Now showing in the Stoneman Gallery, we invite you to view the latest exhibition at Castlemaine Art Museum: Liz Williamson's Weaving Eucalypts Project.
A collaborative project interweaving local colour, cultural connections and universal textile traditions, this exhibition features 100 panels woven by Williamson, with fabric dyed by 60 collaborators with over 50 eucalypts species identified and sourced from over 50 locations.
"The Weaving Eucalypts Project represents contemporary craft dialogue and collaboration with like-minded colleagues around the Indian Ocean – an international community of practice linked by an engagement with the natural world, sustainable textile practice and an interest in revealing the colours hidden in local eucalyptus." – Liz Williamson, 2022
Liz Williamson was born and grew up amongst the eucalyptus on a farm near Carisbrook, not far from Castlemaine, and where her family still lives. Williamson now lives and works on Gadigal and Wangal lands in the Inner West of Sydney.
A UNSW Galleries Touring Exhibition. On display until 12 February 2023.
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Liz Williamson, Weaving Eucalypts Project (detail), 2020-2021. Image: Ian Hobbs, Courtesy of the Artist.
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STONEMAN GALLERY
15 September 2022—12 February 2023
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Weaving Eucalypts Project
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This collaborative project by Australian weaver Liz Williamson explores local colour, cultural connections, and shared weaving traditions. It extends from Williamson’s research into experiments with Australian natural dye plants and unique colours extracted from locally sourced plants.
In 2020, Williamson began inviting colleagues in Australia and India to colour silk fabric with eucalyptus leaves collected locally. Once received in her studio, the fabric was stripped and woven into panels referencing the traditions of woven rag rugs and ‘making do’ where ‘new’ items are made from old or readily available materials. In this project, the fabric is new while the colour is readily available in eucalyptus leaves, bark, and twigs. The woven panels reflect place and location while the process has created a unique community of practitioners.
Since 2021, the project has expanded to connect with more colleagues in Australia and India as well as other countries touched by the Indian Ocean – Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Thailand.
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Liz Williamson, Image: Anna Kucera
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Liz Williamson is a weaver and academic who has been creating since the late 1970s and is still fascinated with the process and potential of interlacing two sets of threads on her loom. At the heart of her weaving is an interest in innovative, experimental, and unusual designs created by interlacing warp and weft.
Liz has 38 years exhibiting nationally and internationally, and her work is held in major public collections in Australia including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and the Museum of Applied Arts & Science in Sydney with several international museum acquisitions.
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CAM acknowledges with respect the Dja Dja Wurrung as the Traditional Owners of the land on which Castlemaine has been established.
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Free entry
Thursday 12pm–4pm
Friday 12pm–6:30pm
Weekends 12pm–4pm
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Supported by
Creative Victoria
Mount Alexander Shire Council
Besen Family Foundation
Art Guide Australia
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