Weaving lifelines

Dr Peter Saul is a senior intensive care specialist for Hunter New England Health - clearly a highly skilled man with an important job relevant to us all - so it was an honour to spend an afternoon with him at Timeless Textiles on his day off exploring the materials of his 'trade'.

Brought out of context the variety of surplus and sterilised breathing apparatus used in the care of patients quickly become abstract vessels, (life)lines and woven or tangled strands available for creative manipulation. Colour coding, internal heating elements and high-tech non-confusable joins distinguish these materials from those one might find in a hardware store, however essentially they have the same function as tubing used in engines, plumbing or wine making - they provide pathways for gases and liquids to the correct places. Together we discussed possibilities of how to re-deploy these materials and how creative play is essential for everyone - to exercise the mind and assist in problem solving in everyday life. Unfortunately many of us do not allow ourselves to have the time or opportunity to do something without apparent functional outcome, this is what Deeper Voice of Textiles is all about and we hope all our participants will benefit from our 'invitation to create'.

drawn to contrasts

These days landing in Newcastle, NSW and letting my eyes and ears adjust to the different patterns and sounds of nature I've been finding connections. Without intention I have been drawn to things black and white - shells on the seashore, feathers found and the striking birds - Currawongs, Butcherbirds and Australian Magpies - all black and white and with evocative songs unlike the sounds of birds of a similar size in Europe.

The textile like patterns of Zebra Top Shells of two species - with thick stripes Austrocochlea porcata and thin stripes Austrocochlea concamerata are strewn along the shoreline amongst many other sea creatures washed up after the storms earlier this week.  Below wing feathers of the Australian White Ibis - unfortunately found dead below powerlines crossing wetlands along the Hunter River.

My gathering informs my making and drawing explores the connections, more soon on where the lines lead.

It takes a keen eye....

It takes a keen eye to achieve the level of perfection and finish required for the products of Red Block - an industrial design company based in Newcastle, NSW. On Tuesday we met up with Martin Tauts as he put the finishing touches to a couple of hardwood and aluminium Redblock Chairs one of the signature pieces from the company. Once these chairs are delivered to their new owner we look forward to hearing of Martins ideas for his contribution to Deeper Voice of Textiles. Thanks for taking time out to look down the lense Martin!

Leaf curl and silken threads

As the participants of Deeper Voice of Textiles get underway developing plans for their contributions to the project and exhibition, I've begun to start my own making process. As I start a new project I like to gather local materials, experiment and play and not have too tight an idea of where the making process might lead. Ideas come and go and technical solutions and specific properties of materials guide the hand. As I have been untangling ropes and curling leaf plates in-between rain showers in the garden I see that I've been watched by the locals doing very much the same thing but on a different scale.

Above: One of the Leaf Curling Spiders (Phonognatha sp.) hiding above my garden workspace.
Below: Cabbage Leaf Palm (Livistona australis) leaf sheaths - hot pressed into sustainable plates and recycled from our welcome barbecue and re-processed for making.

Brett Piva @ Pocket Design

This afternoon we wandered over to check out Brett Piva's workshop at Pocket Design - immediately jealous at the open and airy workspace it was great to catch up with him as he busily works on the programme of MAKEit MADEit a conference celebrating "precision and excellence in the unique practices of Artists and Makers".

We are delighted that Brett will be contributing to Deeper Voice of Textiles and look forward to visiting him again in a couple of weeks time when the seeds of his ideas have fully germinated! In the meantime I'm curious how Tasmanian lichens come head to head with retro seafood advertising, excellence in gold leaf lettering and the meeting of ideas, materials and techniques both familiar and slightly outside of the comfort zone.

Site visit to the Australian Wire Rope Works Pty Ltd

Today the first of our site visits to gain an understanding of the occupations of the participants of 'Deeper Voice of Textiles' - the Australian Wire Rope Works Pty Ltd in Newcastle, NSW, today operated by Bridon-Bekaert. Huge and impressive machines spin steel wires to make cables for industry - beautiful! 
Thank you so much to Andrew and John for giving us the tour and sharing your expert knowledge - we can't wait to see what you will make!

Above: Cable scuff marks on the giant cable reels in the truck loading yard
Below: Cable offcuts of all sizes and ply specifications ready for recycling.

 

 

Above: Giant cable reels

Below: Loading up steel cables to be spun into heavy duty cables for the mining industry. 

Talks about tension, twill patterns, steam bending......

Last night participants gathered at Timeless Textiles to share ideas, look at materials and explore some of the cultural and historical references of what has become today's textile and fibre art. Talks about tension, twill patterns, steam bending and native hardwoods - it's great to get started!

Welcome to Deeper Voice of Textiles!

Thankyou to everyone who joined us last night at The Creator Incubator in Hamilton North, Newcastle, NSW, at the welcome BBQ for participants of the Deeper Voice of Textiles project in association with Timeless Textiles. What a great start!

International Women's Day

It was an honour today to be able to contribute in a small way helping with the volunteers that have worked with Timeless Textiles's contribution towards 'The One Million Stars to end Violence Project'. Celebrating International Women's Day, 8th March every year, we displayed a small selection from the thousands of plaited stars that have made by the Newcastle contributors.

boiling seas....

It's great to land in Newcastle, NSW this week and take a look over the Southern Pacific Ocean - quite a contrast to the calmer almost tideless waters of the Mediterranean of my home town Vilanova i La Geltru just south of Barcelona, Spain.

shed talk

Great article yesterday in the Newcastle Herald introducing the project 'Deeper Voice of Textiles' starting today in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Artist and basketmaker Tim Johnson will join Anne Kempton of Timeless Textiles and Newcastle based artist Graham Wilson to work with men from twenty local businesses. Lots more to follow.....

You can read the complete online article here: It's time for men to get out of their sheds 

Back to the land of the bowerbird....

By Monday night I'll be back in the land of the bowerbird! Exciting times as I embark on a 2 month trip working on a sculpture project 'Deeper Voice of Textiles' in Newcastle, NSW, Australia in collaboration with Timeless Textiles - the foremost contemporary textile gallery in Australia. More of this project to come - but first back to the bowers - in this case photographs of the bower or dancing ground of the male Satin Bowerbird that I photographed on my last trip in 2015. Since childhood I've been fascinated by these birds and their constructions built not for nesting - but display and attracting a mate. Interwoven twigs are combined with a variety blue trinkets gathered from the locality - in this case the family home of Harriet Goodall (thankyou for hosting me Harriet!).

In 2000 I took up an artist's residency with the New England Regional Arts Museum in Armidale, NSW, after the residency I then travelled on to Alice Springs and the Olgas in the central desert region of Australia, here I was lucky enough to catch up with the Western Bowerbird noisily feeding around the dry river beds. Onwards and up to Caiman Creek in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Arnhem Land, NT and the Great Bowerbird with it's spectacular bower decorated with shells, bones, mangrove nuts and a bouquet of greenery - below you can see a scan of one of my 35mm slides from my trusty old Olympus OM1.

Above - Great Bowerbird's bower, Caiman Creek, NT
Below - Satin Bowerbird's bower, Robertson, NSW.