CHRISTABEL BALFOUR

Inspired by playing with a toy loom when she was a child, this artist and tapestry weaver now specialises in making rugs and woven wall hangings that take their cue from the abstract

can you tell us a little about your background? My background is in fine art, but I always wanted to run my own business. I started out working for a homeware designer straight out of university and then quit three years ago to start weaving full time.

How did you get into weaving and where did you train? I’ve been weaving since I was a small child, when my mother bought me my first toy loom. My school had a fantastic textiles department and from there I went on to study Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, where I made large woven installations.

Where do you draw inspiration? I’ve just moved into a new studio with huge windows looking out across east London. So, right now, the sky outside my window is showing up a lot in my work. Architecture is a big inspiration, too, being based in London. I’m fascinated by the contrast between urban and natural environments and spend a lot of time walking beside east London’s canals, dreaming up new ideas.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

Abstract and dreamlike. The compositions of my tapestries are often shapes suspended in space, floating in a larger field of colour. Weaving is a deeply meditative process and I think that translates into my designs.

Which designers do you admire?

There are a lot. I’m currently inspired by the work of interior designers such as Oliver Gustav and Louisa Grey, sculptures by Isamu Noguchi and Donald Judd, and architecture by Tadao Ando. I’m also very inspired by the work of weavers of the past, from the huge medieval tapestries at Hampton

Court Palace to the work of the master weavers of the Navajo, as well as the work of contemporary weavers such as Erin M Riley, Mimi Jung and Dee Clements.

What has been your most exciting project so far?

In April last year I collaborated with the architects Chan & Eayrs to weave shutters for their new house in Shoreditch. It was a huge task – 280 hours of weaving in total – but seeing my work take shape as part of such a beautiful project was a real privilege.

CLOCKWISE, FROM FAR LEFT Christabel in her studio; yarn stored on open shelves; the Long River rug is part of the One Shape after Another series; tools, including a comb and shuttles; the Halves wall hanging; work in progress on a tabletop loom, like the ones Christabel uses in the workshops she teaches.