The Sculptural Fabric + Metal Works Of Architect-Trained Artist, Annie Paxton

The Melbourne studio of artist Annie Paxton. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Architect-trained artist, Annie Paxton. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Annie produces sculptural works made from fabric (silk and recycled materials) and metal (aluminium, steel, chain mail). Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

‘I found a stash of silk fabric scraps laying around on a bleak lockdown day and started to sculpt with them, layering them in freehand forms,’ says Annie of her art practice’s origins. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

The initial assembly, silk threading, sculpting happens in Annie’s apartment, followed by metalwork at her partner Old Four Legs’ workshop in Brunswick. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Materials in Annie’s studio. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

In her work, Annie says she is constantly investigating some sort of threshold, whether that be material, spatial, or just a physical junction. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

‘I loved the idea of building something robust out of something so fragile. Combining that with metal came a bit later when I wanted to then play with merging that kind of suspended fragility I was sculpting with something solid and structural,’ says Annie. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Inspiration is drawn everywhere from surrealist artist Kay Sage, to modernist sculptors, Noguchi, and the haute couture collection of Glenn Martens for Jean Paul Gaultier. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

‘I suppose I have always been a bit enthralled by fabric,’ says Annie. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Early works of Annie’s include hand-formed clay mass. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Annie’s studio cat! Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

The creative process of Annie’s work is guided by her formal architectural training. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Annie’s ‘Double Column’ light in chainmail. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files

Lamina Chair by Annie Paxton. Photo- Annie Paxton

Photo – Annie Paxton

Column Lamp by Annie Paxton. Photo – Elizabeth Campbell

Vestige Mirror by Annie Paxton. Photo – Elizabeth Campbell

Vestige Table by Annie Paxton. Photo – Elizabeth Campbell

Annie Paxton had just graduated from a Master of Architecture when Australia headed into lockdown in 2020. She found herself with free time and excess energy, inspiring the creation of her own art practice, Annie Paxton Studio.

‘I think I had a lot of residual creative energy at that time,’ explains Annie. ‘When you finish something so intensive as an architecture degree, then find yourself in a lockdown with lots of spare time and lots of ideas whirling, you kind of need to direct that energy somewhere. That’s when I started playing with ideas and forms and materials.’

Annie produces sculptural works made from fabric (silk and recycled materials) and metal (aluminium, steel, chain mail) that navigate the juncture between architecture and furniture. Some pieces are functional lights, while others are entirely decorative.

‘I suppose I have always been a bit enthralled by fabric… I found a stash of silk fabric scraps laying around on a bleak lockdown day and started to sculpt with them, layering them in freehand forms,’ says Annie.

‘I loved the idea of building something robust out of something so fragile. Combining that with metal came a bit later when I wanted to then play with merging that kind of suspended fragility I was sculpting with something solid and structural.’

The creative process of Annie’s work is guided by her formal architectural training. Following an initial sketch, the artist gets ‘tied down, or grounded, with the pragmatics of making, and working out precise dimensions in technical drawings.

The initial assembly, silk threading, sculpting happens in Annie’s Melbourne apartment, followed by metalwork at her partner Old Four Legs’ workshop in Brunswick. Inspiration is drawn everywhere from surrealist artist Kay Sage, to modernist sculptors, Noguchi, and the haute couture collection of Glenn Martens for Jean Paul Gaultier.

In her work, Annie says she is constantly investigating some sort of threshold, whether that be material, spatial, or just a physical junction. ‘The tension, the fixings; the way they blend or bend. That liminal space, or liminal tension is something that really interests me.’

Annie Paxton Studio’s works are made to order via her website.