Two weeks have passed since the first online edition of Doily Free Zone and I wanted to share 21 lessons I learned along the way... When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in March last year many things were cancelled; workshops, exhibitions, tours...and in that overwhelming wave of uncertainty the 2021 Doily Free Zone symposium was nearly cancelled as well... BUT then I realised something; there was a general air of defeat creeping into my life and into the world that surrounded me so I decided to turn the ship around and transform the symposium and lace camp into an online event. The original plan for the 2021 edition was to do the event live in Italy and to stream the symposium for those who could not attend...so there were already digital considerations in the works, however the process of taking what would have been quite a small and intimate event online was a journey full of surprises! Join me for a chat about 21 things that I learned over the last year, I hope that this episode will be useful for others who find themselves in the position to be piviting into the online space or who would like to create a digital event :) Learn more about DFZ here: https://www.doilyfreezone.net/ Would you prefer to watch? https://youtu.be/HEsyP2K1fVI Music: Add And, by Broke For Free brokeforfree.com/

TextileStories

21 Lessons from #DFZ2021

Some textiles have such a unique, magical quality that it seems inevitable that they should be shrouded in mystery; sea silk, or byssus as it is also known, is one such fibre. The extraordinary golden thread spun from the beards of giant Mediterranean mussels has been known since ancient times but has always remained one of the worlds rarest fibres due to the complex nature of its production. In recent years it has garnered quite a bit of media attention with stories of “last woman in the world” to work this precious fibre…particularly on social media. But is this really the case? In this episode I wanted to dive into the history of sea silk; what it is, where it comes from and who the women are who still spin and weave it. Below you can see the links to the papers and websites I referred to in this episode: You can read more about the Sea Silk project at the Natural History Museum in Basel here: http://muschelseide.ch/ You can also read Felicitas Maeder’s fascinating paper on the etymology of the term byssus here: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=texterm And a more general paper about byssus in the Mediterranean here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321943912_Landscape_of_Sea-Silk_Traces_of_traditional_production_around_Mediterranean_Sea The history of Sea Silk on Sant’Antioco (blog and facebook page coordinated by Antonella Senis): http://lastoriadelbisso.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332760296881499/about The Pes sisters: https://www.facebook.com/sorellepes/ Arianna Pintus: https://www.facebook.com/filidiarianna/ Marianna Pischedda (an article about her work): https://www.ehabitat.it/2017/11/01/chiara-vigo-non-e-ultima-maestra-del-bisso/ Would you prefer to watch with images? https://youtu.be/sXz1vYOrU1o Music: Add And, by Broke For Free http://brokeforfree.com/

All That Glisters...

For any creative person there is nothing better than being in the state of flow; when you are so engaged with your work that time disappears and there is no other place you would rather be. This is a true sign of being on the right path, of having found your special creative outlet and it is a beautiful thing. This week on TextileStories it was wonderful to chat with London-based Italian designer Giacomo Bevanati about his creative journey from a background in product design and architecture to a freelance artistic career making exquisite wearable sculptures and collaborating with fashion designers, dancers, and other performers. Join us to hear about how he instinctively developed his technique, overcame self-doubt and found a way of creating art with which he is so at ease that he describes himself as a “human 3D printer”. You can find out more about Giacomo and his work on his website: http://www.giacomobevanati.com/ Would you prefer to watch with a slideshow? Find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/h-cbmU1jsxM To hear more TextileStories subscribe to our channel or visit: https://www.textilesupport.net/blog Music: "Add And" by Broke for Free: www.brokeforfree.com/

Giacomo Bevanati

Have you ever started working in a medium, transferring your approach from another only to discover that suddenly you have passed through the looking glass and into a whole new creative world? In this episode, Australian artist Paula Hart shares her journey working on large-scale public art pieces in a variety of media such as painted murals and laser cut panels to discovering Joep Verhoeven’s Lacefence which launched her into a whole new way of thinking and working. Paula explains her initial approach to working with the Lacefence team as thinking of the areas of different stitches as patterned fabrics in an applique, to gaining a deeper technical knowledge of lace structure while working on her extraordinary architectural piece "Jacaranda" in the Perth suburb of Mount Pleasant. The incredible beauty of this artwork led to it winning the Coda Worx 2020 “Commercial Art” prize and has introduced Paula to the wonderfully supportive international network of lace makers and enthusiasts with whom this work resonates profoundly. It’s a great story of where threads, or wires can lead. You can find out more about Paula and her work on her Coda Worx Profile: https://www.codaworx.com/profile/?paulalaiinet-net-au/ Or follow her on Instagram @paulalahart Would you prefer to listen with a slideshow? Find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/U7QKUBk_X9M To hear more TextileStories subscribe to our channel or visit: www.textilesupport.net/blog-1 Music: "Add And" by Broke for Free www.brokeforfree.com/

Paula Hart

Lace is something which for many, conjures up images of doilies or Elizabethan collars or Marie Antoinette all covered in sumptuous ruffles…but it is also a unique and very special artform which is alive and well thanks to the innovative work of artists like Veronika Irvine who joined me to discuss her explorations of the possibilities of algorithmic lace. Passionate about moving lace forward, Veronika says that “we are always associating this past history kind of thing to lace as though it’s not alive” and that in the short, 500 year history of the technique we have hardly begun to harness all of its potential. In this conversation she discusses her early encounters with lace and computers and how she has developed a unique approach to the craft of bobbin lace which embraces both the handmade and the computer generated. If you have ever been curious about the process of creating algorithmic art or how traditional crafts can evolve in unexpected directions through collaboration with scientists, engineers and mathematicians, then this episode is for you! You can find out more about Veronika and her work on her website: https://tesselace.com/ Would you prefer to listen with a slideshow? Find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/e7uJDQmoHOU Check out Veronika’s profile as well as the complete symposium programme for DFZ 2021 at: https://www.doilyfreezone.net/ To hear more TextileStories subscribe to our channel or visit: https://www.textilesupport.net/blog-1 Music: "Add And" by Broke for Free www.brokeforfree.com/

Veronika Irvine

Welcome to the new season of TextileStories. I have a line up of fascinating and diverse stories for you this season and am so delighted to open with this conversation with Australian sculptor Anita Larkin. Anita’s sculptures bring together an extraordinary combination of materials and sensations to explore the themes of mending, healing, memory, and our relationship to familiar objects. Her sensitivity to the energy which objects hold and how she conserves and interprets it results in unexpected juxtapositions of things and feelings, sparking conversations and evoking strong emotional reactions to the work. I personally found the exhibition “Come to me without a word” deeply moving and quite challenging; it challenged the meanings I attached to ordinary objects, the way in which they relate to my body and that melancholy – and very human – longing for a sense of wholeness. But the exhibition is also about healing and there is something very comforting about the care which Anita takes of the objects in it saying “I suspect that brokeness is actually the natural state of things. We’re probably only fleetingly whole at any one stage”. A gentle and kind thought, particularly in these unsettled times. The walk through of the exhibition “Come to me without a word” with Anita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O_DsRn2RDw&feature=emb_logo A video with Anita discussing the work in studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83qQiBD0lFc&feature=emb_logo You can find out more about Anita and her work on her website: https://www.anitalarkin.com/ Or follow her on Instagram: @anita_larkin_sculptor Would you prefer to listen with a slideshow? Find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/fsBhodT9AeY To hear more TextileStories subscribe to our channel or visit: https://www.textilesupport.net/blog-1 Music: "Add And" by Broke for Free www.brokeforfree.com/

Anita Larkin

Sydney-based artist Michele Morcos would describe herself as a mark maker. With her initial background in drawing and painting, learning the art of coil weaving some years ago from a group of indigenous weavers gave her a way to take her mark making into 3-dimensions. From a textile perspective it was fascinating to hear how Michele has absorbed weaving into her toolbox of mark making skills and she combines both traditional materials like raffia which essentially serve as a kind of canvas, with found materials from the urban environment which she uses to draw upon her woven forms. Considerations such as the accessibility of the materials and workability of the scale are interwoven with Michele’s personal journey through health challenges and are a timely reminder that making with what we have where we are can be a beautiful gift of healing in difficult times. It was such a delight to chat with Michele and I hope that you enjoy her thoughts on creativity and interconnection as much as I did. Learn more about Michele’s work at: https://www.michelemorcos.com/ or follow her BEAUTIFUL Instagram @tinytrappings Would you prefer to watch? Find us on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/VWfWcwCeOwA For more TextileStories subscribe to our channel or visit: www.textilesupport.net/blog Music: "Add And" by Broke for Free www.brokeforfree.com/

Michele Morcos

This week we are back with an episode outlining the changes which will be happening so that we can continue to connect during this time of social distancing. For our followers around the world we will probably be closer as the coronavirus pandemic pushes me to get over my inhibitions and really show up on social media; speaking face to face on YouTube and livestreaming on other sites. Apart from moving our classes online I have a few other ideas about how we can support our community during this challenging period…including a digital artist’s residency! Tune in to find out more about our plans for the coming months. And so that we can learn more about how we can help you through this we would be so grateful if you could fill out the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RBDXHCF Prefer to watch? You can tune in via YouTube here: https://youtu.be/6jcEfAlzpI8

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TextileStories is TextileSupport's podcast featuring interviews with makers, designers, artists, scientists and others who are doing extraordinary things in the textile world.

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TextileStories

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