Artist Interview: Marina Kocher on Color, Memory, and Warp Threads

Introduction

Marina Kochers tapestries combine photographic fragments, memory maps, and bold color fields. She works between a digital studio and a communal weaving space, alternating machine-assisted design with rigorous hand finishing. In this interview Marina discusses how memory functions as a compositional device, her dyeing rituals, and why she centers collaborative making in her practice.

On starting with memory

LM: Your tapestries often feel like maps of remembered places. How does memory shape your design process?

Marina: Im less interested in literal representation than emotional topography. A memory might begin with a color — the pale green of a living room drape — or a sound. I photograph objects and spaces, but I treat those photos as raw material. I layer them, distort scale, and then translate the composite into a weave. The resulting tapestry is a palimpsest: the memory is visible but not fixed.

"A tapestry holds the same kind of residue a house does — it keeps traces."

On color and dye

LM: Your palette is striking. How do you approach dyeing?

Marina: I dye most of my yarns in small batches. I use a mix of commercial acid dyes for control and plant dyes for specific neutrals. The plant colors create depth. I keep swatch books and annotate time, temperature, and mordant. Its laborious but essential; color memory is as important as visual memory.

On technique and tools

LM: Do you favor hand-weaving or digital loom work?

Marina: Both. I design in software to test tonal relationships and then hand-weave critical areas to preserve human irregularities. Sometimes I let the jacquard do the heavy lifting for photorealistic passages, but I always rework surface texture by hand. Its the contrast between mechanical precision and human touch that gives the work its tension.

On community practice

LM: Your studio is a community space. Why collaborate?

Marina: Weaving was never solitary historically. Teaching and working with others challenges my assumptions and introduces mistakes I wouldnt make alone. Collaboration becomes part of the aesthetic: different hands leave different marks. I also think of it as ethical practice — craft distributes knowledge and labor rather than centralizing it.

On narrative and silence

LM: Your pieces often suggest stories without telling them outright. How do you balance narrative and ambiguity?

Marina: I prefer suggestion. The viewers imagination completes the work. If I make everything explicit, the tapestry becomes a didactic poster. A hint of a road sign here, a fragment of a face there — those are invitation points, like chapters left unread. Ambiguity keeps the work alive in the viewers mind.

Advice for emerging makers

Marina: Learn your tools but trust your eyes. Keep samples and swatches with detailed notes. Make small experiments and dont be afraid to fail publicly — failure is a record of risk, which is necessary for original work. Finally, find your community; the craft is richer when shared.

Closing thoughts

Marina Kochers approach reminds us that tapestry is autobiographical as much as it is technical. By treating memory as material and collaboration as method, she expands the possibilities of woven narratives for contemporary practice.