5000 poppies

The 5000 Poppies project is an amazing public artwork that will transform Federation Square in Melbourne on ANZAC Day 2015.  Between 2014 and 2018 Australia will commemorate the ANZAC Centenary, marking 100 years since Australia’s involvement in the First World War.

5000 Poppies started as grass roots project to pay tribute to and respect Australian servicemen and women for more than a century of service in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.  The project has grown dramatically since inception and will now be a staggering 800m2 in size.

The award winning landscape designer, Phillip Johnson has come on board to assist in developing the design for the hundred of thousand poppies contributed for the project.

I am in total awe of the women who created this project.  Even though the project has grown to a size they never dreamed of, they still treat each handmade poppy, most of which are dedicated to loved ones, with care and respect.  They value and cherish the many volunteers who are piecing the work together and the countless participants who have contributed to this project.  You can see some of the love here.

It is hoped the piece will tour after ANZAC Day and that it will be gifted to the Australian War Memorial for all Australians to enjoy.

In 2010 I made a single poppy and placed it in federation square on Remembrance Ray.  For 5000 Poppies I made another single poppy just like it to join the field of poppies in Federation Sqaure for ANZAC Day 2015.  If I can find it in the field there may be another post about this project.

Next Generation

My last post commented on how the little folk in my life have been keeping me from lace.  This is not entirely true as my eldest child, aged 5, has shown a keen interest in lace.  So much so that last Christmas I gave her a pillow, pins, bobbins and thread.

Much to my delight she seems to really enjoy lace making and her passion and determination makes me feel that this craft may continue in the next generation.

Northern Exposure - Small Works Small Spaces 2012

I must apologise that this blog had been dormant while the little folk in my life have occupied my time.  That does not mean I have not been admiring and making lace over the past few whiles.  Although to be honest, it is less often than I would like.

This post is about works I made for Northern Exposure - Small Works Small Spaces  June 15 - July 12 2012.  Yes, looking back, even I was astonished to find how long ago this was!

The first, a lace tree was made and placed outside The Friendship Tree.

It lasted for the duration of the festival but disappeared a couple of weeks later.  Hopefully, to be enjoyed by someone special.  I like to think it was 're-housed' by the person who hung out with me while I was installing it late one night.

The second piece created was placed higher, above the entrance to A Quirk of Fate.  Three simple pieces seemed to blend in with the facade.

So much so they were painted over when the shopfront was re-painted in 2014.  This photo was taken in November 2014 and to my knowledge the piece is still there today.

Love Lace

Recently I have been busy with family life with the addition of baby number two.  So creative pursuits have been placed to the side for a while.  In February we did manage to get away to Sydney though and while there got to see the Love Lace - Powerhouse Museum International Lace Award.

This is an amazing exhibition that is on until April 2013 at the Powerhouse Museum.  134 lace works by 130 artists from 20 countries.  As the museums website states 'playful and inventive, the works on display present a provocative challenge to traditional concepts of lace. The artists push lace techniques in surprising new directions'.  If you are reading this blog no doubt you are interested in the contemporary use of lace in design, fashion and art.  So if you happen to live or be visiting Sydney it is a must see Exhibition.  If you can’t get there the Love Lace website is amazing with images of the works, video commentary and much more.

No doubt many of the artists will be featured in future blog posts.   Congratulations Powerhouse for a such a vibrant, contemporary take on the use of lace in the 21st century.

Triennial Lace Awards

Australian Lace hold the Tirennial Lace Awards to encourage lacemakers to create amazing designs based on a theme.  The 2009 award was themed Rainforest and there were eight categories.  The images above are only some of the amazing creations.

Britt Fiarchild created the beautiful flowing bodice which she wore with pride to the AGM.  The second image shows the detail of this design.

Olwyn Scott created the amazing pictorial frames, one of which is pictured. 

It would be great to see such amazing works featured on the Lace Guilds Website.  These images were scanned from the Guilds journal so apologies for the poorer quality.

Rope Interlace

I found this image in the 2008 Australian Lace Journal.  Christine Wareham-Norfolk used 3 metres of decorative rope and gradually subdivided it to grow into a multi-stranded wall hanging.  One piece of rope is gradually divided into 288 individual threads.

Christine used coir door mats as her pillow and nails as her pins.  Torchon stiches were used to make the piece in a free style.  This helped to create such a unique organic form.

Congratulations Christine for turning an idea formed with friends over a bottle of wine into this stunning finished piece.

Part B

I came across Part B through a friend.  This innovative group aim to engage other artists and the public with what they term 'research jewelry' by displaying pieces beyond traditional means.  Or for a more eloquent description in their own words click here.

So off I headed to Hosier Lane for Steal This.  The aim - for pieces to be displayed within the lane until stolen and it may well have been the world's shortest exhibition as most items were bagged within minutes.  However I did spot a nice wire lace adornment that was bagged before I could grab a picture.

I love the genius behind Part B and will definitely keeping an eye out on their movements.