Last Wednesday, having learned that dear old BioLumina was
going to be worn at the opening of the World of WearableArt exhibition at the
Perc Tucker Gallery in Townsville, Matt and I decided on a whim to fly up for
the weekend. We're so glad we did! The opening was quite a spectacle on Friday
night, with the street closed off, lights, speakers and a video loop playing
(with a lovely scene of Hakuturi included!), not to mention flowing bubbly and
lovely noms. We met up with fellow
designers Erica Gray and Jessica Thompson,
as well as some of the WOW team, including the lovely Nicola wearing BioLumina.
It was quite the happy reunion, as you can see!
We returned to the gallery on Saturday morning to get a
close look at the works, and how wonderful that was! Especially to see what I
think is one of the finest ever made,
Ornithomaia by Nadine Jaggi. There
were many school groups there, and Matt couldn't help but boast to anyone who would listen that a designer was in attendance, as in fact he did on opening
night! And the next day. I think he might be a bit proud of me.
It was a beautiful exhibition, and the support material was fabulous too - I loved seeing designers sketches and seeing some of the processes they go through in the construction phase, not to mention seeing the work from only centimetres away!! SQUEEEEE!! I was hard pressed not to get 'The Exchange' moving, so I could hear the delightful tinkle of the many hundreds of ceramic pieces against each other, which was yet another part of the massive stage presence of this work. It was also wonderful to see both the process work and finished work of Lynn Christiansen, a fellow WOW tragic of many years, and producer of many amazing and award-winning pieces!
We crossed over the road to
The Brewery, Townsville, where we ascended the stairs to this luxurious room! We were so impressed by the beautiful felt chandeliers, and the feltwork under glass as the bar decoration. Well done, Brewery, for taking the bold step to be beautiful by design! Here we listened to Dame Suzie Moncrieff recount the story of WOW, now in its 28th year. Although familiar with many of the anecdotes, there was still much to learn about the journey, and Matt found himself intrigued and touched by the story. I was inspired by the relentless enthusiasm and perseverance of Dame Suzie over the many years when insurmountable-seeming problems must have raised their heads at frequent intervals. And look at it all now. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing venture.
We arrived back in Brisbane early Sunday afternoon, with enough time up our sleeves for both of us to scurry away into our respective workspaces. I have to admit, I was so fired up with the WOW spirit that I pulled out my design for 2016 and got to work on it!
Last Wednesday, having learned that dear old BioLumina was
going to be worn at the opening of the World of WearableArt exhibition at the
Perc Tucker Gallery in Townsville, Matt and I decided on a whim to fly up for
the weekend. We're so glad we did! The opening was quite a spectacle on Friday
night, with the street closed off, lights, speakers and a video loop playing
(with a lovely scene of Hakuturi included!), not to mention flowing bubbly and
lovely noms. We met up with fellow 
designers Erica Gray and Jessica Thompson,
as well as some of the WOW team, including the lovely Nicola wearing BioLumina.
It was quite the happy reunion, as you can see!
We returned to the gallery on Saturday morning to get a
close look at the works, and how wonderful that was! Especially to see what I
think is one of the finest ever made, Ornithomaia by Nadine Jaggi. There
were many school groups there, and Matt couldn't help but boast to anyone who would listen that a designer was in attendance, as in fact he did on opening
night! And the next day. I think he might be a bit proud of me.
It was a beautiful exhibition, and the support material was fabulous too - I loved seeing designers sketches and seeing some of the processes they go through in the construction phase, not to mention seeing the work from only centimetres away!! SQUEEEEE!! I was hard pressed not to get 'The Exchange' moving, so I could hear the delightful tinkle of the many hundreds of ceramic pieces against each other, which was yet another part of the massive stage presence of this work. It was also wonderful to see both the process work and finished work of Lynn Christiansen, a fellow WOW tragic of many years, and producer of many amazing and award-winning pieces!
We crossed over the road to The Brewery, Townsville, where we ascended the stairs to this luxurious room! We were so impressed by the beautiful felt chandeliers, and the feltwork under glass as the bar decoration. Well done, Brewery, for taking the bold step to be beautiful by design! Here we listened to Dame Suzie Moncrieff recount the story of WOW, now in its 28th year. Although familiar with many of the anecdotes, there was still much to learn about the journey, and Matt found himself intrigued and touched by the story. I was inspired by the relentless enthusiasm and perseverance of Dame Suzie over the many years when insurmountable-seeming problems must have raised their heads at frequent intervals. And look at it all now. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing venture.
We arrived back in Brisbane early Sunday afternoon, with enough time up our sleeves for both of us to scurry away into our respective workspaces. I have to admit, I was so fired up with the WOW spirit that I pulled out my design for 2016 and got to work on it!
Dear Svenja
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you went to this event! How tremendous for Townsville! I am planning to do one of your workshops next a Semester when I am on Leave from work!!!! Squeeee (alright!!). You are fabulous! xx