Love Lace

Tree, Waltraud Janzen; hand and machine embroidery on net, using thin nylon net and polyester threadI certainly do Love Lace, and was very excited to visit this exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney in early March. 134 artists from 20 countries create intricate artworks that go far beyond the traditional textile techniques that were primarily used to trim our grandmothers’ petticoats.

Lace reveals and conceals, suggesting sensuality when utilised in garments. Yet when lace is worked into architecture, interior design and sculptures – sometimes on an enormous scale – it is the interplay of light and shadow that becomes riveting.

Curator Lindie Ward broadened the definition of lace to include any ‘openwork structure whose pattern of spaces is as important as the solid areas’. Materials used in these works include gold and silver wire, linen and silk as well as mulberry paper, tapa cloth, human and horse hair, titanium and optical fibre.

Overall, the exhibition was awe-inspiring and beautiful – I easily whiled away a few hours. It is easy to see why lace has fascinated artists and craftspeople, as well as the fashionable, for centuries. The possibilities and applications are endless, and the digital age can only enhance them.

(NB, this selection of images was largely dictated by the fact that the photos were taken under very low-light conditions with a hand-held camera; go to the website for a comprehensive catalogue and artists’ statements.)

(Left) Whitework, Anne Farren; machine-embroidered lace, laser-cit Geraldton Wax motif, drawn thread work, hand embroidery and appliqué on Fuji silk, silk organza, silk habutae. (Right) The Lost Princess, Yogesh Purohit; appliquéd felt flora and fauna motifs hand-stitched on tulleCollar of Petrified Lace, Wendy Ramshaw; two collars to be worn together: cut stainless steel, powder coated [in pillar-box red]A Brief History of Time, Jenny Pollak; installation: hand-cut archival paper, office paper (850 x 1801 x 1740mm)Chantilly Necklace (detail), Lenka Suchanek; neckpiece: bobbin lace using black enamelled copper wire with Swarowski crystals; centrepiece made in gold-plated wireVenezia, Brigitte Adolph; cast sterling silverCyanea (detail), Luiza Milewicz; light: weaving and laser cutting using optical fibres, laser-cut acrylic, LED light source, powder-coated aluminium and glass beads [jellyfish shape]Nightshades, Dina Baumane; coloured, glued and machine-embroidered using polyester thread, synthetic fabric and leaf skeletonsSpring Summer Finale 2011, Tony Maticevski; dress: silk chiffon, silk crepe-de-chine, silk-satin backed crepe; handmade flowers and rouleaux web laceThe Moving Pattern (two of five pieces), Tomy Ka Chun Leung; Adobe Illustrator, laser-cut pasteboard; highly commended student workItalian Bobbin, Marian Smit; paper sculpture: cut paper