Tag: artisan

Indigenous fashion comes to Brisbane

Posted on by Andrew Sorensen


Working in coordination with the Queensland University of Technology, 13 Hopevale artists worked with the fashion students to launch a couture collection at Artisan in Brisbane.

The collection is called Wubuul Buii (meaning ‘together’) and has been designed by the students while the textiles were created by the indigenous artists.

Manager of the Hopevale Arts and Culture Centre Melanie Gibson said the local artists requested the students to treat their designs as art on the runway.

“The stories that are told on these textiles are tens of thousands of years old and to see them constructed into beautiful fashion pieces is an opportunity that’s humbled us all,

“The oldest continuous living culture breathes its songlines through new fabrics combined with timeless skills in this collaboration,” Ms Gibson said.

Queensland University of Technology lecturer Lydia Pearson praised the opportunity to connect with the indigenous population and raise awareness of the artwork.

“It was so fulfilling to see the relationships form and for the designers to really commit to understanding the stories behind the textiles they were working with.”

“The collaboration is about so much more than just fashion and design,” Ms Pearson said.

Hosting the event was an honour for Artisan CEO Claire Sourgnes, saying it was “a thrill to shine a light on collaborations such as Wubuul Buii.”

“The textiles coming out of Hopevale are exquisite and not like anything else in the market today, and yet they’re not stocked anywhere outside of Far North Queensland”, Ms Sourgnes said.

“It’s a very exciting space to be to support meaningful investment in our regional and remote areas of Queensland.”

The event runs from September 20 to November 9, 2019.

For further information about the event, visit www.artisan.org.au.

Meriam Mer Artist Strives to Help Traditional Arts Remain Relevant

Posted on by Chiara Torelli


While living in the past is inadvisable at best, our histories shape our present. It’s vital that we nurture our connection with the past and give it the respect it deserves, so that we may grow and learn from it. This is precisely what Horn Island (Torres Strait) artist Emily Beckley is seeking to achieve.

Honouring the Meriam Mer experiences, stories and history of her people, she moulds metal to her will, creating striking pieces of jewellery which blend traditional and contemporary elements. In effect, Emily is bringing traditional values and aesthetics into the 21st century, adapting them with love, respect and a cutting edge.

Emily is by trade a gifted painter, whose work, exhibited in the National Gallery of Australia, has recently been bought by UTS, Sydney. However, after attending a workshop by the Indigenous Jewellery Project (more on them in a bit), she has thrown herself wholeheartedly into jewellery design.

In November of 2018, Emily became the first indigenous artists in residence at the prestigious ANU School of Art and Design and held her first solo exhibition of contemporary jewellery at Craft ACTL Craft and Design Centre, Canberra. But what gives Emily her edge? What creates interest in her work? How is she making traditional arts and practices relevant in a contemporary context?

Traditional Torres Strait art is primarily concerned with the warrior’s way of life, emphasising traits and qualities revolving around martial masculinity. Emily is bringing her people’s art into the contemporary world by shifting her focus, and our focus, onto the usually unseen softer, more romantic side of her culture.

Her most striking pieces, and her projects which have attracted the most interest, revolve around her people’s bridal and celebratory traditions. Emily’s work on the Haddon Bridal Pendant, or sabagorar pendant, eventually led to her being interview by ABC TV News, while her series of Kulap seed pendants reference her own practice as a traditional dancer.

The Sabagorar pendant was traditionally carved from turtle shell and worn by brides. Collected by Alfred C Haddon in 1898, it’s been kept at the British Museum for 120 years. Thanks to Emily, the pendant has now been revived and recreated for the first time using contemporary metal jewellery practices.

Kulap seeds, on the other hand, were initially used by Torres Strait Islanders to make shakers, used in traditional dance. Emily’s Kulap seed pendants are woven with silk, silver and brass wire, in allusion to her history as a traditional dancer and of her people’s powerful bond with the sea.

In September this year, Emily will be bringing her works to Radiant Pavillion 2019, the largest biennale of Contemporary Jewellery in the Southern Hemisphere, Melbourne. Bringing lesser-known aspects of the Meriam Mer culture to the forefront, Emily highlights the depth and diversity of what was once perceived as a simplistic artistic tradition. She demonstrates powerfully that echoes of the past in the present, and the present in the past, are always to be found. It’s extremely poignant to see artistic traditions evolve and remain relevant, creating strong links between the past and the present.

It all began with a workshop by the Indigenous Jewellery Project. Created by McCulloch & McCulloch co-director Emily McCulloch Childs, IJP’s mission is to bring you “the world’s oldest continuous jewellery tradition, in a contemporary form.” Acting through research, workshops, film and exhibitions, IJP hopes to promote traditional jewellery artists through exhibitions and educational programmes, as well as the creation of a space for artists to further their creative practices.

The emphasis is on bringing traditional elements and contemporary crafts closer together, ensuring that cultural traditions remain relevant and respected.

Are you fascinated by this merging of the traditional and the contemporary? Check out Emily’s IJP exhibition at artisan gallery from the 21st of September, and inject yourself into this process of bridging the gap between past and present.

artisan gallery: connecting makers and spectators

Posted on by Chiara Torelli


The art and design scene in Brisbane is thriving, vibrant and diverse, and a cherished element of our community. Enabling our Brisbanite and Australian creatives to spread their wings has the potential to enrich us all, as the people at artisan have always known.

Founded in 1970, artisan is proudly referred to as ‘the Queensland home of craft and design’ by its members. A beautiful modern space at 45 Kings Street, in Bowen Hills, artisan supports and promotes craft and design practices through a year-round calendar of exhibitions, event and workshops, as well as its on-site store.

This not-for-profit organisation aims to share, celebrate and offer advocacy for local and nationwide creatives, whatever their practice; whatever their medium. Their focus is on community collaboration, heavily involving the audience in the work of the makers through their many workshops and their hands-on approach to art, exhibition curation and celebration.

artisan is operated by a team whose members are themselves makers and creators. They have a first-hand understanding of the struggles facing budding artists and the challenges of making your way in the art world. This enables them to offer targeted support to their many protegees, bringing out the best in them.

One of the avenues through which artisan supports Australian makers is via their stunning on-site store. Home to the handmade and unique creations of over 100 Australian artists, this beautifully designed and curated space is more gallery than store, with jewellery, ceramics, glass, fabric, weaving and ornaments available to be perused and purchased.

This is the perfect place to buy one-off, handcrafted and thoughtful gifts for friends and family, or yourself and your home. The items here are all lovingly made with either traditional artisanal skills or contemporary design and manufacture practices, but most often a delightful combination of both. What’s more, purchases made at the artisan store truly make a difference to a maker’s experience.

The friendly staff at the store are intimately acquainted with each of the items on display, including their makers and their stories. Ask them about pieces you are interested in to gain insightful glimpses into the creative processes behind them, helping you to choose personal and pertinent gifts that will be cherished for years to come.

artisan also supports and celebrates its members through its full-on calendar of exhibitions and events, housed in the on-site gallery or workshop space. If you’re keen to get involved with your local creative community and support artists nationwide, why not head on down to check out some upcoming events?

Exhibitions

AGENCY BY DESIGN: Expressive Design for Disability
Main Gallery
11 May – 13 July

This exhibition explores the full breadth of designing for disability, with a focus on individual expressive and physical needs, which cannot be met with a one-size-fits-all attitude. The exhibition includes jewellery, apparel, ocular prosthetics, furniture and technology.

HELEN WYATT: I WALK THE LINE
Small Object Space
11 May – 13 July

Helen Wyatt’s wearable jewellery designs are centred around a visualisation of edges, borders and fences as transitional sites between nature and culture.

MAKE IT: TOOLS, TECHNIQUE & TIME
Main Gallery
20 July – 14 September

Man’s intimate relationship with tools and creating is investigated in this exploration of the thousands of years of evolution behind each new item in our toolbox.

Workshops

The workshop calendar at artisan is so exciting and diverse; I don’t even know where to begin. The workshops are quite regular and frequent but tend to sell out quickly, so make sure you get in there early if you see something you’re interested in!

BRASS & TIMBER BANGLE with Kirralee & Co
When: Saturday 29 June 2019
Time: 1:00pm

Play around with a variety of workshop tools, including a mandrel for bending brass, a vice, Dremel and a drill press, as well as materials such as steel wool and epoxy glue, as Kirralee Robinson walks you through the creation of your very own brass and timber bangle.

BOOK SMITHING with Sam Parsons
When: Saturday 13 July 2019
Time: 10:30am

Repurpose illustrations from old books using simple stitching methods to embellish, personalise and add texture. Create artwork to frame, take home or offer as a gift.

SCIENTIFIC GLASS TALK & DEMO with Jarred Wright
Date: Saturday 20 July
Time: 11:00am

Learn about the dying art of scientific glass blowing, and watch one of the last few practitioners in action!

CREATIVE GLASSWARE SANDBLASTING with Jo Bone & Aaron Micallef
When: Saturday 27 July
Time: 10:30am

Work with these two established artists to master the processes of stencilling, masking and sandblasting, creating your own personalised matching glassware to take home.

LEATHER SANDAL MAKING with The Shoe Camaraderie
When: Saturday 7 September
Time: 9:30am – 5:30pm

Spend the day creating your very own leather sandals from scratch while enjoying tea and coffee in the morning and cheese and wine in the afternoon.

For more information go to https://artisan.org.au