"Celebrating The Use Of Textiles In The Creation Of Adornments"

The Precious Materials exhibition ended two Tuesdays ago. For those of you who missed it, here are some photos taken on the opening night.

The three hand-embroidered pieces I made...



The 7-metre long leather-and-grosgrain-ribbon beauty by Jayne & Julia Flanagan of Frejj...



"The design of this piece is based on Morse code messages. Each new Morse code message carries a unique sequence of "dots and dashes" that can be transcribed into a piece of jewellery using a combination of leathers. When laid out, this work unravels to a length of 7 metres. The message contained within the pattern speaks of the disillusionment of our age and the perils of excess - "This ain't no lan' of milk and honey like the preacher says" (quoted from "The Grapes of Wrath" written by John Steinbeck in 1939)."



I've been a huge fan of Frejj's work from when I first laid eyes on an early piece of theirs at Courtesy Of The Artist on Bourke Street years back. It was quite a fan-girl trip for me when I was introduced to the lovely Flanagan sisters at the opening. Not easy holding back the excited squeals!

Happy flowers made from vintage kimonos, recycled men's silk ties and Japanese quilting fabrics by Rae Harvey...



"As a young woman in the 1950s and 60s, textile artist Rae Harvey grew up at the sewing machine, making her own clothes. Each Saturday, she would create a new outfit for herself and her cousin Gayle to wear out dancing. As a young mother in the early 70s, Rae turned her focus to making very fetching matching outfits for her daughters. Over the years, Rae has tried her hand at felting, shibori and natural dyeing. This enhanced her passion for fine textiles and rich colours that led her to uniquely crafting handmade floral brooches. Rae carefully selects vintage kimono fabric and recycled men's silk ties for her pieces which are hand-finished with contrasting stitching and embellishments. Each piece is an art piece and made with love."

Another happy bloom. Made using the felting method by Beatrice Chew...



"Beatrice Chew is a researcher and a plant psychologist. Believing in the cross-pollination of expertise for betterment, her interests revolve around design processes, technology and education. In search of an equation for beauty, "Budding" is a homage to Bio-mimicry and wool, one of the oldest textiles known to humankind."

Breaking up the rainbow-brightness are six textured black numbers by my pal Phoebe...



"I strive to create simple yet bold fashion and accessory pieces. Texture, structure, clean lines, classic shapes, colour and multifunctional design inspire me. My handmade fabric neckpieces feature tubes of fabric, machine-sewn and turned out using an old-fashioned bias binding technique, then secured and hand-finished. They are designed to be ornamental, yet also practical and multifunctional, acting as a necklace and/or scarf. The Textured Metal/Polka creations stir early tactile memories of wandering through fabric stores with my mother, weaving my way in and around the fabric rolls hands out, sampling their textures. A simple joy I still enjoy today."

They were the hit-of-the-show! A piece was sold even before the show opened! You can view close-ups of Phoebe's pieces on her blog.

Crazy crazy hand-embroidered pieces by Joao Vaz...



"As a child, he made clothes for his doll, drawings, jewels out of Fimo and wire, and told stories to himself. He was intuitively dedicated and a perfectionist. At the age of 15, he went to the art school Antonio Arroio in Lisbon where he had the freedom to be and grow by himself. Inspiration came subconsciously from Salvador Dali's photographic landscapes and conceptualism. In 2002, he moved to England to do a Higher National Diploma in Jewellery. He became interested in profuse settings and desired fine jewellery finish quality along with the permanent attempt to eliminate any creative boundaries. He craved for spontaneity and instant input. In England, he discovered contemporary artists, fashion designers, films, music and Bjork, and with her, generosity and beauty. 2009 saw the distance between two continents overcome and the beginning of a new jewellery course at TAFE Design Centre Enmore in Sydney, Australia. This will, with certainty, be the stage for artistic and creative growth."

Zoe, the curator of the show, said that I have to meet Joao because "he's just as mad". I did. So did my pal The Style Tyrant who quickly whisked Joao away for this shot of his amazing outfit which he designed and made himself.

I fell in love with these crocheted and hand-sewn necklaces by Erin Field the day before the show when I went to the gallery to drop off my stuff...



I wasn't at all surprised with my interest when I found out that the lovely Erin makes similar pieces for kooky local fashion label Romance Was Born where her friends are the head designers - I thought her gorgeous oversize-on-purpose necklaces looked kind of familiar.

"Erin Field graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Arts, majoring in printmaking and drawing in 2004 and a Masters of Architecture in 2009. Throughout her studies, Erin has worked consistently with textiles and sewn pieces, learning methods fromher mother and vinatge craft magazines. She uses techniques such as crochet, macrame and French knitting to create wearable pieces. Since 2006, Erin has created a number of one-off pieces for Sydney fashion label, Romance Was Born."

These knitted Party Bulbs necklaces by Sharon Margaret would brighten your day no matter how yucky and grey it is...



"I'm a bit obssessed with lighting. As a photographer, I have to consider it at all times and as a knitter, I love to knit lightbuulbs, lightbulb cosies, strings of lights and now lightbulb necklaces. I have a Bachelor of Visual Art from AUT in Auckland where I majored in photography but brought a lot of knitting into my parctice. Since graduating in 2007, I have been in a variety of exhibitions and participated in artists/craft markets. My largest project to date was completed last year. I was commissioned to undertake some "Guerilla Knitting" and knitted adornment for the trees on a busy iconic street in Auckland. This was the first time I made coloured lights, as part of the project I knitted 100 lighbulbs and strung them through a tree."

There. That's it. It was a cosy little exhibition but it sure felt great to show alongside such creative and more established makers-of things.

I've tried to include links to the artists but if you're looking to purchase the work of those I couldn't find on the almighty Google, I think the best person to contact would be Zoe Brand at Gaffa.