Textile Fibre Forum - Issue 147 - September 2022

70 Pages·2022·24 MB·English

#147
SEPT 2022
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Vanessa Barragão
Untitled
THIERRY MUGLER
VANESSA BARRAGÃO
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Contents
ISSUE #147, SEPTEMBER 2022
03 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR — Moira G. Simpson
26 SITUATION SVENJA: Kelp in the Country — Svenja
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E 60 READER GALLERY
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L 61 ADVERTISER INDEX
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62 BOOK REVIEWS Svenja
64 ALL THAT SPARKLES — Molli Sparkles
LES 04 PAULA MARTIN — Greg Somerville 20
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R 20 RO BRUHN — Ro Bruhn
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TI 30 VANESSA BARRAGÃO — Moira G. Simpson
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Ro Bruhn
S 38 SIGNATURES — Kirry Toose
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BI 53 TENSION(S) 2020: Tamworth Textile Triennial
HI
X — Sharon Peoples
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S 12 THIERRY MUGLER: Shooting Star — Inga Walton
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A 44 ARTISTS’ BOOKS — Janette Hanrahan, Larissa Murdoch,
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Hilary Peterson, Grace Cross.
Paula Martin
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Front cover image: Vanessa Barragão, Untitled, 2022, 100 x 150 cm, latch hook, crochet, carving and other fibre manipulation techniques using upcycled wool. Photo courtesy of Studio Barragão.
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Letter from the Editor
Moira Simpson
Do you love books? She also makes colourful fabric and
mixed media journals in which she
I think most draws, paints and stitches plants and
objects observed around her.
artists do.
The second Australian artist
B profiled in this issue is Paula Martin
ooks provide us with who has a background in the theatre,
opportunities to read about where she painted scenery, created
Vanessa Barragão
art and the world, to enjoy masks, and embellished costumes, a
perusing photographs, all the while career which has equipped her with
enjoying the feel of the physical book a host of artist skills. She now draws
and the turning of pages – so much on those skills to create 2D and 3D their work, combine strong concepts
more satisfying than digital books! textile and mixed media artworks. with exploratory approaches to
That passion for books extends also Her work A fragment, a moment no. interpretation of ideas.
to artists’ books – that is books made 3, was winner of the major award Tensions[s] 2020, the Tamworth
by artists, usually as individual and in the inaugural Australian Textile Textile Triennial, is reaching the
unique books that are artworks in Art Award in 2020. In this article, end of its three-year tour of the
their own right – which have become written by her life and work partner, country. In a thought-provoking
a popular art form over recent years. Greg Somerville, you will see more article, Sharon Peoples reflects
Artists’ books may be made from examples of her work and can on the history and impact of this
paper or fabric, often with decorative, appreciate the interesting, complex, prestigious exhibition, which has
embellished covers. The covers and layered imagery that she builds up been running since 1975 (when it
the pages inside are often artworks using textiles, paper, photographs, was known as the Tamworth Art and
in themselves: they may (or may metal mesh, stitch and a host of Craft Prize), and she considers its
not) include writing - journal notes, other materials and techniques. role and significance in the changed
thoughts, poetry or quotations – or The international artist profiled landscape of contemporary fibre arts
may be illustrated with paints, inks, in this issue is Portuguese fibre in Australia.
dyes, rust, stitch, and more. Artists’ artist, Vanessa Barragão. She uses The COVID Creativity series
books come in all shapes and forms: latch hook, hand-tufting, crochet, continues with an embroidered work
the pages can bound together to and carving to create large-scale, by Alison Cole, A Moment in Time,
make a conventional book form – textured and sculpted rugs and which was included in this year’s
perhaps with decorative forms of wall-hangings using recycled and Australian Textile Art Awards. In
stitching to bind them – or they may upcycled wools and other materials. ‘All That Sparkles’, Molly muses on
be folded and / or stitched to create Some of the works illustrated in the mistakes and in ‘Situation Svenja’,
concertina, circular, star-shaped article are beautiful interpretations we read about Svenjas experience
books – with pages shaped in any of the cosmos, coral reefs, and the of taking her solo exhibition,
form that takes the artist’s fancy. earth’s topology but Barragão also Algalrhythms – Life Movements, to
There’s a bit of a theme in this uses her artwork to express her deep rural Queensland and installing it in
issue, with books by five artists concerns about climate change and Warwick Art Gallery.
for you to enjoy, using a range of other ecological themes. You will be Finally, we say a warm farewell
materials from print on paper to astounded by her artistry and the to French fashion designer Thierry
rusted fabric and stitching. In a scale of her work. Mugler, who died on the 23rd of
feature article, four artists share their Kirry Toose, a member of January 2022. In a feature article,
reasons for choosing the artists’ book untethered fibre artists, presents ‘Thierry Mugler: Shooting Star’,
form as a mode of expression and works which were created for one regular contributor Inga Walton
present examples of the methods and of the group’s latest exhibitions, presents an overview of some of the
materials that they use: Grace Cross, Signatures which has been touring highlights of his stellar career and
Hilary Peterson, Janette Hanrahan, the eastern states during 2021 a selection of his more sculptural
and Larissa Murdock. The fifth book and 2022. Members of the group designs. Vale Thierry Mugler.
artist, who is featured in an artist investigated ‘the making of a mark’
profile, is Ro Bruhn, well-known for in a diverse range of highly personal Kind regards,
her colourful stitched fabric collages. artworks which, as is a feature of Moira Simpson, Editor
3
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PAULA MARTIN
Australia
One day in 1997, Paula Martin walked into my place of work.
This was an art production company in the Blue Mountains, west
of Sydney, where she was employed as sculptor for many corporate
commissions over a period of two years.

Paula Martin, Memory Horizon no.3, 2013, 240 x 510 cm, cast muslin, rice paper, silk, bamboo, paint.
4 ISSUE NO.147 Textile Fibre Forum www.artwearpublications.com.au
AUTHOR: Greg Somerville
T
he first project involved pounding and forming Martin majored in painting, she also undertook to produce
several tonnes of clay into twelve very large AFL a full-sized, woven three-dimensional cow for her student
footballer figures for the Star City Casino. I was exhibition. She dyed and spun the wool, constructed the
to discover that Martin had many other worthy skills, skeletal support frame, wove the exterior “skin”, and
and areas of knowledge and experiences that this job carved the wooden hooves. It was subsequently purchased
was not utilising. We both left this employment around by the Australian National Gallery.
the same time. By 1999, our work collaboration and During art school holidays, Martin worked in the
friendship became a partnership in both life and business wardrobe art department for the Australian Opera, then
(PerformingDesign). housed at the Elizabethan Theatre Trust in Sydney. It was
If pressed, Martin would call herself, simply, an art here that she discovered the world of stage craft and
maker. For me, this was exemplified beautifully by her theatre art. Here, any medium could be called upon in
completion of five years of art training, the last three at order to fulfil a designer’s request. Shelves were filled with
the National Art School in Sydney. In her final year, she all manner of raw materials, braids, buttons, and glittery
was fortunate to do a workshop series with master weaver bits waiting to be assembled into bold stage jewellery.
Jutta Feddersen, who was a guest tutor. Even though Sometimes there were masks to be sculpted, costumes
Subscribers get a free newsletter every issue, filled with exhibitions and calls for entries 55
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Paula Martin, Deirdre, 1974, 130 x 70 x 200 cm, wood and wire armature, woven, hand-spun dyed wool and jute, chamois, leather. Photo by Paula Martin.
to be dyed, stencilled and painted. A production of the list goes on; the details of these many and varied
Rigoletto required one hundred baroque pearls to be commissions could be an essay in itself.
carved and varnished. Our work together as a partnership began in 1999.
After graduation, she worked at the Australian Opera Jenny Kee had been given the commission to design
(known as Opera Australia from 1996) as a scenic artist costumes for the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.
from 1974 to 1978, an exhilarating time of learning, With Martin ’s experience in theatre and costuming, a
collaboration, and working with designers. This experience very fruitful collaboration began. I brought my own skills
truly imprinted a love for theatre work and the challenge in surface decoration, but Martin was the one to have the
and satisfaction of painting on a grand scale. It was here vision and skills to fully realise Jenny’s fabulous designs
that she met her first husband, Cliff. With the birth of into the ‘larger than life’ costumes that were necessary
their first daughter Emelia, they left to work on a freelance to have a presence in such a large arena. They had to
basis for many of the theatre companies in Sydney, be wearable by performers and stand up to the rigours
including the Australian Opera and many corporate of rehearsal, as well as to the possible wind and rain on
clients. It was a rich time for working in theatre in Sydney. the night of the opening. We constructed all the Africas
This period began in 1974 and continued until 1996. costumes and some of the Americas: thirteen costumes in
They had three daughters by this time, and I have heard all, some of which were four metres high. These are now
many stories of Emelia, Chloe and Steph being taken in the collection of the Powerhouse Museum.
along with their parents to paint floors or theatre spaces, Martin and I completed a number of public art projects:
whilst their parents painted scenery for a number of Reg street mosaics, a roundabout, street bollards and several
Livermore productions, Meryl Tankard Company ballet private mosaic commissions. We then enjoyed a fruitful
or sculpt a two-metre head for Sydney Dance Company. period working with the Powerhouse Museum making
One school holiday was spent painting three backdrops, costumes, murals and props for their Education Division.
twenty-two metres long and five metres high, depicting Martin was the main designer and creator for many of
the Palace of Versailles and its gardens at sunset, for these projects. During a ten-year long collaboration with
a ball hosted by the Hermès fashion house - an early NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, we created the
apprenticeship for their daughters. The creative output “Bushtrackers” map series. We designed and illustrated
during this period not only involved scenic art and murals, forty maps, and incorporated the drawings and words of
but many animal costumes, sculpted props, masks… children who hiked these Blue Mountains trails with park
6 ISSUE NO.147 Textile Fibre Forum www.artwearpublications.com.au
AUTHOR: Greg Somerville
Paula Martin, Centre no. 7, 2020, 32 x 2 x 32 cm, photographs cut and layered, screen mesh, stitched on paper.
_____
SHELVES WERE FILLED
WITH ALL MANNER OF
RAW MATERIALS, BRAIDS,
BUTTONS, AND GLITTERY
BITS WAITING TO BE
ASSEMBLED INTO BOLD
STAGE JEWELLERY.
SOMETIMES THERE WERE
MASKS TO BE SCULPTED,
COSTUMES TO BE
DYED, STENCILLED AND
PAINTED. A PRODUCTION
OF RIGOLETTO REQUIRED
ONE HUNDRED BAROQUE
PEARLS TO BE CARVED
AND VARNISHED.
_____
Paula Martin, Centre no. 4, 2020, 32 x 2 x 32 cm, photographs cut and layered, screen mesh, stitched on paper.
Never miss an issue! www.artwearpublications.com.au 7
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