Students have studied how contemporary artists use woven forms to communicate meaning whilst referencing the culture in which they live. In response to our study of Aboriginal artists and artworks, students have designed and constructed a basket using wire jute and string. As an extension, students have woven thread into fabric using an embroidery needle. In this exercise, students experimented with stitching techniques, texture and composition.
Students studied images of the night sky by Aboriginal artist, Alma Nungarrey Granities and her depiction of
a dreaming story of initiation ceremonies-both male and female. Other inspiration for this series of monoprints are Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ painted in 1889 and artist, John Riepenhoff (b.1982) who paints in the dark, illuminating his pigments and canvases as he stands outside in the northern woods of Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Japan, or the Isle of Eigg.