and decisions feel intuitive. This work attempts to challenge the idea of intuitive work by the presence of external stimulus in the form of news. Throughout a large part of the creation of this work, news coverage of world events was played in the background. Through the process of labour these pieces are a direct visual response to concurrent events while experiencing the pandemic from the bubble of isolation.

Charlotte has combined loom weaving and basketry techniques and materials to explore ways of pushing dimensionality on a typically two-dimensional medium (loom weaving). Pieces are woven on a floor loom using cotton and rattan reed and then manipulated off loom to create form. Collaborating on some of the pieces is Kate Tessier, industrial and lighting designer.

DesignTO x KEDD

‘External Influences’ is one of 10 projects in the King East Design District (located in Old Town Toronto), a neighbourhood running along King Street East, from Church Street to Parliament Street. During the DesignTO Festival, you are invited to visit exhibitions, workshops and talks hosted in the showrooms of select local businesses.

• External Influences by Charlotte Blake at Daltile | Mohawk Group (160 King Street East)
• Tête-à-Tête: A Portrait Exhibition at Beauchamp Art Gallery (167 King Street East)
• MINDFULLY MADE at EQ3 (222 King Street East)
• Democracy in Motion by by ARCTRN Group at Aquavato’s future showroom (158 Front Street East; west side of Sherbourne Street, north of Front Street)
• bulthaup X Carl Hansen & Søn: ‘The Sound of Design’ at bulthaup Toronto (280 King Street East)
• Octet Truss w/ Snake by Jamie Wolfond Studio at bulthaup Toronto (280 King Street East)
• digitalSTRUCTURES: Data and Urban Strategies of the Civic Future by Wendy W. Fok at Relative Space (330 King Street East)
• United by Design, Detroit x Toronto: A tale of two design cities by Design Core Detroit and Cambria at Cambria Gallery (91 Parliament Street)
• Toller Cranston – The Painter: An Exhibition of Original Works at Cambria Gallery (91 Parliament Street)
• Make the Invisible Visible: A BMD Data Visualization Hackathon at Bruce Mau Design Studio (340 King Street East, Suite 500)

On Friday, January 27, join us for King East Design District Party presented by DesignTO, a roaming neighbourhood party anchored by five Party Hubs. The KEDD Party is a must-attend bash, bringing together hundreds of designers and design-lovers.