Inlaid fantasies: The textiles of Andreea Mandrescu

This portrait focuses on Andreea Mandrescu’s textile collection Inlaid Fantasies, partly drawing from an interview with the designer in December 2012. The textile collection is grounded in the designer’s research into marquetry and inlay crafts. Experimentation with unexpected materials and combining these is essential to Mandrescu’s research. Cutting as a mode of enquiry is key in Mandrescu’s work; mutilation and removal are tools to reveal new ideas, surfaces and forms. Mandrescu transforms marquetry and inlay by adopting the crafts from traditional hard surfaces to pliable textiles. The textiles are not only a collage of materials; they are also a collage of handwork and machine-made cuts. The collection is versatile in regards to end-use. The textiles stand alone for interiors and furnishing, while they also lend themselves to garment forms and accessories. With Inlaid Fantasies Mandrescu points to broader conversations about crossing disciplinary boundaries through a form of collage of research and practices.