AliaK [filter]

Dionne Swift | Contemporary Textile Artist and Tutor

Dionne Swift's R&A Collaborations video is called "Establishing a Rhythm" and in it she discusses the relationship between walking through the countryside, mark making in her drawings and stitching her artwork using machine embroidery. She speaks about the shared rhythm between these three parts of the process.

direct video link is http://vimeo.com/116270312

Knit the National – Bollard Creations Competition | National Folk Festival | Every Easter in Canberra

Knit the National is a new project to decorate the National Folk Festival Site in 2015. Part of this initiative was the successful CD weaving project at Floriade earlier this year. They have decided to take it up a notch with the Bollard Creations Competition.

the website has more info on the competition including the Bollard dimensions

via http://folkfestival.org.au/knit-the-national-bollard-creations-competition

Koalas sew need you this summer | IFAW - International Fund for Animal Welfare

Currently it's fire season in Australia and the koalas have been victims of the fires in South Australia and Victoria. There's still risk of more fires to come (hopefully not!) as summer is still in full swing.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has asked people to sew cotton mittens for the koalas to help their recovery.

"Koalas with burns to their paws need to have them treated with burn cream and wrapped in bandages. They then need special cotton mittens to cover the dressings. All this needs changing daily so we’re asking if you can help us by sewing koala mittens – as many as they can before the fire season truly hits."

The IFAW has a pattern linked on their site, or see the PDF file here:

http://www.ifaw.org/sites/default/files/default/KOALA-MITTENS-PATTERN-A4.pdf (PDF file)

Use 100% cotton only — e.g.: old sheets, tea towels or cotton t-shirts

Send your mittens to

IFAW

6 Belmore Street

Surry Hills

NSW 2010

Australia

visit the website for more details

prophet of bloom: an invitation: Solace

India Flint invites us all to contribute to her residency at The Observatory, in South Australia.

via http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/an-invitation.html

Make a triangular flag or pennon [meaning a personal ensign, derived from the Latin penna meaning a wing or a feather] preferably using a piece of pre-loved cloth.
Stitch on it a word or a phrase or a sentence that might act as a wish for peace or an acknowledgement of beauty, imply a sense of stillness or simply something that  gives you solace. It can be as brief or as long as you like. A haiku, a snatch of song, a word that takes you where you want to be.

Attach ties to the tethering end of your flag.
It is important the flags be made from natural fibre fabrics as they will remain in place following prayer flag tradition, to dispense blessings and good wishes to the four winds...any shreds that part company from the whole must be bio-degradable. Additional decorations such as stone or glass beads, shell or wooden buttons are welcome, but please, no plastic.

Post the flag [preferably packaged in paper* not plastic] to :
 

Who Needs Education? | American Craft Council

An interview with Paul J. Stankard, a fellow of the American Craft Council, teacher, book author and glass artist who didn't study at university level. He speaks about his experiences and what he tells his students at Salem Community College.

Cy Twombly’s Remarkable Treatise

An article about the Cy Twombly: Treatise on the Veil exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum, and his style of painting and drawing. It shows a few paintings/drawings made in 1970/1972: “Treatise on the Veil (Second Version)” (1970), “Untitled” (1970), and two Untitled” (28 May, 1970) studies.

via http://hyperallergic.com/170270/cy-twomblys-remarkable-treatise

TALKING TEXTILES

The Dorothy Waxman Textile Design Prize is a new international design prize awarded to a textile or fashion design student who exhibits innovative thinking and inspiring creativity in textiles.

The award winner receives a prize of US $5000 and coverage on the online interactive trend platform, TrendTablet.com.

The competition is open to students from any country currently enrolled in a textile, fashion or knitting course. The winning design will be chosen by Dorothy Waxman based on its aesthetic and creative identity.

visit the website for the application form

via http://www.trendtablet.com/4155-talking-textiles

Mae Yokoyama, a Swedish student at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design has made a solar panel necklace which lights up LEDs when the power has charged. The aim was to turn “energy into beauty”.

http://www.ecouterre.com/couture-solar-panel-necklace-lights-up-any-outfit

Anne Wilson is a Chicago-based visual artist who creates sculpture, drawings, performances and video animations that explore themes of time, loss, private and social rituals. Her artwork embraces conceptual strategies and handwork using everyday materials -- table linen, bed sheets, human hair, lace, thread, glass, and wire.

http://www.annewilsonartist.com/topologies-credits.html

Crafting Anatomies | Bonington Gallery.

via http://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/events/craftinganatomies
Crafting Anatomies
Crafting Anatomies will place the human body at the centre of a multi-disciplinary dialogue; exploring how this entity has been interpreted, crafted and reimagined in historical, contemporary and future contexts.

The exhibition will dissect attitudes and approaches towards contexts of the body by showcasing visionary practices of leading international artists, clinicians and designers. These will be featured alongside anatomical exhibits selected from historical collections including films from The Wellcome Trust archive.

Organs crafted by silk worms, bespoke jewellery cultured from human skin cells, and couture garments constructed using plastic surgery cutting techniques are just some of the speculative projects that will be on display.

I've been away from my class materials since working on this new work project. which means I haven't had as much fabric, paints, threads, the sewing machine etc to work with. I found an app called art set on the itunes app store and tried it out on the flight home last week. it's pretty good. it has a large range of colours, and background "paper" with different textures and colours and weights - actually more than I have at home. plus multiple pens, pencils, felt pens, paints, crayons, sponges, erasers, water for smudging edges, and the app is really easy to use. it's not the same as using the materials by hand of course, but I think it does replicate the styles / effects the materials have quite well. and it was only 99cents. wish I'd known about this prior to spending a couple of hundred dollars on a much smaller range of pens and paints! I tried a few simple mark making exercises, then I took a photo from the front airplane camera (was my first time on an A380 & it has camera views on the tv/entertainment system - a view from the front of the plane, below near the wings, and looking towards the tail of the plane) and made a drawing of the view.