IAN BERRY X TWOOD
Wood… made from just jeans
photos by Lennart Sjöberg
IAN BERRY COLLABORATES WITH SWEDISH DESIGNER TWOOD
Yes, you read it correct. It’s formed like wood, acts like wood, has beautiful contours the same as tree formed wood. But not one single one was cut down, instead it is all created out of only old denim jeans.
According to a report in The Independent our planet has around 46% fewer trees than it did before the human race started its destructive ways and we’re cutting down a monster 15 billion of them every year.
Glamour Magazine states that 2billion pairs of jeans are made every year. They use 2million tonnes of chemicals in the process plus 2,630 litres of water - per individual pair of jeans - and approximately 1.4million tonnes of raw cotton. It’s hard for anyone to have missed that finally the impacts of our overconsumption are finally getting the headlines the issue drastically deserves.
When you think of how many jeans are left unworn and unloved, there is a resource waiting to be used to be put to a much better use. Here are two exciting creators going forces.
For Swedish based sustainable innovator Lill O Sjöberg it has been a labour of love creating this material over several years perfecting the techniques and testing. Now the (t)wood can be seen in a collaboration with British artist Ian Berry who is known around the world for also using old jeans. And it is now showcased at a national museum.
Ian Berry has just opened his exhibition at Textil Museet - The Textile Museum of Sweden, where the artist known for his art with only jeans, had guest designers interpret and comment his work.
Helsingborg born, Gothenburg based Swede Lill O Sjöberg, originator of the innovative and sustainable material Twood, commented and complements Ian Berry’s stories about denim and rock history by producing a Twood made Drum set and Guitar displayed with Berry’s 2012 Record Store record collection.
photo | Lennart Sjöberg
Twood [textile-wood] is a new sustainable material made of discarded jeans, a hybrid between textile and wood celebrating the beauty of denim. It is the result of an ongoing material research project by the designer/innovator Lill O.Sjöberg and her team. The aim is to extend the lifecycle of denim fiber while maintaining the story and aesthetics of denim.
Twood Denim Drum Kit at Material World, Ian Berry’s Exhibition at Textil Museet
The Record Store was first created by Ian Berry as a comment on the changing fabric of our urban environment in 2012, with many stores closing down across the high streets in the UK. Along with the My Beautiful Launderette (2016) install and the 2018 ‘Changing Fabric of of Urban Environment’ install in the USA it has been a observation of how independent stores have been closing, places that had served a community, replaced by corporations or left empty, making every high street the same as the next. Since, the Vinyl Record has had a surge of interest and has held off much of closures. A secondary point of the Record Store was to give a nod to the music connection to denim - there is no better match.
The album choices traced some of the famed denim history moments, from the obvious like Bruce’s bum to the Ramones denim clad album cover to following iconic moments from the CBGB music scene down the Bowery that found itself travelling across the Channel via Malcolm MaClaren and forming the look of the Sex Pistols. Woodstock where they said you either wear your jeans of go naked is shown with Hendrix. Now every gig you’d go to the most common item in the crowd (other than iPhones filming) would be jeans - now the Guitar and drums can be too.
The Twood Fender Telecaster guitar was made in collaboration with GNU gitarrverkstad/Lars Arvidsson. The 60’sclassic style drum set was made with Swede Kjetil Granli of ICE percussion and both are fully ready to be played and perform just like one should.
Photos at Textil Museet with TWOODS drums and guitar displayed with Ian Berry’s Record Store collection in denim.
Ian Berry with the Twood Denim Wood drum kit and guitar at Textil Museet
A version of the Record Store, ‘SOHO RECORDS’ 2017, shot by Opel Turner
The TWOOD instruments were displayed nearby Ian Berry’s Denim Legends
Ian Berry with the Rock n’ Roll giant Denim Jacket
Drum roll please.. up step Twood.
Lill O Sjöberg with Lars Arvidsson of GNU gitarrverkstad
On the collaboration Lill O Sjöberg adds;
“It has been a struggle the to put the material TWOOD in the right discipline. Finding the project always “in between”.
In between industrial /academic research, in between sustainability/fast fashion and in between art/design. Together with the artwork of Ian Berry and Jonathan Christopher’s designs, the material project is presented in the most perfect context, embracing beauty, durability and sustainability. (And with so much fun! )”
Ian Berry says;
“Working with Twood is a perfect evolution and made perfect sense. And it’s only the start. You really have to see it to see the beauty, and it is, but then you start to understand the technical innovation and that is Lill’s strength with years of experience. It shows how versatile denim can be and how we can further reuse this material that while can have the cool factor, has also messed up the planet. There are few bigger symbols of overconsumption than the stories of cutting down the trees, like at the moment the stories coming from Brazil, and the mass production of one of our favourite garments, jeans. So replacing the former with the latter I hope Twood can be made in larger quantities to help out world.
The Guitar and drum kit are so cool, and hark back to a rock and roll period when jeans were much simpler and the wear and tear was earned.”
The exhibits can be seen at Textil Museet in Sweden in Material World til May 1, 2022
Contact for further info
mail@ianberry.art