Craftwork

Based in Brooklyn, NY

BIO

Craftwork is the joint practice of Nicole Yi Messier and Victoria Manganiello, where they explore the nature of textiles and technology through installations, storytelling, and material-based research. Their work lives at the intersection of materiality, technology, and experience, drawing inspiration from the histories and futures of soft materials. With a combined more than 20 years of experience, Manganiello and Messier founded Craftwork in 2022 and their backgrounds span art, design, technology, and research.

Our practice questions our relationships with the technologies and textiles that surround us daily. We mix physical and digital technologies to unleash exploratory forms of interaction, refocusing the mysticism behind machines through architectural, sculptural, and tangible soft pieces. How does our experience change when technology turns from hard to soft? Weaving together spun yarns, handmade dyes, and hand-woven constructions with modern technologies, our work connects common materials to common behaviors, rooted in the history of craft and technology.