In Jannick Deslauriers's hands, tanks are made of crinoline and power tools, of lace
"In fashion design, it's very delicate and really detailed; it's an impressive art by itself."
See Jannick's work in motion in episode five of The Re-Education of Eddy Rogo, a new digital original series from CBC Arts.
Name: Jannick Deslauriers
Born: Joliette, Que., 1983
Lives and works: Montreal
Her work: Jannick Deslauriers is a textile artist whose work is simultaneously huge and high-impact, but delicate and detail-oriented. Tanks are made of crinoline. Person-sized models of apartment buildings feature ornate, carefully stitched wrought iron balconies. And the whole thing is strung up to the ceiling like a marionette. "I want something that, when you first see it, there's an impact, a strong impact," she says. "But what I also want to happen is that the viewer comes closer and closer and will also have something amazing to discover in the work. So it's important to have a lot of details when you come closer to it. So there's always something to see."
Sewing inspiration: Deslauriers says she loved sewing from an early age. In high school she would sew clothes and marionettes. As a teenager, she actually considered enrolling in fashion design at CEGEP before settling on visual arts as a major. Still, her early interest in fashion inspired her love of detail. "In fashion design, it's very delicate and really detailed; it's an impressive art by itself," she says. "So because I was interested in fashion design, it did influence the way I treated textile in my sculpture. That's why they're so precious and delicate and all of that. I'm always watching fashion designers being interviewed or in documentaries. I like to see fashion designers work, and it influences the way I work with textile."
White out: Deslauriers works primarily with white fabric, because it's "really precious." She also appreciates how the colour lends itself to various uses. "For example, like the tank, I wanted it to have a very ghost-like effect, so I chose a crinoline because it's translucent," she says. "And when I want to make something that maybe looks more heavy or you can't see through it, I'll go for cotton or linen."