I’m really excited about my next small workshop weekend tomorrow. You can see the looms and studio set up just waiting for the explorers to arrive. It’s a small personalised workshop for only four participants but I think this will allow freedom and togetherness. Not too small, not too big. The participants are coming from Sydney and Newcastle areas so they’ll also enjoy the weekend in Old Bar. I must say the looms look a little lonely without their weaver but the studio is very tidy too!

In a previous post I was inspired by Cally Booker’s  Weaver to Weaver  (Meg) real mail inspiration to me on sonification. The idea of using sound for or in textile design really appeals to me, but I haven’t done anything with the thought at all, except to explore randomness at random.org.  Cally just sent me a link to a great project along those lines by the UK Crafts Council. It is Weave Waves and it is a collaboration of sound artist Scanner and textile designer Ismini Samanidou. The textiles thus far are Jacquard, so able to emulate imagery quite closely. For those of us without Jacquard capabilities another more nuanced approach to design is required. And this is the area which interests me. However the work is great and the website really works as part of the art…you always need a coder!

I think collaboration between distinctly different ways of working, at anything, allows a merging of perspectives and ideas which can really be new or create new bridges between people. This doesn’t seem to be common in Australia, although I may be out of the loop and don’t know about it anyway! Thanks Cally for the great link.