Navette and the Cultural Legacy of Woven Art

Born from generative code created by artist Alexis André, our Navette tapestries are woven on a Jacquard loom in the historical Aubusson region of France, known since the Middle Ages for its exceptionally high standards of craftsmanship.

Since ancient times, weaving has been an important form of cultural & artistic expression throughout the world.

Egyptians in the Byzantine and early Islamic eras (ranging from the 4th to 10th centuries C.E.) often used intricate woven designs to decorate their clothing, like this 6th century roundel that depicts the story of a hunter and its prey. (i)

Over the ages, weaving evolved into ever more sophisticated forms of artistic and cultural expression, especially during the Middle Ages, where artisanal workshops in Aubusson France produced some of the most treasured tapestries.

During the Renaissance, rich visual tales of life unfurled in gigantic, intricately handwoven tapestry-artworks that adorned the halls of aristocrats and royalty.

The coveted tapestries could take up to 30 artisans over a year of continuous work to create. (ii)

In the 1930s, artists such as Dali, Calder, and Picasso traveled to Aubusson to explore wool as a medium for their own artistic expression. 



Picasso personally supervised the tapestry reproduction of his “Guernica” painting, currently housed at the U.N. (iii)

Most large scale tapestries today are completed using sophisticated Jacquard looms. The earliest forms of these looms utilized the punch card system, an early inspiration for the employment of algorithms in the first computers.

For the contemporary age, Navette tapestries were produced with the help of skilled artisans employing a modern Jacquard loom to translate computer code into intricate weaves, a tangible reflection of the original digital artworks by artist Alexis André.

To inquire about the purchase of a Navette tapestry, please contact us.