Janet Eckelman: Fishnet Fantasy

By Shlomo Maital

  Janet Echelman is a well-known American sculptor and artist, born in 1966. Her sculptures are made of fiber and are huge – they float in the wind and change with the light, metamorphosing constantly.   They are filmy and delicate,  yet — in Denver, one of her works survived a massive storm that toppled lamp posts.

     She recounts that she applied to seven art schools – and was rejected by all. So she began painting – and won a Fulbright scholarship to India. On arrival she found that all her paints had been lost. What to do?

     She went to the port, and saw fisherman unloading their nets and folding and draping them. She thought about it – and envisioned sculpting with a fishnet like material, strong but light, that wafted in the wind.   What is interesting about her story is that it tells of adversity and failure turned into massive success.   Many of us has seen fishnet. But how many have really seen them, in a manner that envisions a massive and transformative sculpture?

       If you wish, listen to her fascinating TED talk.