Textile artist Sienna Martz has always been fascinated by photographs of abandoned, decrepit concrete buildings overtaken by nature. Her wall-mounted textile sculptures are meant to evoke the same images—as if the fabrics were “growing out of or taking over a wall”—just the way vines would. Martz, who studied sculpture and textile art at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, blends her knowledge of traditional methods with an experimental approach. She lets the fabrics—which she sources from thrift stores, never purchasing new—guide the tactility and shape of each sculpture. “Often, I’m making up my own methods of manipulating fiber,” she says. “I enjoy letting the materials react to the process as well, which often leads to an unexpected outcome.”
Interior shot of Echoes of Earth 2024 solo exhibition at Soapbox Arts in Burlington, Vermont.
Her avant-garde sewing techniques are often inspired by unique patterns in nature, such as cacti blooms or fungi, resulting in abstract forms that only sometimes resemble their original models. Several of these were recently on view in in a solo exhibition titled Echoes of Earth, at Soapbox Arts in Burlington, Vermont. Her goal is to remind viewers of nature’s adaptability, as well as of the dangers of fast-fashion consumerism. “There’s so much clothing being produced, consumed, and quickly donated or thrown away; around 85 percent of donated clothing ends up in landfills. It’s shocking,” she says. “I’m trying to position my work not just as an object of beauty but a catalyst of cultural transformation.”
