Alison Schwabe

Today a textile/fiber artist asked a bunch of the rest of us on a list if anyone had suggestions or knowledge of how to modify potato crisp packages for use in textile projects, and although I replied with a light touch of irony and several actual sugestions, it led me to thinking about why people choose particular materials to work with, and I spent a little time thinking about the non-traditional materials I have worked with in the past few years - and I mean, why leather?  (because I developed a symbolic meaning for it) and why lame/glitter ? (aside from genetic attraction to anything glittery!  – to me something gold and glittery indicates preciousness 0r intrinsic value)

This request was posted a couple of  hours ago, but already there are several references to websites or articles on using these packets in craft projects, ranging from folding and sewing the folded units to attach to another surface, or cutting into long fine strips and making bracelets ….and I am sure there will be more as the  day continues.    So how to use them and how to shrink and otherwise modify them is acessible knowledge out there when you GTS.   And I presume one would thoroughly wash them to remove all traces of oil salt and potato odour that would attract bugs to any natural fibres in the work.

But to me the most important questions are on these lines:  In using modifed crisp packets, would an artist be saying something about the waste of resources for such packages and the rubbish we leave around?   Or does the choice of material not necessarily say anything at all about it’s actual original purpose. ie once it’s done containing crisps, so it just becomes an empty container made of a certain material?  And does/can how you use a material take it beyond a ‘craft project’ necessarily?   I have been thinking a lot about what we discard – the recycling rubbish scheme here doesn’t work well for various reasons; and just lately foreign tourists have written to local media about how certain places or experiences here have been spoiled by the poor rubbish disposal habits of uruguayans… and I have taken quite a few pics ( see recent blog posts) which either accidentally or deliberately feature rubbish, especially the enduring plastic kind.

The above pic is of a bunch of predomantly plastic rubbish  exhumed by wave action recently on a dune of our local beach.  More pics elsewhere close by on this blog page.  I don’t know the archival qualities of potato crisp packets, but I feel they must be pretty durable.  I am wondering though if I should focus entirely on using more ‘waste’  material combining it with fabrc and stitch, or even ditch the new fabrics new fibres thing altogether?  Nah… or at least, I’m not in the right frame of mind for that just yet.  But there is food for thought, and while considering all this I remembered the fabulous scuptural textile-like work of the Nigerian artist El Anatsui - check out the fabulous, massive curtains of linked bottle tops…. but it’s not just about bottle tops.    In Quilt National in 1997  was a terrific quilt by West Australian artist  Janie Matthews, entitled “American Icon” it was a large US flag design made of thousands? of applied 1″ squares cut from Pepsi  and Cocacola cans, each predominantly red blue and white square placed to give the design its form.   In this work, the symbolism and irony and sybolism with in this  approx. 1.5 in length work were clever and interesting – it wasn’t just about the design of the US flasd, nor was it just about the two giant soft drink companies.  Those of you near your QN catalogues can look it up….but I don’t seem to be able to find a pic of it anywhere online.

My husband and I took ourselves down to the Port of Montevideo one morning this week to take advantage of the fabulous opportunity to go with other members of the public to board and wander wound some of the Tall Ships currently in port.  It was a sunny morning of a working day and so not too crowded at that time, and a steady breeze blew preventing us getting hotter than we might have – despite hats.  We both took loaded cameras – as we see things from different perspectives – and this shows in the amalgamated collection of photos we downloaded and put together on a web album for all to enjoy – Tall Ships Montevideo 2010

These boats are training ships in the various navies of the countries from which they come.  There wasn’t one from Australia, and a couple that were scheduled did not come after all – but there were plenty of these stately vessels to clamber about on and marvel over.  The outstanding one imho was the Chilean, “Esmeralda” just so beautiful, with all its brass gleaming, paint clean and fresh, things put away – ’stowed’ I guess, just so, woodwork clean and well sealed etc.   Marvellous.  But on the Spanish one, although there were plenty of sailors around to  control our wanderings and answer questions or bombard us with information, I, who am not a noted housekeeper, found the state of brass, woodwork and paint less impressive – sub in fact….but they had one of the largest flags. 

The best kept and most interesting ones were those that had people working while we wandered around, giving the impression this is a continual process, that it all doesn’t just stop because the ship is in port. Anyway, I found it thrilling to be in an environment where there was textile and fibre everywhere - from massively thick ropes to fine cord, knotted rope ladders, lots of knotted stuff forming safety nets, ladders, mats and protective bollards; and canvas by the massive yard, sewn to other huge pieces and furled, semi-furled or unfurled – in other words, fabric on a large scale is how I saw it!    And so I hope you enjoy these pics and pick up some of the excitement and interest of our visit to the Tall Ships.   As we marvelled and enjoyed it all, we thought of several good friends who are sailors … can I just say “Wish you were here”?

Being Launceston (Tasmania) born and bred, I love to go back from time to time to visit the remaining family there.  I always enjoy this beautiful city founded in 1806, with buildings dating from 1824 still in use today.  From the classical Georgian period,  the city is often favourably compared to Bath UK.   I certainly didn’t really appreciate its beauty when I was growing up … and opted out of history classes just as soon as I could to escape a highly boring teacher that I would have done well to heed more.

One of the must-do things is always to visit the Tasmanian Design Centre at the corner of Tamar and Brisbane Streets, tucked into a corner of the City Park.  There are always interesting exhibitions of well designed and  made Tasmanian fine craft, often featuring wood and ceramics, but metal and jewellery making, textiles, paper and other fibres get a good look in, too.  The building began life as a church, but for many years now has housed the centre, and each time the building is renovated (tastefully) more vestiges of the original function disappear from view.

On a visit late in late July last year, I found a stunning exhibition of paper forms by prominent Tasmanian paper maker Joanna Gair, and was hopeful of writing a post that might have been published before the show ended, but alas, permission from the centre to publish a couple of photos I took was so long forthcoming that the time for that passed.  So of course in the intervening months I seem to have lost the notes I’m sure I did make of exactly which two pieces these lovely paper sculptures are; and if the centre or Joanna let me know the titles I will edit them in to this post appropriately – and with apology for that, I present them untitled: 

Joanna Gair - freestanding sculptural form, 16cm approx.

Joanna Gair - low relief sculptural form, framed, title not known. Approximately 25cm diameter

On her website, Joanna describes the exhibition:  “Interleaves” My first solo exhibition, featuring sculptural works which explore themes of provenance, tradition and the minutia of Tasmanian plant life”.    I had a sense she has some scientific background but that just could be the result of focused and long term involvement in her craft and adopted environment, as her work certainly exudes passion for what she sees around her and the forms her inspiration take.  In the exhibition brochure Joanna tells how these appealing, organic- feeling works are of hand made paper that she produces from Tasmanian plant fibres combined with recycled cotton and linen rag.  She pays careful attention to environmentally sound practices at all stages of her production, including ethically sourced timber for handmade frames.  She sounds busy – a visit to her website shows an array of paper products that are marketed through the design centre and corporate and government agencies – a studio visit would be a valuable experience some time.

There were some very clear tracks a couple of mornings this week, partly because of windy conditions that had dried sand rapidly, leading for example to the sharp tyre prints from the beach cleaning machine; and the fact that I was down there a bit earlier meaning that these wonderful prints were not overlain by dogs and people.  The little fish in the centre of the third one down had clearly been picked clean not by birds but some little crabs, probably, that had disappeared after their feast, but not long before I came along, or maybe my approaching steps spooked them.

If you don’t know it, do check the stunning work of Rebecca Howdeshell working in felt and other fibres, which of course lend themselves so magnificantly to earthy textures.  I am thinking of layers and stitch, of building on much earlier work .  A clear day ahead in my workroom , the air is 99% humid after a rainy thundery night,  there’s not a breath of wind and more rain is forecast.  Perfect.

At last, thumbs, full views and some detailsare in a newly added gallery  on my website - at the top of the drop down gallery menu, The Creative Stitch: pre 1988  One example: 

I’ll let you know if I get off this path and onto something totally different!  

And if the spacing in this post has come out all funny - I don’t know what I have done backing and forthing with the editing,  but that’s it for now -  just be tolerant or a little entertained a little by it, I’m off to make some more samples.  cheers….