Tag: collection

  • An evolution for the blog

    Recently a reader asked about the links between the Spotify playlist and the articles on the blog. Each of the pieces that is on the playlist has something to do with the articles, but sometimes the links are not obvious and that led to this reader asking “What is the link?”. So, for those of…

  • This week’s Spotify playlist

    Each blog is accompanied by a Spotify playlist, a curated list that refers to articles on the blog. Sometimes the audio has an obvious connection, sometimes it is more oblique. To listen click on the player above. Paying subscribers will be able to hear all the audio uninterrupted. Those with a free subscription will hear…

  • Andora

    Ten years ago, an auction of Soviet space memorabilia was offered for sale by auction. The collection belonged to Andora, a German artist who, becoming fascinated by space and its exploration, completed cosmonaut training. Andora painted a Proton rocket, at the request of the Russian space agency, that was shot into space in 1992. A…

  • Walter Oltmann’s Wire Tapestry

    The South African artist, Walter Oltmann, is known for his exploration of prehistory through experimentation with materials. Oltmann uses various materials, including cloth, thread, wire and paint, to reveal hidden stories. The studio collection has an embroidery of a coelacanth, a favourite subject for the artist, and the art collection has two watercolours of people…

  • Data and textiles

    One of the joys of a textile practice is learning about the different uses to which textiles are put. Data visualisation is one of those. Data is a current trend in textile art. The use of cloths and fabrics, threads and yarns, embroidery, knitting, weaving, patchwork and quilting, is allowing new viewpoints to be seen.…

  • This week’s blog

    Without our readers the blog would not exist. This week all the entries are from links that people have sent in to share as well as to a new addition for the collection that came about because of a reader. It is a joy to get messages from across the globe and a delight to…

  • Showing and Telling

    Over the past year I have been running a series of events connected with the textile collection. The collection includes costume (the photograph left is a detail from an Adire robe from Nigeria, and the image below is a detail from Heather Barnett’s “Formanifera” curtains. These events have been held (mostly) in the local Regent…

  • Collections/ Connections

    The current exhibition at the Left Bank Art Gallery in Māwhera Greymouth has an interesting premise behind it: the connections between collectors and artists. In this show Friends of the Gallery were asked to choose a piece from their collection to share with someone else, who would respond to it with a piece of their…

  • International Women’s Day 2024

    This coming week, on the 8th March, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated. At the first-ever events marking the day in 1911 more than a million people attended rallies campaigning for women’s rights and today the work continues around the world. This year the theme is “Inspire Inclusion”. As part of the celebrations, a piece…

  • Beadwork from South Africa

    The beadwork from Africa is probably best-known from South Africa where geometric patterns and bright colours have come to symbolise the country. In this article, from Google Arts and Culture, pieces from Iziko Museums of South Africa are shown along with texts about the various people who make and wear the beadwork. Another article from…