Textiles at the Butter Factory

As I said previously, I was helping to set up an exhibition last week. It is an exhibition of textiles, photographs and a film from Solace + Yearning: Between Kwoorabup and Denmark. The exhibition is being held at the Old Butter Factory Studios in Denmark and is part of the Festival of Voice Fringe. Despite the cold and rain there was a good turnout at the opening last weekend. Here are some images taken in the Butter Factory. It was great to see the costumes in a gallery context.

All the textiles were dyed with natural materials found in the area. They were the result of a weekend workshop spent steaming and simmering silk and wool with bark, leaves and flowers and a variety of mordants. The costumes were worn in the performances of  S + Y earlier in the year.

Costume
Performer Sonia Dezius
 Fabrics by Catherine de Vos, Bev Seeney
 Constructed by Sarah Martin
Performance image by Michael Hemmings

Installation on  karri bark by Annette Carmichael
Text by Nicola-Jane le Breton

The text on the bark is the words that were written on the bridge 

'With less gravity

on this steady spinning world

we can hover somewhere between

tree and cloud

matching our footprints

 to leaf prints that

solder earth to sky'

Farming the land installation
 Costume
Performer Nigel Levinson
Fabrics by Heather Coombes, Annie Usher, Janine McCrum
Constructed by Janine McCrum
Performance image by Michael Hemmings

Close up of costume vest

Knots of history installation and the Margit

Costumes 

Performers from right Phillip G Light; Toby Boaden

Fabrics by Jennifer Barter; Sarah Martin, Bev Seeney

Constructed by Yvonne Quinn; Sarah Martin

Performance image by Michael Hemmings

Costumes

Performers Catherine Mercer; Christine Ritter; Janine McCrum

Fabrics by Sheila Ayling, Annie Usher; Robyn Lees; Janine McCrum

Constructed by Annie Usher, Annette Carmichael; Annie Usher; Janine McCrum

                                                             Back view of costumes




 Here are some images from the performance to help put the exhibition and costumes in their original context.

Bridge scene

Knots of history

Paddock dance

I touch the river