Anna Ray + Forbo Flooring. Off Cut
Inspired by the offcuts from the meticulously precise tufting process at Forbo Flooring, Anna Ray’s Offcut series was a visual documentation of the ambitious factory floor’s processes, offering a unique view of global manufacturing.
Dancing threads wriggling free from their cones in preparation for tufting, uniformly marching needles in seemingly endless rows, punching through cloth at unimaginable speed. Directly referencing the materials, forms and machinery found within the factory, and referencing her Huguenot ancestors who were silk weavers and fancy trimmings manufacturers in the 1700s, Ray’s deeply textured and vibrant wall pieces transcended the everyday factory occurrences found on her residency.
Straddling craft and conceptual art without being defined by either category, Ray has developed and shown work with organisations including the Turner Contemporary in Margate and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, each time drawing from her subconscious the textures and structures that she has observed around her to develop new forms.
Forbo Flooring Systems, produces commercial flooring in materials including linoleum, vinyl and carpet tiles for a wide-range of organisations worldwide as well as a range of advanced home flooring products. Dedicated to progressive manufacturing processes and products, Forbo drives innovation to ensure their flooring makes positive impacts to the indoor and outdoor environment.
“I am sure that there will be many differences between our worlds, but perhaps as many connections in our experiences of making and our modes of presenting work in the public domain.” – Janet Lowe, Head of Marketing UK and Ireland for Forbo Flooring
