YURTS, tea bags, hog gut and plants aren’t necessarily products you would normally associate with art, but textile art is about more than paint on canvas.
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The fifth annual Australian Forum for Textile Arts (TAFTA) has been held in Orange over the past week at the Kinross Wolaroi School (KWS), with an intensive five-day program of textile workshops.
Hundreds of students have travelled from across Australia for the live-in forum, with some of the world’s best tutors including weaving specialists from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
The 14 workshops canvassed such techniques as leather making and its use for breastplates and body adornments, bead making, cloth, felt and paper art, with many of the students’ works decorating the KWS Anderson building.
TAFTA coordinator Jude Skeer said the third annual forum was a fantastic way to train students in the latest textile techniques and art styles.
A main feature of the event was Perth artist Marien van Zuilen’s Mongolian yurt, which has been a time-out and meeting place for students.
“The yurt is made of felt, which is one of the oldest forms of fibre used in textile art. As we are showcasing the latest art techniques here, but having the yurt here it means we can relate at our new skills back to one of the oldest forms of textile art,” Ms van Zuilen said.
Students will showcase their works at the regular open house tomorrow from 9am to 12pm.
There will be displays of work made in classes as well including wearable art.
Eighteen traders will be selling material and equipment related to the textile arts including books, beads, handmade papers, dyes, yarns, fabrics, ethnic textiles and jewellery.
