NAMIBIA

presented by the NEXUS MULTICULTURAL ART CENTRE GALLERY
17 October – 1 November 2013

They’ve had me at Textiles and Africa. The first one I come across quite regularly in South Australia but the second one is a rare find.

The exhibition is the brainchild of Melanie Harteveld Becker, the Namibian Cultural Liaison, and curator Victor J Krawczyk. Together they conceptualised the idea of exposing the art community in Adelaide to the world of African art while simultaneously exposing Namibian artists to the wider, international art world. With the help and support of Nexus and the National Arts Council of Namibia, their idea became a reality.

Maria Caley, Ukerete, Silk chiffon dyed with bird plum bark

They brought together an exciting collection of contemporary art and craft, consisting of textiles, baskets, jewellery, linocuts, graphic illustrations, prints and … bottle tops.  Eight different artists and art collectives, represent an ethnic and culturally diverse Namibian society.

Attila Giersch, jewellery from Tameka Collection

I spoke to Maria Caley, a textile artist and fashion designer who accompanied the exhibition to Australia. By using plant and earth dyes occurring naturally in Kavango, Northern Namibia, and decorating with traditional Kavango patterns, she uses her textile art to explore her cultural heritage. She believes it is important to document her ethnic inheritance in a contemporary manner and so make it accessible to a future, modern generation.

Maria Caley, Untitled, cotton dyed with red ochre with hand painted patterns and embellished with San people ostrich egg beads

Other textile artists represented are Chakirra Classen who’s experimenting with iron oxide dye on raw silk and cotton, and Filllipus Sheehama who uses recycled bottle tops to create alternative textiles.

Chakirra Classen, Untitled, Raw silk dyed with iron oxides

There are few other art forms which capture the unique features of a landscape as successfully as basket weaving. Local plant material dictates the shape, texture and colour of a basket, naturally occurring dyes and the patterns and motives unique to a local ethnic group, all add up to capture the essence of a place in one object.

Imelda Ngonde, OMBA Collective, Kavango food serving basket

Looking at the baskets in the exhibition, masterfully displayed in a suspended collection, it is obvious that they represent three different Namibian landscapes and ethnic groups (Ovambo, Khwe and Kavango.) The fact that objects so representative of the earth are displayed in a suspended, almost floating way, casting wonderfully moving shadows on the walls, spoke to me about how this exhibition opens up new horizons to the mostly isolated artists of Namibia.

Installation of Ovambo, Khwe and Kavango baskets

This exhibition is a groundbreaking event, paving the way for future collaborations between the artists of Namibia and Australia. I salute Melanie, Victor and Nexus for the important work they do. Namibia is still on until Friday 1 November. Do yourself a favour and don’t miss this. The artworks are on sale and well worth the investment.

San people jewellery, Hui-a khoe Foundation, ostrich egg shells

Umbrella Prints

The thing about being relatively new in town is you hear names and see faces, but as nothing is familiar, you don’t bring the two together. And then one day, all the loose ends come together and you stand face to face with amazing talent.

This is how I discovered Umbrella Prints. I saw the fabric somewhere on a blog and thought “oh, this is cool!” Then I saw the name Umbrella Prints, realised it is a local business and started following their Facebook Page. Even later I attended a networking event where I met two really friendly and talented women who told me about their fabric design business. And lo and behold, there they were! Amy Prior and Carly Schwerdt, the brains and talent behind Umbrella Prints!

Carly and Amy

Amy, an artist and textile designer and Carly, a graphic designer both worked with fabric, designs and printmaking before they joined to launch their first hand-printed organic cotton/hemp fabric line in 2006 and they haven’t looked back since.

Along with considerable experience and skill, it is their love of playing which inspires their designs. They share their working space with children’s art studio Nest Studio (run by Carly), where stories, play and creating are central to the approach. For Amy and Carly, a new design is not just about line, form and colour, it is about the story and the feeling it represents.

Where the magic happens

In 2008 Umbrella Prints created a product with its own story- Umbrella Prints Trimmings. Trimmings are a packet of fabric off-cuts collected from the making of different Umbrella Print products such as cushions, bags or end of rolls. The little snips of fabrics showcased the duo’s design skills; every inch is beautifully resolved; they also inspire people to think creatively about making good use of the off-cuts that traditionally would have ended up in the bin – to encourage a waste-less mindset.

 

They sold like crazy and in 2009 Umbrella Prints created the yearly Trimmings Competition -inviting clients to send in photographs of the most creative item/thing they could sew, make, do from one packet of Trimmings. The amazing creations from all over the world can be seen on the Umbrella Prints Pinterest boards. Each year there are two winners, and now there is a team of industry judges, which have recently included Irene Hoofs of design blog fame Bloesem, Jodi Levine from Martha Stewart and environmental creative champion Lianne Rossler.

2013 winner Cate Oaten-Hepworth’s winning entry

Being environmentally aware is a core value at Umbrella Prinminimisingwaste, using GOTS certified 100% organic base-cloths, printing with water-based inks and using recycled packaging are all a consideration in their approach to design.

Umbrella Prints has recently launched a new range of printed fabrics – Floating World. Six new quilters’ weight 100% Organic Cotton and Five new 100% Organic Hemp/Cotton designs make a small and unique collection inspired by the lightness of being and which are sure to be snapped up by collectors of beautiful fabrics worldwide.

Floating World

See more Umbrella Prints magic here and here.

Have you made anything with Umbrella Prints fabrics? Show and tell, please!

Margaret Marsh

 

One of my favourite places to pop in when I’m in the city is the T’Arts Collective shop in Gay’s Arcade.  I was lucky earlier this month to meet Margaret Marsh. She was busy rearranging her beautiful bags and accessories in her window display and was happy to tell me more about her work.

Margaret creates individually designed handbags and purses.

Each piece is a work of art. Using different fabrics, embellishments and needlework techniques, she ensures that no two bags are ever the same.

 

Margaret inherited her love of fabrics from her mother who introduced her to the joy of creating with needle and thread. She studied Fashion Dressmaking and Design and now applies her skill and talent designing these exquisite accessories.

Creating a bag is like doing a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

“A very simple bag has at least ten essential pieces, but some bags require a lot more. Most of these pieces are not outwardly visible on the finished product, but are integral to a bag that works when it is filled with a myriad of items! My textile bags are treated twice with Scotchguard to provide extra protection when used.”

Her goal is to create items that are functional as well as visually attractive, a bit whimsical and a pleasure to own. Inspiration comes from a lot of different places – embroidery techniques, beads, shapes and colours, even particular periods in history. Margaret uses different fabrics acquired from shops and markets all over the world. She also creates her own from felting, silk paper, mixed media and yarns. As an accomplished embroiderer, she often uses traditional embroidery techniques interpreted in a non-traditional way.

Margaret’s other passion and fascination are beads.

The myriad colours and shapes inspire her to create pieces of jewellery for different occasions. She loves working with micro-sized beads where it takes hundreds of beads to create an item of only a few centimetres long. These pieces are designed to complement her bags or to be worn as separates.

Margaret can be contacted through the T’Arts shop and website.

Are you a proud owner of one of Margaret’s bags? Show and tell, please!