Category: Textiles

  • Āhuataka

    An intriguing exhibition at the Centre of Contemporary Art in Christchurch Ōtautahi is just about to end its run. Āhuataka is an exploration of Māori woven adornment. The small exhibition space in CoCA has on display artefacts from the Canterbury Museum; taonga tupuna (ancestral treasures). These are grouped together with contemporary art from practitioners who…

  • A rubber stamp

    Sometimes it is the small things that make a big difference. This week, on our trip northwards to Auckland, we stopped in at Ōtautahi Christchurch for a couple of days. On one of those days we went along to the rubber stamp shop to order a new stamp, expecting it to take days and that…

  • A reader contributes

    This week a reader from South Africa has sent in a Facebook link to “Architecture of Return“, an artwork of the floor plan of the British Museum on a blue deer hide, along with symbols for the artefacts that are held in the Museum’s collections. This piece references the hide paintings that convey histories across…

  • The studio opening

    This Friday, Halloween, the studio had its official launch. It was a good evening. The day had started wet and windy but by the afternoon the weather had cleared and it was sunny, perfect to welcome those well-wishers who came along for the occasion. The studio had been cleaned and tidied, and with huge bunches…

  • Compuknit

    A recent addition to the studio collection are two packs of vintage Compuknit from 1974. Compuknit was a system for knitting garments. These two packs were published, under licence from Wolmark, South Africa, in Salisbury, now Harare, in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The packs contain pairs of discs that each have a moveable rotating back. In…

  • New items for the library

    The studio library continues to grow. Keiskamma Art Project is based in the village of Hamburg in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Established by the Keisakamma Trust, an organisation with the aim to “build healthy communities in all respects”, there are four strands to the work of the Trust: Art, Music, Health and Education.…

  • Shae Bishop – ceramic cowboy

    Shae Bishop is a ceramic artist who uses his discipline to create distinctive costumes. Based in Virginia in the USA, the artist works with clay to make portraits through clothing. His pieces cross-over between tiles and textile, making the wearer both invincible and vulnerable. Check out more of the artist’s work here and read an…

  • A working loom

    This week the loom in the studio is finally weaving! Over the past few months we (a friend who is an expert in all things to do with looms and me) have been working to get this loom running. It was used by a designer from Gisborne who kindly donated it to the studio and,…

  • Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

    Zeitz MoCAA is carved out of old grain silos on the quayside of Cape Town’s docks and features the contemporary art of Africa. One Must Be Seated is a multi-disciplinary show by Ghanaian-American artist Rita Mawuena Benissan of her Ghanaian culture. Reimagining the royal umbrella and stool that represent Akan chieftaincy through tapestry, video, photography…

  • The official studio opening

    The studio is opening in Greymouth/ Māwhera on the 31st October. The event will be celebrated at the Regent Theatre from six pm where there will be drinks and snacks. The studio itself will be open from 5:30 pm and there will be some singing and a short welcoming speech. Space is limiting the numbers…