PAPERFLOWERS–RÚNAÞORKELSDÓTTIR

The bookwork Paperflowers was made by Rúna over a period of two years on a Rotaprint machine at her studio in Amsterdam. It was in a print run of 100, bound into signed books. Ten copies of each picture were also printed and sold in special folders. Both editions rapidly sold out. In 2007 Tao Kurihara, a designer at fashion label Comme des Garçons, bought a copy of Paperflowers in a book-art shop in Tokyo. She got in touch with Rúna, and the two launched a creative collaboration, making fabric inspired by Rúna’s Paperflower works. They selected images from the work and spliced them together without using any graphic software, showing the original A4-prints with white lines in between. Tao Kurihara then designed a summer collection using the fabrics, which was launched at Comme des Garçons in Paris in 2008. The collection was a great success, and was featured in leading fashion magazines. Among purchasers of the garments was Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the USA.

We thank the Icelandic Folk and Outsiders Art Museum for the loan of the work.

Photos: Owen Fiene.