Friederike Bérat produces cloths for Lotao
Screen printing artist Friederike Bérat shows how art can help transform everyday objects into something special.
Because their works of art not only decorate walls and galleries, but have also found a special place in our kitchens.
In an exclusive project for the Berlin company Lotao, she uses her skills to design kitchen towels with a fascinating mix of Berlin's characteristic landmarks, surprising motifs and individual Lotao elements.
From the ordinary to the extraordinary
Friederike's career is an inspiring story about the power of art to enrich our lives.
The visual artist, director, performer and curator from Berlin organizes the "Lichtenberg Cultural Gardens", a series of events in Berlin, organizes cultural programs in public spaces and acts as a circus director who presents her collection of curiosities in the avant-garde Circus Charivari.
In her screen printing workshop in the “Villa Kuriosum” she seeks a quiet balance to the hustle and bustle of everyday cultural life. With her label “La Torchonnerie” (French for “kitchen towel factory”), she produces hand-printed art towels, napkins, tea towels and aprons using new and recycled materials.
Friederike on the fascination of screen printing: “I have been doing screen printing for a very long time because it is a very beautiful medium. You can print by machine for mass production, but you can also influence a lot by hand and thus produce valuable individual pieces. There are many levels of this printing technique. Of course I don't use a machine, I work manually. This requires precision and technical know-how. For me, things come from trying things out, and I only see a lot of things when I print them.”
In fact, screen printing - also known as serigraphy - is a printing technique that is characterized by its versatility, durability and the high quality of the print results. Whether paper, fabric, metal or wood, screen printing can be done on a wide range of materials. The printing results are usually impressive with bright colors and sharp details because the ink is pressed through the screen onto the material. This means it sticks well and lasts a particularly long time. Complex designs with intense color nuances can also be created. Several layers of color are printed onto the surface, each using separate screens.
The Lotao kitchen towel edition
Due to her impressive portfolio, Friederike Bérat was commissioned by Lotao to design an exclusive special edition of kitchen towels.
Kitchen towels are essential in every kitchen, be it for wiping surfaces, drying hands or dishes. As Lotao continually strives to enrich life in the kitchen and provide a premium experience, it was particularly appealing to add artistic kitchen towels with a unique design to the range.
The collaboration between Lotao and Friederike Bérat created cloths that are not only functional and creative at the same time. They help make the kitchen a place of creativity and enjoyment.
The “Berlin” motif combines the Berlin photo motifs of the world clock, television tower and Alexanderplatz. The original photo was taken by the artist personally, and each screen printed cloth is individually designed by her:
“For the Lotao cloths with the “Berlin” motif, I mix the colors green-blue-yellow directly on the sieve. I leave it a bit to chance what the scarf looks like in the end. This means that every cloth is individual and different,” says the artist.
The ant is coming to town!
For the “Ant” edition, Friederike Bérat collaborated with the Iranian curator Amirali Ghasemi . Ghasemi designed an oversized ant that is printed on the kitchen towel.
Friederike Bérat herself explains the basic idea like this: “Ants are smart animals that know where the good things are. Follow the ants and you'll find the best fruits! Our ant comes to town with the “Lotao thought”. Because she comes to Berlin to look for the best grain of rice.”
For those wondering whether ants even eat rice, there are actually species of ants that specialize in a wide range of foods and occasionally use human food sources, including cooked rice.
The kitchen towel editions “Berlin” and “Ant” by Friederike Bérat are available exclusively in the Lotao online shop. Each cloth was individually hand-printed with screen printing ink and is washable up to 40 degrees.
If you are looking for more products from Friederike Bérat, you will find them in her everyday wonder shop in Berlin . Many everyday wonders can be admired and purchased there - the unique pieces come from different artists and range from graphic prints, soaps, T-shirts, porcelain to CDs.
Information about the cloths:
Berlin motif
- Created from upcycled materials: cotton, organic or linen
- Size: About 50x70cm
- Hand-sewn unique pieces with screen printing
Ant motif
- Created from upcycled material: linen
- Size: About 60x80
- Hand-sewn unique pieces with screen printing
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