In Landscape I, plant-based fibers are woven alongside strips of discarded bike tubes that extend over large areas of the fabric. Strands of cotton, silk and wool are fragmented and split apart by thick, oily, decayed rubber tubing. The two valves and the faded letters spelling the manufacturers’ names are reminders of the latter material’s original use. Despite the dense composition of the rubber, the structure resulting from its irregular cut allows light to filter into the room. The artwork was inspired by images of landscapes disfigured by mining processes. Like those landscapes, its raw beauty paradoxically emerges from disruption, irregularity, and the unexpected presence of discarded materials.

Landscape I is the creation of Berlin-based artist duo Studio JUMI. It is part of an ongoing series, ‘Woven Strata’, in which woven surfaces provide a format for examining the conflicting forces within our environment that arise when natural materials become intertwined with non-degradable, anthropogenic debris. The work not only calls attention to urgent environmental issues, it also directly engages with the essence of weaving—an art form in which disparate elements are joined to create a harmonious whole.