MANIFESTATIONS

Kristy Johnston at Grampians Station, New Zealand.

In the fall of 2011 we were contacted by Kristy Johnston, who had an interesting and unusual dye project.

She had just returned from a series of visits to New Zealand's high country where she was visiting remote sheep stations, collecting vegetation, and creating a series of dye samples to act as a chromatic index of place. In her own words:

"Using the concept of terroir, a French term used in the wine industry suggesting that the flavour of wine is affected by the land and the climate where it is produced, I have sought to find a visual terroir through the material nature of colour by using dye extracted from vegetation physically collected from actual places and applying it to merino wool."

The work formed her Masters Thesis for her Masters of Design at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand. Johnston contacted us again in June to let us know that her thesis was complete (we were happy to be quoted on page 28).

Colours of the High Country: Exploring Place Through Colour is a remarkable work on a number of levels. Firstly, the project is beautifully presented with several photos of the high country she visited, secondly the writing is clear and evocative - equal parts imagery and ideas, and thirdly (perhaps most importantly for our readers) the idea of using natural dyes to make your own colourway as a marker of place is a very strong and compelling one. It is a concept which Johnston has presented in all of its fascinating complexity.

Kristy Johnston's graduate exhibit.

At the conclusion of her project Johnston organized the dyed samples into a graduate exhibition to show the colours of each station. On display were samples of the actual plants, a vial showing the extract obtained from the plant, dyed merino wool, and dyed knit merino fabric.

The farmers involved were unable to make it to the graduate exhibition but she sent them each some photos and a set of swatch cards, each card contained samples of the dyed yarns and knits for each station. Kristy told us "I have heard back from a few of the farmers and they have shown interest in the variations in the dyes between their stations, particularly for the same plant types."

Colours from the High Country is available as a PDF from the following link:

http://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/3247/02_whole.pdf?sequence=1

Maiwa sets up it's booth on opening night. Fingers crossed, pray for sun.

Maiwa founder Charllotte Kwon took an expanded version of her natural dye class to the Penland School of Crafts this summer. Accompanied by daughter, assistant, and fellow-teacher Sophena Kwon, the two led an intense two-week study of natural colourants on a variety of fibres.

The class was featured on the Penland Sketchbook twice: Dyed and gone to heaven and It's a Family Act! For those who may not know Penland, it has been a remarkable beacon for craft and artisans for over eighty years. Charllotte has long dreamed of teaching there. Then, one exciting day in 2011, the call came asking if she would consider being part of the summer 2012 session ...

Here are some of our photos.

It may have been the only day in the past week when it didn't rain - and for that we were very grateful. This is what the opening day of symposium registration looked like just before 9am on June 25th. During the first day we filled over 750 spaces in workshops, lectures and events. Thanks to everyone for their patience and perseverance during opening day.

Still trying to decide which workshop might be best for you? Or maybe looking for something to round out your schedule? Here are some select workshops with openings. Don't see your favourite workshop? Check out the listing online to see if it is full. It is still early so please call and ask to be added to the wait list (604 669 3939).



Narrative Textiles taught by Janet Bolton. This is the one-day sister-class to "The Stitch that Tells a Story." It is a in-depth introduction to Janet Boldon's direct way of working.