Sunday, February 13, 2011

'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers', Ruthin Craft Centre











Some more photographs of my work at the 'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers' exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre. The show is now winging its way to Edinburgh, where it will open at The Dovecot Studios gallery on the 25th February, showing until the 26th March.

warp+weft exhibition at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff

To and Fro by Ainsley Hillard

Ann Sutton

Hiroko Takeda
 
X-Ray Deress by Kathy Schicker on wall, various structures by Ann Sutton in cabinet, and White Sac by Priti Vega on plinth

Hiroko Takeda in foreground, Nuno in background

Nuno



Maelstrom by Lucy McMullen, loaned by ASF Shetland

Ann Richards

Kase by Nuno on right, Arc by Laura Thomas on plinth


Arc by moi

Ismini Samanidou & Gary Allson


Gallery shot


Neckpieces by Makeba Lewis

Monoliths by Ptolemy Mann


Sue Hiley Harris and Ainsley Hillard

Light Flow by Priti Vega on wall

Gallery shot

Monoliths by Ptolemy Mann in foreground


Sue Hiley Harris

Thought I'd share with you some exhibition shots of the warp+weft exhibition in its latest venue - Craft in the Bay in Cardiff. It was wonderful to hang the show in such a different venue to Oriel Myrddin. The exhibition was able to take on a new dynamic, with different visual links between work. I was also able to add the fantastic Maelstrom  by Lucy McMullen, generously loaned by ASF Shetland. 

The exhibition closes at Craft in Bay on the 20th Feb, so you've just got a week to catch it before it moves on to its next venue, Smith's Row in Bury St Edmunds.

As part of the accompanying programme of warp+weft related events at Craft in the Bay, Dr Keireine Canavan will be giving a talk on Bedouin Al Sadu weaving in Kuwait on Saturday 19th Feb at 11am. £3 donation towards Craft in the Bay education projects. Booking essential.

 

Weave education project at Ruthin Craft Centre

Stripy weaving exploring colour mixing, texture and proportion


Weaving on a 4 shaft Ashford loom
 
Exploring colour mixing with multiple wefts


View through the loom

  
Mixing different textured yarns and exploring colour mixing through plain weave


The final collection of samples before I cut them up ready to mount

The final piles of samples ready to be mounted and sent to the schools
 I've rather neglected my blogging recently as I've been SOOOOO busy! But over the next day or two there will be a couple of posts updating you on what I've been up to and what exciting projects and events are in the pipeline.

Firstly, to coincide with the Anni Albers and Inspired By: The Legacy of Anni Albers exhibitions at Ruthin Craft Centre, I was invited to contribute to a very exciting 'START' education project funded by the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts. Between December and February I undertook 8 days of teaching of about 250-300 primary school age children to learn to weave! They came from various schools around the Ruthin locality, and most hadn't visited the Centre before. They spent an hour with Elen Bonner the RCC Education Officer in the gallery looking at the exhibition and doing some drawing, before spending an hour with me in the studio. I talked to them about my job as a weaver, and they were invited to touch, feel and play with my textile samples (unlike the 'do not touch' policy in the gallery space). Then, working in pairs they then had a go of weaving on 4 shaft table looms.  Taking it in turns to weave a stripe in plain weave, they were encouraged to think about colour mixing and texture. Without exception they all loved it. It was brilliant to watch them start off rather nervously, then build in confidence and excitement. Once the hour was up the were all reluctant to leave, asking if they could return, where they could buy a loom etc. The best comment I had was that 'weaving was better than playtime'! Job done methinks! Am hoping that there may well be an influx on North Walian weavers in about 15 years time......