As the season turns the flow of visitors to the studio seems to increase.
Māwhera Greymouth is at the end of the rail trip from Christchurch Ōtautahi over Arthur’s Pass in the mountains to the West Coast. The train follows the same route as cars and trucks but, instead of going over the mountain it goes through; a tunnel links Ōtira with Arthur’s Pass. This page describes the scenic route of the tourist train.
Not only is Greymouth at the end of the train, but it is also midway along the West Coast from its northern township of Karamea to the southern glaciers, rivers and wildness of Haast Pass at the south. This makes it a convenient stopping point for people travelling the West Coast’s famous oceanside road, one of the top ten scenic routes in the world.
This summer there have been lots of visitors and, despite the studio not being officially open yet, many of them have made their way in. Over the past month there have been people from India, China, Thailand, the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and lots of New Zealanders. The studio has been buzzing with conversations about art and living in Greymouth.
Shetland is never far away from the West Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand. Lots of the people who have come into the studio have either been to Shetland or want to go. The conversations I have had with them have been similar to those I had in Yell, the island on which I lived for two decades. People want to know how we have ended up in the West Coast, just as they were about living in Yell in Shetland. They are intrigued about life in small town New Zealand, just as they are about life on a Scottish island. I have had great conversations about wool, about sheep, about weaving, about textiles, about art, and, most interesting, about other people’s lives. Through the studio I have rediscovered the fun of running a creative practice that people can visit and be part of and, despite moving away from Shetland, I have found that it is still very much part of life here in Greymouth.
Over the next few weeks, the looms and other equipment will arrive and be installed in the studio, ready for artist residencies and for weaving cloth again. There will be many more chats, I am sure, and lots of new connections made. It is An Exciting Time and I am looking forward to sharing it with you all on the blog as things develop. Thank you for coming along on the journey so far!
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