Friday, 24 October 2014

the fabric of Stave Hill (part 1)


What with the excitement of working outdoors last weekend at Stave Hill Ecological Park and thinking about the two sculptures to be installed there in the next few weeks, I forgot to write about yet another project.  The plan is to grow a willow loom in the park and to use it to weave plant material found on site. 



Knowing near to nothing about looms, I asked my friend Jess who is an expert weaver to come help me make a trial one at the studio.  The result was the Scandinavian style rigid heddle illustrated here, onto which we threaded the warp and stretched it between the studio wall and a piece of wood strapped to my waist. The heddle itself was using a bunch of cocktail and willow sticks, straws, electrical tape and slats from an old blind. These materials are a luxury compared to what we’ll find in the park, but having made this one, we’re now better prepared to think of how to make the loom on site. We're curious about how it will turn out, as well as what the fabric of Stave Hill might look like in the end. We'll keep you posted on this...



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