From Pastoral to Industrial – Kvadrat Presents Technicolour by Peter Saville

Words by Olivia Hides
Photography by Matteo Girola & Casper Serjersen

Danish company Kvadrat has unveiled Technicolour by Peter Saville – a collaboration that celebrates the visual craft and sculptural elements of textile design and production. The new collection was launched by Peter at the Kvadrat Flagship in Milan during a presentation at Salone del Mobile.

Technicolour is inspired by the meaningful journey from pastoral to industrial production. The collection’s name stems from the spectrum of vibrant colours used to mark flocks of sheep, which injects unexpected colour into pastoral landscapes. The collection brings forth this raw and tactile quality of the industry of the land and propels it into interior settings, ultimately crafting a textured and colourful experience.

Technicolour is a meaningful journey from pastoral to industrial production.

The collection comprises of an upholstery textile, two curtains and three rugs. The upholstery and rugs are crafted from naturally coarse and fine wool, whilst the curtains result in a smooth and iridescent finish, made from Trevira CS. The bold hues within the collection consist of untreated wool and contrasting DayGlo tones – a dynamic interaction between colour and the more traditional earthly palette found within wool. The collection similarly expresses controlled traces of nature, as colour compositions provide moments of intrigue.

The upholstery textile, Fleck, is a made from locally sourced English wool that mixes flecks of colour. Once upholstered, it appears as a bright intervention of yellows, reds and blues. The two curtains within the collection, Fade and Flux, share the same yarn composition however appear distinctly different. Flux is densely woven and features a rainbow pattern while Fade is a vivid, transparent curtain crafted in three almost-neon hues.

The collection’s name stems from the spectrum of vibrant colours used to mark flocks of sheep, which injects unexpected colour into pastoral landscapes.

Handwoven, hand-knotted and tufted by machinery, the three Technicolour rugs explore another layered dimension of the collection. Flock – voluminous and hand-spun – is crafted from pure, new wool and has an evocative connection with the sheep from which the wool came. Field is also crafted from pure, new wool and reunites hues into a linear gradient. The third, Fleece, showcases random interruptions of colour across a soft, irregular and unsheared surface, recalling the texture of natural fleece.

Peter Saville occupies the intangible space between art and design and is a long-term creative consultant for Kvadrat. The Danish company was established in 1968 and continues to produce contemporary textiles on a global scale. The Technicolour exhibition was shown at Kvadrat’s Milan showroom during Design Week and will appear at the Copenhagen Kvadrat flagship for 3daysofdesign, before finally being exhibited in London for the London Design Festival.