Kete show dye 'event'

Here are pictures of the latest vertical dyeing 'event'. It definitely got a lot of attention. It was hard to take photos as there were always people in the way so some of them are from odd angles.

The above photo is my favourite. I love it that  the guy is looking the the other way!

I got some really good feedback from all sorts of people including some gallery owners and craft collectors. Although most people didn't know what it was about as there were no artist statements.

Here is my latest stab at an artist statement for the Watermark panels.

Spring 2013

Cotton fabric and thread

Hand-guided machine applique and embroidery

Fabric Dye

Size 220cm X 150cm

My work investigates the relationship between commerce, the environment and the damaging effects of ‘the race to the bottom’, where the consumer and importer demand the lowest price and the manufacturer is forced to cut corners to secure a profit.

Water treatment is expensive and rivers in textile manufacturing countries,  run blue or pink or turquoise with waste-water run-off from the textile industry. The dyes are so strong that it is possible to predict fashionable colours for the seasons ahead by looking at Googlearth. As consumers, how much responsibility do we have for environmental destruction in a far off land, ‘out of sight, out of mind’? Do we have any right to even comment when our own rivers are polluted with invisible contaminants; fertilisers and bacteria from farms and heavy metals as run-off from roads?

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The hardest part is moving on. Now the work for this show is done, I need to start thinking about what I do next. We have a group show at the end of the year with approximately 1.5 m each so not much space. I don't think I am going to come up with a new idea before then so will see whether I can come up with a variation. All ideas gratefully received!
Clare

New Watermark wall-hanging

I've just spent the weekend making a 6th wall-hanging to be 'vertica0lly dyed'  this weekend at a show called Kete. It is on Friday 7th  - Sunday 9th September at The Academy of Finearts in Wellington. I finally found time to make it over the weekend after getting all the other essays, presentations etc out of the way.

There are also talks over the weekend. If you go to the website you can see who is on
http://www.nzafa.com/web/kete-contemporary-craft-and-design-fair

The latest wallhanging is the flattest yet. All the others had to be tweaked while they were hanging to try and get them to hang straight without wavy edges. This latest one is pretty flat (at the moment). Hopefully it will hang nicely in the gallery but a lot depends on humidity. Does anyone else find their quilts curl up at the bottom when hung in a gallery?

After this show, I need to start working out what I will make for the end of year show. At the moment I have very little idea what I will be making as I haven't had time to think, I just need some down time!

 I took this shot of the new wallhanging on the lounge floor on top of a grey blanket. I haven't got time to take before and after photos with special lights or anything so this maybe the only before shot I get.

It is similar to one of the ones i made for my last show but I have altered the outside border to make it more like the willow pattern plate. I think when the dye runs through it it will drip very nicely from the wider border.

I won't be able to fill the dye cups all weekend so it will run during the opening and then be allowed to dry. I'm down in Christchurch all weekend but will get back just in time to take it down on Sunday evening so it will be much less 'hands on' than my solo exhibition.

Watermark video

Latest draft version of stop motion dyeing video - thanks to August Detering for his work putting it together.

Installation art

If you are an art student, you don't just get away with making the exhibition you have to write about it. Its hard work! harder than making the work.

Now I'm looking for installation art with an environmental theme.

Here is something I found
Henk Hofstra

He painted a river through the town to show where the old waterway used to go. It is called 'Water is Life'.

Stopmotion

I have been banging my head against the wall in frustration, trying to make 80 plus photos into a stop motion animation to show how the dye spread through the fabric during my exhibition - Watermark.

I have managed a poor quality version using trial and error. Hopefully I will do one in better colour later. Have a look and see what you think - remember - this is my first go at this so don't be too critical!

http://youtu.be/iP-mVCEDlwI

Clare

Pencils for Africa

If you live in the States or Canada please support Pencils for Africa.

New vertical dyeing images

Well I had a brief foray into a new design for my blog and it looked really cool, but there was a problem! I couldn't find out how to sign in or make a new post. There was no button for that. So for the moment I think I will stick with the old design.

Last week I decided to tackle the last wallhanging which was dyed at the exhibition. It only got half dyed because it needed to be dry when we took the exhibition down so was only able to be dyed for a few hours instead of days. So last week I dyed it again, in between doing a one week intensive course in web design (yes, html and CSS and I'm rubbish at it).

Here are some new images of Zealandia, Wellington's bird sanctuary.

 A bit wishy washy after rinsing.

After readying.
I still have to rinse it suit won't be as dark as this in the end.

I like it much better than the wishy washy version.