Article 27

Enid Twiglet

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:25:32 +0000

Enid Twiglet website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 14:25

Enid Twiglet was born in East Sussex in south-east England in 1982. Enid grew up deep in the British countryside and spent an awful lot of time playing with insects and hanging out with her chicken friends. She even professionally showed her rare breed hens as a child! Throughout her life Enid has always been fascinated by what others consider ugly, distasteful and weird. Migrating to Perth, Western Australia, in 2004 opened Enid’s eyes up to a whole other world of interesting flora and fauna. When she decided to return to study in 2009 to complete her Bachelor of Fine Art at Curtin University, Enid rediscovered her love for the macabre and spent her undergraduate degree exploring human mortality and material memory.

During her degree Enid delved more into her hand-embroidery practice, which evolved into a small art and design label where she creates custom hand-embroideries as well as using contemporary practices to create laser-engraved homewares and jewellery. This allowed Enid to become an active member of the creative community in Perth which opened up opportunities for her to exhibit locally and internationally.

Enid continues to create intricate hand-embroideries that open up a dialogue about what is typically considered ugly, taboo and/or offensive. Enid is passionate about women’s rights and she creates hand-embroidered menstrual cycles to order, with each sale seeing a donation go to Share the Dignity Australia. Enid is also a dedicated vegan and organ donor supporter who has created embroideries to raise awareness and money for SAFE Perth, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre and Live Life Give Life.

Enid Twiglet

English

Australia

English

I cannot imagine living in a society that represses my creative endeavours based on my religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, marital status or the colour of my skin. The ability to express myself is something I have taken for granted.

For such a personal piece, it had to have part of me in it; I chose to embroider my hands. Hands are important. They can be used to comfort, create and hold. My hands are lined and I have callouses on my fingers from stitching.

The hand-dyed cotton comes from East Sussex, the county where I was born and raised. It was carefully wrapped in tissue paper and sent to me in Western Australia. I sketched my hands onto the fabric and hand-stitched every tiny detail. The thread is vintage silk and cotton I sourced rummaging through second-hand shops. The handwriting is messy and uneven, but it is my own.

UDHR Article

Article 27

Quilt

Red quilt

Fiona Owens

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:16:42 +0000

Fiona Owens website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:16

Fiona Owens was born in London to Welsh parents. She returned to Wales aged three to be brought up in a Welsh-speaking community, in order to ensure that she was able to speak the language. Fiona grew up drawing, painting, knitting and sewing and studied fine art under Peter Prendergast. Despite this strong interest another strength came to the fore, one of representation, and Fiona trained to be a careers adviser to support people to move forward in their lives educationally and professionally. The value and reward in this work came from Fiona’s strong sense of justice and working-class identity, ensuring equality of opportunity for those who approached her for guidance. Fiona now works in heritage, combining her love of history and art, and actively produces stitchwork, usually in crochet or renovation/customisation. This is her first piece of craftivism.

Fiona Owens

Welsh, English

Wales, United Kingdom

Welsh

This is my first piece of craftivism. I was immediately drawn to the social media shout-out to take part in this project; to work in a medium that I haven’t really done much with since primary school, where I was taught several embroidery stitches. I wanted to be part of something that would reflect some of the challenges we face here in Wales, and to show off our beautiful language.

Although I am fine art trained, I have a rich heritage of stitch-craft through my grandmother and mother, and it’s here I find myself most often sewing, crocheting and knitting.

UDHR Article

Article 27

Quilt

Green quilt

Jennie Johnston

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:41:07 +0000

Jennie Johnston website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:41

Jennie Johnston works, lives and learns on the west coast of Canada in British Columbia. Her love of quilting is deeply personal and enriching. She finds inspiration in nature, her ancestry, her family and her constant love of reading.

Motherhood, social justice and humanity’s connections with nature move through her work and inform each day of her life. She recently completed an eight-month artist residency where she engaged over 300 students in the arts of embroidery and quilting. She continues to share her work through exhibits, lectures and through organisations such as Studio Art Quilt Associates.

Jennie Johnston

English, French

Canada

British

Despite the dominance of British and French culture in forming the ‘Canadian’ identity, First Nation artistic traditions and cultures have not died. My goal with this piece was to bring a dialogue to the textile techniques and depict them co-existing.

I chose two First Nation textile traditions to highlight, Iroquois (specifically Mohawk) beading from my birth province, Quebec; and Coast Salish (specifically Squamish) blanket-weaving from the province I now call home, British Columbia. The beads came from a keychain purchased from a First Nation artist when I was a child. The wool for the blanket weave was handed down to me from my aunt. From France, I decided to use Toile style fabric and from England, embroidery of an English rose.

All of these elements create the culture that is Canada today. They deserve to be cherished and respected as art forms, without fear of being appropriated or destroyed.

UDHR Article

Article 27

Quilt

Blue quilt

Jen Broemel

website@moadoph.gov.au — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:54:20 +0000

Jen Broemel website@moadop… Mon, 10/15/2018 - 16:54

I work mainly with cloth for its tactility, responsiveness and abundance. I was originally drawn in by the process, the way in which the materials layer. The way they feel as they are worked. The way the thread and cloth work together, transforming and guiding the work, adding texture, contrast and comfort with every stitch.

I love the history and tradition of women sewing together and am in love with the community that surrounds and supports those who sew together.

I am especially interested in taking cast-off or everyday fabrics and working them into something unexpected, repurposing something ordinary and turning it into something special, something to cherish and behold. I work intuitively, letting my sense of the fabrics’ colour, texture and shape guide their placement and the stitches placed upon them.

I love exploring, experimenting with the different ways to manipulate the cloth with the thread, putting together and cutting apart, constructing and reconstructing, a cycle that for me symbolises the happenstance of life.

My intention is to inspire others to look at the world around them more carefully, more mindfully, to see the extraordinary in the discarded, to notice the beauty in the mundane. And if they can’t see it, to show them it is possible to look at things in a new and different way. How we see the world shapes our lives, our relationships, our actions. Let us notice the miracles of every day, every stitch … EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

Jen Broemel

English

United States of America

American

I am so proud to have participated in this project. I think it is important to stand up for and support the causes we believe in. This was a great opportunity to do that. It has been so exciting to see the project come together, and to see how other artists have used their art to make a difference.

Sadly it feels like things are getting worse and not better in some ways, and I must admit I’ve become a little numb to what I can do. I know we must continue to stand, to speak out and to create, to make sure that all voices are heard. Together we are louder. I thank Tal and Stephanie [the project co-ordinators] for bringing our voices together. It will forever remind me that when we come together, great things can happen.

UDHR Article

Article 27

Quilt

Yellow quilt