Such exciting news this week – we got confirmation that our application has been successful and so our first textile exhibition is becoming a reality! We're all part over the moon and part terrified at how much work we still have to do. Personally, this has been such a dream of mine so I'm thrilled to bits that it's actually happening.
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| Korina Leoncio, 'Hum', detail, preparatory study, 2016 |
For the nine of us taking part – the fact of studying together hasn't necessarily led to us exhibiting together. While we naturally share a passion for textiles and we're champions of each others' work, as individuals, we have wildly differing tastes, aesthetics and favourite techniques. What draws us to work together is our shared commitment to a sustainable textile practice, a striving for social justice, a love of natural fibres, and a devotion to the process of our craft.
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| Louise Hicks, 'Eight Hour Lullaby, detail, work in progress, 2016 |
The images I'm sharing with you here are taken from our application. I've just used a selection of the 15-odd we submitted – those that best fit on the blog really. Some are preparatory studies, some works in progress.
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| Tara Glastonbury, 'What's your time worth?', detail, work in progress, 2016 |
Our exhibition is titled 'Background Noise', and as we shared in our application, it "showcases nine textile practitioners whose development of practice occurred while studying together. As part-time students, study is the background to their everyday lives, but also a chance to bring a passion to the foreground. Noise is a disturbance, a signal not quite received. This time together has allowed the artists to pay attention to what normally lies in the background and bring it into sharper focus.
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| Rose Kulak, 'Rust Never Sleeps', detail, preparatory study, 2015 |
The background noise that informs my piece is something I've been thinking about a lot over the past year or so – how I can make a living from my passion for textiles – or how anyone does really. I'll share more about that another time, but in terms of progress, I'm feeling mostly OK about meeting deadlines. I'm making a series of panels that are stitched together and will then be quilted and I've done about six of nine panels with ten weeks to go. I might start setting myself some weekly targets to keep on track.
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| Jem Olsen, 'Iron Curtain Agreement', detail, preparatory study, 2015 |
'Background Noise' will be showing Tues–Fri from 16–26 August at First Site Gallery, Storey Hall Basement, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne. We're taking out gallery one. If you're based in Melbourne, we'd love to see you at opening night – Tuesday, 16 August, 5.30–7.30pm.
Until then, you'll find us stitching, weaving and printing like crazy.
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| Ana Petidis, 'Lost in Transmission', detail, preparatory study, 2015 |
