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An exhibition of textile arts

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An exhibition of textile arts 28 June – 11 August 2019 CS Gallery and Melton Library and Learning Hub

Exhibition Venues

Admission

CS Gallery Caroline Spring Library and Learning Hub 193 Caroline Springs Blvd Caroline Springs

Entry is free

Melton Library and Learning Hub 31 McKenzie St Melton Exhibition Opening Event: 28 June – 6-8pm CS Gallery

Accessibility This exhibition is wheelchair accessible across both venues. Interpretive services and Auslan services are available for tours upon request. For bookings please contact artsandculture@melton.vic.gov.au or 9747 5300 We acknowledge that this exhibition is displayed on the traditional lands of the Bunurong, Wurundjeri and Wadawarrung peoples. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present and emerging.

Exhibition open during Library opening hours

Front cover image: Silvana EADIE Abi [detail] 2019, crocheted wool on cotton backing, 90 x 60 cm Back cover image: Hilary SMITH Views Outside [detail] 2019, hand-dyed natural wools, 57 x 60 cm

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Contents Introduction 4 Artists-in-residence The Belonging Tree 6 What Knits Us Together 8 Archiloom:M 10

Artists Anu PATEL 12 Barry MELDER 14 Fleur BRETT 16 Hilary SMITH 17 Hilma CHATAIN 18 Jenny HODKINSON 19 Kerrie TAYLOR 20 Krishna DASGUPTA 21 Liliana IURI-MACINA 22 Linda ABBLITT 23 Samantha TAYLOR 24 Sharon McALLISTER 25 Silvana EADIE 26 Sofie DIEU 27

Programs 28

Introduction Textile and craft making has a strong following in the City of Melton and a number of community-run craft and textile groups meet regularly. Home Sewn: Makers of Melton connects practicing textile artists with local makers and artists, building creative networks and expanding their arts and craft practice.

The project has included three artist-in-residence workshop series, delivered by Chaco Kato of Slow Art Collective, Georgie Nicolson from Tikki Knits and local artists Barry Melder and Anu Patel. Participants learned skills in weaving, knitting, batik and embroidery, while creating large-scale collaborative works together.

Following the residencies comes Home, this group exhibition that invited participants from the program to use their new skills to produce unique artworks. The progress and development of their work across the suite of programs has been encouraging, and the resulting textile pieces demonstrate the depth of learning achieved through the program.

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These works bring together a diverse range of contemporary and traditional textile art techniques. Visitors have the opportunity to view three-dimensional installations alongside traditional wall hangings that are thought-provoking and nostalgic.

A celebration of textile arts, this exhibition explores the crossover between arts and crafts. Textile crafts have a rich history across many cultures, and therefore are a perfect medium to explore the diversity of our community in the City of Melton. Pushing the boundaries of the medium, textile artworks often combine technical skill with challenging concepts, imagination and contemporary aesthetics.

The Home Sewn: Makers of Melton project was intentionally created to develop skills and build cultural capacity within the City of Melton.

The new friendships that have bloomed throughout the project speaks to the strength of the project’s inclusivity, and the welcoming attitude of artists and participants. Another wonderful result of the project has been the boost to the participants’ confidence in their arts practice. From tentative beginnings come bold strokes of creativity, with each artist finding their authentic response to the theme, home.

The exhibition challenged the artists to explore their own notions of Home; where they come from, and what home means to them. What feelings are imbued with the sense of coming home?

To complement the exhibition, a number of short workshops are available for both adults and school-aged children. Please see more details at the end of this catalogue.

Often the thoughts we have of home have nothing to do with a physical space, but are driven by memories, emotions, and connections. The artists have used textiles to convey these explorations of home in visual form. From weaving to needlepoint, crochet, knitting and everything in between, each artwork is a reflection of the explorations of each creator in the project.

Of course, this exhibition would not have been possible without the fantastic support of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. Thanks also to the resident artists, Chaco Kato, Georgie Nicolson, Anu Patel and Barry Melder for their outstanding leadership, and to all of the participating artists in this exhibition for their creative contribution.

We trust that Home Sewn: Makers of Melton continues to have impact past the close of the exhibition, building upon the overwhelmingly positive response we have received so far.

Acknowledging the broad range of participants who have engaged with this project, we encourage continued participation by those for whom this was their first interaction with a cultural community development project in the City of Melton. We wish the participating artists all the best in their future endeavours.

We encourage you to engage deeply with this exhibition, and trust you will enjoy all it offers as we explore the many facets of contemporary textile arts.

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The Belonging Tree

2019

batik dyes, cotton fabric, nylon mesh, mixed media 300 x 600 cm Artists-in-residence, Anu Patel and Barry Melder, have worked with textile makers in our community, teaching batik, sewing and embroidery techniques to create this intricate textile artwork as a collaborative celebration of our diverse community.

Participants explored what “belonging” meant to them and expressed this in a series of batik paintings that they then sewed, embellished, stitched and embroidered to create this magnificent tree.

Contributing artists: Tapasya ARYA Vee BEATTY Lydia CHAN Lillian CHRISTIAN Krishna DASGUPTA Silvana EADIE Glenys FRASER Julie GELLATLY Linda HYETT Liliana IURI-MACINA Vibha JAIN Jenni JERGENS Deb KNIGHT

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Betty-Lee LEWIS Sharon McALLISTER Jivka McNEILL Maureen MOHR Patricia RANITI Katrina ROWLEY Nazikat SALEH Cynthia SCOLLO Hilary SMITH Srividhya SUBRAMANIAN Kerrie TAYLOR Geetha VUPPALA

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What Knits Us Together

2018

wool, wire 106 x 250 cm This artwork celebrates the things that knit us together in the City of Melton. It was made by local textile makers in a collaborative knitting project facilitated by artist-in-residence, Georgie Nicolson.

Knitters learned a range of new techniques before exploring their own word and picture stories to express the values that ‘knit’ them together as a community.

Contributing artists: Tapasya ARYA Vee BEATTY Ranjini BHASHKAR Lynne BISHOP Tania BISHOP Lydia CHAN Wiltrud DAVIS Silvana EADIE Glenys FRASER Sue GLOURY Kaylene HOLLOWAY Alisha HUMPHREY Stasha ISAACS Liliana IURI Kate KB Narmada KUMAR Helen LEWIS Mary MAGRI Elizabeth MARSHALL Carol MAUDE Sharon McALLISTER

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Caroline McKIE Qaisara MOHAMED Maureen MOHR Eloise MOORE Catherine NEWTON Caroline NOTT Pat PAPADOPOULOS Susan PETCH Jennifer PETERS Sharon PLEYDELL Patricia RANITI M SAMMY Cheryl SCHMIDT Dianne SWEET Samantha TAYLOR Tricia SEDDON Hilary SMITH Nola STRACHAN Daljit KAUR VIRK Jane WAUGH Lynnette WEBB

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Archiloom:M

2018

Slow Art Collective

metal scaffolds, bamboo, string (wool, cotton, acrylic), cable ties 180 x 500 x 200 cm POA For sales enquiries: Chacokato@mac.com or 0488405946 This contemporary art installation was originally commissioned for Melton Library and CS Gallery.

It has been constructed by Chaco Kato, Melton City Council’s artist-in-residence in June 2018.

Archiloom:M creates a temporary environment that encourages creativity and collaboration.

About the work

About the artist

Archi-Loom has been a signature work for Slow Art Collective over the past six years; it is known as a large scale of installation utilising repurposed materials including bamboo, recycled rope, various fabrics and other found materials.

Chaco Kato is one of the founding members of the Slow Art Collective, which embraces collaboration, community engagement and sustainability. ‘Slow art’ celebrates the slow absorption of culture through community links by creating something together and blurring the boundary between the artist and the viewer. Her works grow and change depending on where they are sited, and who gets involved.

It is an interactive construction that focuses on the value of collaboration and explores concepts of sustainable practices.

Archi-Loom is a colourful and playful work that can respond to the sites and needs of the contexts that it inhabits; it offers a space that invites areas of play, rest, craft and discovery.

Traditionally, string is a material associated with craft and Chaco uses it here to explore its possibilities as art. The fabrics and materials used in this piece remind us of items that are slowly made by hand, and used for functional items like baskets or mats.

Chaco has previously created work for arts institutions including National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre and Powerhouse Museum.

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Anu PATEL

My Mother’s Garden 2019 textile, mixed medium 180 x 300 cm $2750.00 For sales enquiries: Anuradha.patel@bigpond.com or 0423 701 530

About the work

About the artist

Traditions, Roots and History

Anu was born in Gujarat, India. At a very early age her family moved to Uganda, East Africa and then the UK. Since 2006, she has been based in Australia and established her practice in public art and studio based work.

The artwork in the exhibition is inspired by traditional Indian textiles from Gujarat, Anu’s home state in India. The process in creating the work evoked in her not only the memories of embroidery lessons from her grandmother, mother and aunts but a longing and a sense of melancholia for a distant past.

The artwork is a homage to the time Anu spent with her mother in her home land. This time was spent understanding and appreciating the things that were important to her mother, who wore beautiful Saris, meticulously embroidered with very traditional patterns and designs. Often these designs were handed down through many generations, with adaptations and variations.

The Indian Folk Art Tradition has also been a great source of inspiration for the artist throughout her life. Its celebration of daily life and ritual, the interaction of humans and animals, and the reverence of all life forms. She feels a very strong sense of belonging and sharing in these values.

In recent years these sensibilities have formed the basis to Anu’s exploration and understanding of the Australian living landscape.

Aspects of her recent experiences are also represented in this work.

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On her first visit to Australia in 2004, she fell in love with the space, the colours and the light, as everyone does, and felt very strongly the need to explore this experience through her artistic practice.

There is an autobiographical element to Anu’s work. The artworks are often an emotional expression of situations, events and experiences.

Much of the artist’s life has been in transit which has challenged and inspired her work. She gains inspiration from the world, in awe of the natural order and defiance of nature and the silent intelligence with which it continues to survive and grow.

Anu enjoys working paradoxically, taking a spontaneous and organic approach to working with a wide variety of materials.

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Barry MELDER Australian Gumnut 2019 batik painting 190 x 100 cm

About the work

About the artist

Combining the traditional techniques of batik painting learned in India with the Australian land, Barry fuses together his learnings from one home with the beauty of where he calls home today.

Australian Gumnut celebrates not only the natural beauty within the great Australian land, but also the beauty to be found within the smallest of nature’s gifts, the gumnut. Having mastered the art of patience, Barry uses a layering technique between dye and wax on cotton canvas, taking multiple weeks to produce each work. The choice of vibrant colour is rich but remains true to the land.

Born in the Kolar Gold Fields, India, Barry Melder studied in the village school before moving to Bangalore where he completed his secondary schooling. He began a career in air conditioning and refrigeration, but was largely unfulfilled, and it was whilst visiting a friend that a chance meeting with renowned batik artist Ragu Menon would pique his interest in art.

Engrossed for hours watching the master artist work on a vibrant scene from the Mahabharata, Barry’s evident passion prompted Menon to invite him to assist on future works. Over several months, Barry would learn to hand craft and improve upon batik tools, and create his own brilliantly coloured paintings.

He grew in confidence with the completion of each work, and soon developed a reputation in Bangalore as a rising star of the art scene, with his works becoming highly sought after. In the early 1980s, Barry staged his own solo exhibition at the Ramlila Art Gallery, the beginning of a successful exhibiting career in India. Sales from his exhibitions and commissions enabled him to dedicate himself to his art practice, working up to 13 hours a day on new pieces.

In 1984, Barry produced a 7.11 x 2.29 m batik that was popularly referred to as ‘the world’s largest’ in Indian press. Having moved to Australia in the late 1980s, he remains a passionate artist, and today shares his artistic talent and passion with the Melton community.

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About the work Head down as Fleur pounds the pavement on her way to the train in Footscray. Attention is drawn to the etched lines on the concrete.

Graffiti and hand drawn imprints sit alongside Council marks and utility grates. Cigarette butts, flower petals and debris are caught in the cracks and exposed pipes. Here these hard public surfaces are translated into an interior language of plaited rag rug carpets, embroidery frames and coiled basket forms. The debris caught in these spaces are textile scraps. The aesthetic and colour palette of the urban landscape is subverted through the use of soft materials.

About the artist Fleur is a Footscray based artist whose practice incorporates textiles, large and small scale sculptural installation, assemblage, printmaking and mixed media work. She is interested in surface texture, the layering of imagery and the movement between two and three dimensions.

After completing honours in Sculpture at RMIT ten years ago her work has been shown in the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Awards, Wyndham Art Prize, Lorne Sculpture Biennale, Footscray Art Prize, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize (Sydney) and Victorian Craft Awards. www.fleurbrett.com

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Fleur BRETT

Head down in Footscray 2019 plaited rag rugs, coiled basket forms, embroidery frames & crayon rubbings (frottage), found objects, synthetic turf, cardboard & fabric 200 x 130 x 60 cm NFS

About the work Home is not only the house you live in but your neighbourhood.

This knitted scene of a eucalyptus tree shows the outside views that was Melton about 20 years ago.

The artist has ecologically dyed all of her own wools from eucalyptus and acacia trees. She collected leaves, barks, gum nuts and flowers on her walks and then used these to dye the wools. She researched and experimented with the dyeing processes. Without trying to get certain colours when dyeing, the joy came from the process of attaining the end result naturally.

About the artist Hilary has lived in Melton for nearly 50 years and enjoys being outside in nature. After doing the Home Sewn course last year, she was inspired to learn how to dye wool. She has always been interested in crafts, and in learning new techniques and creative practices.

Hilary SMITH Views Outside 2019

hand-dyed natural wools 57 x 60 cm NFS

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About the work This needle piece incorporates French cotton Pearl thread and fine cotton canvas. Pearl thread was chosen for its sheen and the large range of colours available.

The very fine canvas means many stitches per centimetre; this piece took approximately 200 hours to complete.

The work represents a retreat in the isolated Victorian bush, no street lights and few houses. The veranda is surrounded by garden and at night the sky is a blanket of stars. The circles represent stars and the connecting lines bring them together as constellations.

When looking at the sky from the veranda one feels the greater meaning of home in the universe.

About the artist For as long as she can remember Hilma has enjoyed making and creating. Not formally trained apart from quite a few painting classes, she has taught herself patchwork, mosaic, basket making, papiermâchÊ and needle point. Hilma enjoys designing and choosing colours and shapes for her needle point projects. Creating new pieces, whatever the medium, is always fulfilling.

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Hilma CHATAIN

The Milky Way from my verandah 2019 needlepoint 48 x 46 cm $1200.00 For sales enquiries: hilmachatain@hotmail.com or 0401166096

About the work Jenny’s sewing space is her happy place. She enjoys seeing a doll or toy go from the early stages of being cut out of fabric to growing into their personality as they are finished.

She loves to sit and create many beautiful cloth dolls and soft toys that bring much joy to children and those who are young at heart. When in this room, she is home.

About the artist Jenny is a cloth doll and soft toy maker at Little Darlings Toys since 2013. She has been sewing on and off for many years learning most of her skills as a student in high school.

Jenny HODKINSON Happy 2019

cotton, quilters fabric, wool felt and polyester stuffing dimensions variable NFS

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About the work Returning “home”, after living in the Northern Territory for 20 years, Kerrie is exploring notions of belonging: discovering communities enriching her life and art practice.

Using a coiled crochet weaving technique of repurposed materials, Kerrie depicts her settling home, through the vibrant colours and textures of the Western suburbs communities. This play with light, colour and form are juxtaposed onto mangrove pneumatophores, a symbol of her life in the Northern Territory. The cultural and spiritual teachings of an Aboriginal Elder who was showing his grandson how to find mud mussels, provides the impetus for Kerrie’s fascination for mangroves.

About the artist Kerrie is a contemporary artist specialising in printmaking/fibre arts. Kerrie’s work is a response to the beauty and intricacies of the natural world, particularly mangroves. Working and living on an Aboriginal community has provided inspiration for her work. Kerrie has exhibited extensively. Her work is held in public/private collections throughout Australia. www.kerrietaylor.com Instagram: @kerriecreates

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Kerrie TAYLOR Homecoming 2019

recycled wool and rope 55 x 120 x 240 cm POA For sales enquiries: taylorkerrie@yahoo.com.au

About the work Rangoli is an Indian decoration made on the floor using materials such as coloured rice, dry flour, coloured sand or flower petals.

In this piece of work the Rangoli patterns have been recreated on textile in exquisite high quality and dense embroidery with the help of multi coloured cotton threads.

Rangoli are used as a welcoming sign to the house and the artist chose to use these designs in her work because she likes welcoming and entertaining family and friends at her home.

About the artist Mrs. Krishna Dasgupta is from India – a land of diverse cultures and customs. Embroidery has been a part of her childhood. She is rekindling her passion for it after several decades by weaving new stories with exquisite embroidery techniques.

Krishna DASGUPTA Peacock 2018

hand embroidery on textile 30 x 30 cm NFS

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About the work Liliana’s work reconnects with her childhood memories; tapping into an imaginative and playful world. The screen divider looks into both her inner and outer worlds. Childhood versus adulthood. Past and present.

Restriction and freedom. Sorrows and joy.

The soft materials and colours begin a quiet conversation with self, the supreme intelligence residing within us all. It is about being gentle with oneself. It is about compassion, understanding, love, and healing.

Making peace with oneself.

The design is light, soothing, and playful. It is not about the artist, but rather what comes through her. The magic world of a child, full of wonder and surprise.

About the artist Liliana was born in Argentina and arrived in Australia in 1977.

Long passionate about the arts and textile design, she is mainly selftaught although has completed a few short courses in visual arts and textile design.

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Liliana IURI-MACINA Symphony of my Soul 2019

Morning Bliss 2019

Since retiring in 2017 she has been working on textile jewellery and experimenting with 3D work.

wood, hand-made paper, embroidery organza, muslin, wool felt, cotton thread, hemp fibre 160 x 120 x 4 cm

organza embroidery fabric, pearls 30 x 30 cm

Her inspiration comes from her dreams, meditation, and nature.

$700.00 For sales enquiries: liliana99_@hotmail.com or 0422 378 515

NFS

About the work Linda learned to quilt about 12 years ago, and since then has made dozens of quilts in both traditional and modern designs. She has often looked at art quilts as a challenge to experiment with in her own arts practice. As an artist she concentrates on portraits, and so her first art quilt is four portraits of her father, mother, brother and sister.

This work reflects the sentiment that home is wherever your family are.

About the artist Linda Abblitt is originally from Tasmania and has been living in Melton for two years. An internationally recognised printmaker, she also dabbles in various other art forms such as acrylic abstracts, photography, fused glass, jewellery and textiles.

Linda ABBLITT Family 2019 cotton fabric 100 x 80 cm NFS

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About the work Home is not a physical place. Home is a feeling; it is warmth, familiarity and security. Home is a state of being; a warm blanket on a cold night. Home is family. Home is crochet.

Crochet quietens Samantha’s otherwise chaotic mind. It brings focus and helps make sense of her environment. This artwork perhaps shows the flipside of this, and how her life might look without craft.

Freeform crochet lends itself to uneven stitches and odd shapes using knitting, crochet and other stitching techniques, combined, then randomly joined together on purpose.

About the artist Samantha loves to work with string to create things that can be both functional and beautiful. She is influenced by her surroundings and takes inspirations from things like decorative tile patterns, architectural design or by using nature’s varying colour palette, incorporating all this into her work. Crochet is Samantha’s happy place.

Samantha TAYLOR Home is where the yarn is 2019

cotton, merino, nylon and acrylic yarn 120 x 120 cm $500.00 For sales enquiries: eeeee1972@gmail.com or 0425758978

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About the work Sharon’s great, great grandma Sarah Jane was born in 1845, the same year Sarah Jane’s father William built their family cottage, which still remains today.

The cottage is adorned here by plants from the artist’s garden, connecting her history to the present. This work inspires a feeling of coming home.

My home among the gum trees reflects on Sharon’s journey as an artist, taking inspiration from painting in the Melton Botanic Gardens and incorporating skills learned in the What Knits Us Together workshops with Georgie Nicolson. The work shows the inside of the artist’s house, and things that make one feel at home. It celebrates her present dwelling - a place of her own.

About the artist

Sharon McALLISTER Sarah Jane’s Cottage 1845 2019

My home among the gum trees 2019

Australian wool 120 x 30 cm

Australian wool 120 x 30 cm

NFS

NFS

Sharon has lived in Melton for about 17 years. Although born in New Zealand, she feels a connection to Australia and has called it home since 1994. Both of her grandfathers came from Australia, and her artwork is inspired by her Australian ancestors.

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About the work Silvana is passionate about working with natural fibres and materials.

Hence she wanted to ‘paint’ this portrait with wool. This piece proved highly challenging but rewarding as she problem solved along the way, having never crocheted a picture before. This picture was inspired by a photo she had taken of one of her grandchildren and so this artwork is dedicated to her.

About the artist Silvana began her art learning journey a few years ago after discovering that drawing and painting was fun as well as challenging and meditative. She developed an appetite for drawing and began art journaling. As well as creating with watercolour paints and wool she continues to explore other media. She is most fascinated by portraits as her art journey continues.

Silvana EADIE Abi 2019

crocheted wool on cotton backing 90 x 60 cm NFS

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About the work Displacement was commissioned as a gift to an immigrant woman living in Australia. Like many other women who have left their family and native country, the artist shares the same longing for home. But what is home after all these years spent abroad; and what would a woman take with her when leaving?

The answer: her trousseau, beliefs and memories.

Lettre à notre humanité endormie is embroidered on 100 year old fabric once belonging to Sofie’s grandmother and great-grandmother. She stitches on this canvas the country where she now lives, its natural environment. The French past meets the Australian present, they talk to each other, question our customs. Her stitching forms a letter of her journey, her discoveries; capturing the imposing grandeur of our natural environment and the threats it faces. This letter is addressed to our sleeping humanity, unable to act in the face of constant ecological disasters. Will you read it?

About the artist

Sofie DIEU Displacement 2018

Lettre à notre humanité endormie 2018

cotton, antique lace, drift wood, crochet 68 x 40 x 8 cm

cotton, crochet, appliqué, embroidery 132 x 76 cm

NFS

$795.00 For sales enquiries: sofiedieu@gmail.com or 0413469882

Poetic and humanist, Sofie Dieu’s work is best known for its fragility and darkness.

Her art resides at the intersection of personal narratives, our natural environment and recovery processes.

Multi-art prize and award finalist, Dieu’s work was recently included in John Leslie Art Prize, Sydney North Art Prize, and Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize.

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PROGRAMS All programs are free but bookings are recommended where indicated

Kids Workshops The Belonging Tree Create your very own Belonging Tree these school holidays in a craft activity for school-aged children.

The Belonging Tree at Movin’ Round Melton Create your very own Belonging Tree these school holidays in a popup craft activity in our local parks.

Monday 1 July - 10.30am-11.30am Melton Library & Learning Hub Wednesday 3 July - 10.30am-11.30am Caroline Springs Library & Learning Hub

Friday 5 July - 2.30-3.30pm Diggers Rest Community Hall Monday 8 July - 10.30am-11.30am Bridge Road Community Centre Friday 12 July - 2pm-3pm Eynesbury Discovery Centre

Bookings are essential: melton.vic.gov.au/ArtsPrograms

No bookings required

Adult Workshops Flower Embroidery Learn beautiful embroidery skills with exhibiting local artist, Krishna Dasgupta. Ages 18+

Crochet Mini Mandalas Learn to crochet a mini mandala artwork with exhibiting local artist, Samantha Taylor. Ages 18+

Wednesday 17 July - 10am-1pm CS Gallery Monday 22 July - 10am-1pm Melton Library and Learning Hub

Wednesday 31 July - 10am-1pm Melton Library and Learning Hub Wednesday 7 August - 10am-1pm CS Gallery

Bookings are essential: meltonartsandculture.eventbrite.com

School Tours and Education A limited number of school tours are also available for secondary student classes.

Teachers are encouraged to book early. Education kits accompany this exhibition and are available upon request.

Bookings and kits: artsandculture@melton.vic.gov.au or 9747 5300

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