Imagine walking down a bustling shopping
street in London just before Christmas, but instead of stressed shoppers you
see nothing but a sea of creatures? Stags, Donkeys, Wolves, Rams or the odd Minotaur, what a fantastic sight this would be!!
This was the
thinking behind the talented artist and felt-maker Barbara Keal, her love for
creatures and nature drew her into the world of performance-based art and
fashion.
She was inspired to
start as a felt-maker after spending most of her time on the hills surrounded by
the beautiful herds of mixed bred sheep like Herdwicks,
Hebredians and others kept as fluffy field-mowers!
Felt making is a simple process, by which
loose hair (in Barbara’s case sheep or alpaca fleece) is matted into a fabric
through friction.
Her hats have graced the pages of the Telegraph, In Style and FT
How to Spend it (in which the above photographs were shot by the talented Damien Fox for
the December 4th 2010 issue.) This shoot adds the mystical and fairytale factor, which really sums up the nature behind these extraordinary head pieces. I can imagine
myself wearing one of these dressed head to toe in white fur and wandering
through the forests of Narnia! –yes I was a little obsessed with C. S. Lewis’; The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe when I was younger!!
These hats really caught my eye when I stumbled across them. I always get totally charmed by artists such as Barbara, being
a country bumpkin myself, surrounded by sheep (which of course are all named
pets), I simple adore to see such highly designed pieces which, hooray, are not made out of 100% viscose but instead 100% nature!
Images: Damien Fox for the Financial Times How To Spend It
Barbara Keal's Website
WOW Crazy hats! really cool though
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