As I have elected to be part of an exhibition soon I had to get to work on something I have been doing from some time. Weaving with a stiff material to provide shaping but also to have an ephemeral yet flexible sort of feel to it.
This is a large piece which I previously wove for an exhibition. It has an ikat/kasuri dyed warp which works well in this situation. The shadows thrown on the wall from the piece are sharp and beautiful. It was created with a long and tall wall in mind which I don’t have! So now it is folded within the hang.
With the same idea in mind I moved to create a piece that is a very specific size. The group exhibition requires a ‘quilt’ piece which is 40cms x 40cms square and ready to hang to instructions with a concealed rod at the back. My piece combines mediums including charcoal drawing within the layers which I added after the weaving. You can see below its progress on the loom.
Other experiments using the various wave stick profiles and post weave treatment to the cloth to make it hang better also proved interesting. The red completed piece at the bottom was woven for an exhibition which was cancelled in 2020 because of Covid. I quite like how it is compact and complex and uses plastic which has been recycled in the piece. It was created just after the bushfires here in 2019 and sums up the situation!
I like doing art pieces but equally enjoy functional work in weaving, especially clothing.