Tag: collection
-
The Long White Cloud
In 1980 Douglas Chowns, a Northland artist, was commissioned to create a mural for the New Zealand Council for Educational Research for their 50th anniversary. A unique hand-printed mixed media piece was the result: The Long White Cloud. This kinetic sculptural piece was inspired by the artist’s life in Northland since 1972 with stars, bones…
-
Cataloguing the textile collection
As regular readers of the blog will know the textile collection is in the process of being correctly stored and researched, thanks to volunteers. Some real treasures are being unearthed while this work is going on and one of those is a hunger cloth by the charity Misereor. In 1976 Misereor reinvigorated the “Poor Man’s…
-
Glass… as a textile?
Glass, that most contradictory of materials, has been used as a textile. Mid-century design in Europe and America took advantage of glass fibre and its unique qualities. The fabrics made from glass fibres are shiny and slippery, echoing the trend then for clean lines and crisp looks in fashion and interiors. A pair of fibreglass…
-
A surprise from the collection
This week conserving and cataloguing the textile collection started in the studio. Over the past few months a friend has been working to research the collection items and that has been a Very Useful Thing. That research has been added to the website under the “Textile collection” link and it is filling up nicely. Now…
-
New books
As well as the newest Context, number 47, the Costume and Textile Aotearoa New Zealand publication, a book about Scandinavian knitwear and and Kishies and Cuddies, the basketry of Shetland have been added to the library. Context is, as usual, filled with fascinating articles, collection insights and reviews, including Mayan weaving, string bags in Southern…
-
Moving the collection
The textile collection is now in its new home. Originally, the collection, which is made up of costumes, fashion and textiles from around the world, was stored upstairs from the studio. The room in which it was kept was once the secretary’s room, just outside the general manager’s office, as was the norm back in…
-
Textiles: The Art of Mankind
The Fashion and Textiles Museum in London’s Bermondsey is currently playing host to what looks like a rather wonderful showcase. Textiles are carriers and conveyors of histories, meaning and identity. This exhibition, on until 7th September, shows some of the ingenuity that goes into the making of them. According to the website for the museum,…
-
Uncovering old treasures
In the new studio in Māwhera (Greymouth) there is enough storage space for the textile collection. Over the many years that the collection has been growing it has been increasingly difficult to find ways to store and display the pieces. They need to be accessible for research, easily findable because they are useful for explaining…
-
Blankets
What better to have around in the cold winter weather than a blanket or two… In the Southern African country of Lesotho, high up in the mountains of the Drakensberg, woollen blankets have been worn for more than a century and a half. The largest manufacturer, Aranda Textile Mills, was appointed by the royal family…
-
Kiribati armour
The Republic of Kiribati is not on many travel itineraries but it has a fascinating culture, including the wearing of intricate and somewhat alarming armour! The body armour of Kiribati (pronounced “Kiribas”) is held in museum collections around the world. The outfits consist of a full-body suit of woven coconut fibre accompanied by a neck…