Textiles Part 2 Government House, NSW

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Isobelle Pover-Leong Textiles: Sense and Spaces

To Furnish A Future Ballroom

Government House Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales

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TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

DESIGN PROCESS REFLECTION

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG Detail of large acrylic painting Original 1m x .75m I.Pover-Leong 2005

1 The fun of exploration of the creative freeform shapes that are reminiscent of flora and fauna, these are evocative of the shapes and forms, not try to copy or trace as true replicas in nature. This idea allows some latitude for fantasy and story, changes in colour that are not exact but representative, substitute textures.

There is an element of discovery as the textures are not from organic matter but often sources from Offset-Litho, Four Colour Process; printed papers depicting textures and colours that can bear a resemblance or referral to flora or fauna.

2 I have been working with cut paper forms for a four of years, both symmetrical and

asymmetrical, in a variety of sizes. These have been used as ‘monoprints’ and techniques with translucency and consistency of paints onto canvas substrate. These later incorporated my photographs into the shape and the elements as cut pieces form three dimensional structures.

3 The forms have been organic in structure for some time, these are often produced after referring to photographs that I have shot on Bushland or Shoreline walks.

REFERENCE

1 For the project I am referencing Australian Flora and Fauna, due to the historic

influences of the Neo Gothic Government House building of NSW. The buildings proximity to the Royal Botanic Gardens, that were the initiative of Queen Victoria and her consort price Albert. The Victoria and Albert Museum being one of their first projects together. Their vision of a forming countries, their peoples and everything that originates from as a part of the Royal domain called the British Empire.

2 I am sourcing Aboriginal Bush Plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Government

Libraries Museums for points of reference for the ideas in the textiles elements, the designs and layouts.

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cut paper positive and negative, used to pull-out the isolate a feature or texture of the dress fabric

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Bird, Eastern Spinebill, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris.

honey eater - Australasian bird with tongue and bill adapted for extracting nectar

Banksia coccinea, commonly known as the Scarlet Banksia, Waratah Banksia or Albany Banksia, is an erect shrub in the plant genus Banksia Endemic to South West Australia, albany to the East to Young River and north to the Stirling Range.

The Scarlet Banksia grows as an erect shrub or small tree up to eight metres tall. Its leaves are flat, from three to nine centimetres long, flat, with large sharp teeth.

Although all Banksia species have flowers arranged spirally around the flower spike axis, in some species there is a vertical alignment superimposed on it. In Banksia coccinea, this vertical alignment is strongly accentuated by large gaps between the columns. Furthermore, neighbouring columns of flowers lean in opposite directions, resulting in bright red vertical columns consisting of many crossing flower styles, alternating with large vertical gaps through which the light grey perianths can be seen. The end result is a flower spike with elegant vertical red and white stripes. Ref: australianmuseum.net.au

Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera) feeding on a flowering Corymbia ficifolia, Austin’s Ferry, Tasmania, Australia

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Ornithophilous blooms are often red and unscented; they play a role in attracting birds and deterring bees (bees can't see red) to pollinate them. Nectar gives energy to the birds and is their reward for pollinating the blooms. Hummers visit all color blooms, but have evolved to especially be attracted to nectar-rich reds. Ref: australianmuseum.net.au

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Compacta Proteaceae

Honey Bee Apis mellifera Australia's early European settlers introduced Honey Bees to ensure a good supply of honey. Naturally a few escaped and they are now wild throughout most of Australia's southern States. Honey Bees play an important role as pollinators of crops and wild flowers. © Bastiaan Drees www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au www.honeybee.org.au

http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/ larvae/hepi/eximia.html Aenetus eximia

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Doryphora sassafras , Sassafras Description: Tree with young shoots and inflorescences silky-pubescent.

Leaves elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, usually 3–10 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, margins shallowly to deeply toothed, glabrous and glossy, with a pleasant `sassafras' scent when crushed; petiole 5–15 mm long.

Australian Painted Lady, Flowers 3-merous. Perianth segments 6, 10 mm long, whitish. Androecium usually 4-seriate, an outer whorl of 6 stamens, and 2 or 3 inner whorls of staminodes. Carpels usually 8–12.

Receptacle 10–20 mm long, glabrous, fruit c. 10 mm long, hairy.

Bright-eyed Brown Heteronympha cordace cordace Ref: museumvictoria.com.au

Australian Admiral Butterfly Ref: australianmuseum.net.au

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Cadi Jam Ora: First Encounters Garden, located in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney, and has been endorsed

by Aboriginal communities in Sydney’s East and South-West.

Grass-tree (Xanthorrhoea resinifera) Gul-gad-ay The Cadigal made use of every part of the grass-tree. The stem of the flower spike was used for spear shafts and for making fire, and the plant’s resin was used as a powerful glue. Nectar from grass-tree flowers was a high-energy food.

Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia) Local Aboriginal name unknown Women gathered the smooth strap-shaped leaves from the water's edge to make baskets. They split each rush, tied them in bundles to be soaked allowing the fibres to become pliable for weaving. The illustration below shows how Aboriginal people used a combination of weirs and basketry traps for fishing.

Lomandra’s tough leaves were dried, split and braided to make bags and baskets. The plant also provided the Cadigal with seeds which were ground into a flour to make cakes. The tender leaf bases were eaten and have a pea-like flavour.

Blue Flax Lily (Dianella caerulea) Local Aboriginal name unknown The blue fruits of the Dianella were eaten raw by the Cadigal. They have a sweet flavour, which becomes nutty once the seeds are chewed. Its leaves were used to make a strong fibre.

Heath Banksia (Banksia ericifolia) Wad-ang-gari At certain times of the year the flowers of wad-ang-gari, or heath banksia, are literally dripping with nectar. The Cadigal knew exactly when to collect the flowers and soaked them in water to produce a sweet, high-energy drink.

Burrawang Macrozamia communis Burrawang seeds are extremely poisonous but, because they contain starch, are also highly nutritious.

The trick is knowing how to remove the seeds’ poison. The Cadigal pounded and soaked the seeds in water for a week, changing the water daily. The pulp was then made into cakes and roasted over hot embers.

Rock Lily (Dendrobium speciosum) Wara-gal-darra The starchy stems of this orchid were eaten raw by the Cadigal people, or after roasting them over hot coals.

Lilly Pilly (Syzigium paniculatum) Daguba The sweet fleshy fruit of many different types of Lilly Pilly were eaten raw by the Cadigal and the early colonists. In fact, the Lilly Pilly was one of the first edible plants to be noted during Captain Cook’s visit to Australia in 1770. The colonists also made the fruit into jams and summer drinks. This Lilly Pilly is endangered because of clearing of its habitat for agriculture and for housing along the east coast of Australia. Retrieved nla.gov.au

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Syzygium papyraceum

Waterhousea floribunda

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

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DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

The elements within the designs have been seen as a parts of a whole and aim for the creative fun of exploration in the freeform shapes that are reminiscent of flora and fauna. Each graphic element contains universal shapes and forms to be seen in detail and absorbed unconsciously, fleetingly, are evocative of birds, petals, leaves or butterflies. The diversity of geometry and physiology in nature forms universal interpretation and symbolized in this case, the textiles in Government House.

This idea allows some latitude for fantasy and story, changes in colour that are not exact but representative, substitute textures. There is an element of discovery as the textures are not from organic matter but often sources from printed papers (Offset-Litho, 4 Colour Process) depicting textures and colours that can bear a resemblance or referral to flora or fauna.

As a visitor or a guest of the Governor there is an expectation of respect for formality and ceremony. An excited anticipation of the experience as sensory, forming associations with grandeur and sumptuousness of fabrication, the skill in presenting quality and the uniqueness of the materials and artistry.

Contemporary Australia is a land built of a migrant population and the revival and continuance of the indigenous peoples. Cultural reference and significance can be woven into the fabrication of our community architecture both perceived consciously and absorbed unconsciously.

This is the heritage for posterity as the vision and notion of a living collection such as a Botanic Garden.

I have looked at the delivery of ‘ceremony’ and creating this focus in the Ballroom, and not made replacement pieces.

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ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

The brief can be seen as a series of touch points that create a lasting impression for visitors and guests by using associative recall for tactile and sensory experiences at the Government House.

• The strength of historic referencing to the English and Scottish Arts and Crafts movement, this underlines the interior style giving its ambiance of that early 1800‘s period presenting itself to the contemporary audience today, this can be seen as a stage for referencing the past and creating the future with new technology incorporated in the contemporary design • The proximity of the Royal Botanic Gardens and its rationale for creating collections of flora and fauna for posterity was visionary and can be used as a theme for design creating a flow of ideas and references • Cultural referencing that will pay homage to contemporary Australian society Historic textile qualities The designs for textiles are representative of both an empirical knowledge and tacit experience. There is reference to associative visual and tactile experiences that I have used as a visual language, tools that will shape new experiences in the Government House Ballroom. New experience with ideas is through technology that can inform and re-present fabrication.

Drawing on a collection of photographic data, walking in the Botanic Gardens, allowed investigation and exploration of the structures of flora and fauna, including the collection of Australian Aboriginal collection of Bush Plants for foods and medicine.

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

Floor Rug Rough ideas Luxury rug, hand-crafted from wool, silk and banana fibre.

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DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

bilateral symmetry "Asterias vulgaris"

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Luxurious silk and lycra fibres woven in a double cloth structure to create a 3-dimensional quality. Etch colourway includes black, silver, pinks.

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

above Artist: Ronnie Tjampitjinpa Title; Fire dreaming medium: Acrylic on Belgian Canvas Dimensions: 350 x 203 cm

Inspiration was taken from this indigenous artist’s work for the rug design, on page 9. the papier-collé technique I used showed sections of colour as bars, see blue ring, and I wanted to use legs and feet standing and ideally dancing, I used these images from google to demonstrate the idea, these are then ‘concertinered’ to form a colour ‘bar’

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DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

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ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

State Rooms: Colour palette

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

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DESCRIPTION Custom made by hand, the cushion is double sided, fabricated of Australian Wool Felt, filled with Wool.

Topside imagery photographically digistised, converted to a gridded formation for a woven tapestry. The shape is defined with gold foil thread, overstitched to bring the two components together. Underside outline stitched with Electromagnetic thread, this harvests biomagenetic energy, to activate an illuminated glow, shown in the lined patterns.

EMOTIVE The idea of producing a custom made paino stool and cushion gives ‘pride to place’ on the low set stage and focuses attention to this performance area. The cushion is draped over the stool. The illumination is viewed through the translucent seat, lighting is a magical, theatrical effect, delivering anticipation to the mood of sense of occaision.

DESIGN The New South Wales coat of arms motto is the concept to the illumination in the fabricate.

The abstract design elements embellish with organic, florid and flamboyant shapes.

DESCRIPTION line drawings of Flora and Fauna Deep etched into clear Acrylic Perspex, 6mm. thick 45cm x 95cm Rounded Corners.

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ADJUSTABLE legs with twist ring legs, simliar to a camera tripod, mounted into ‘rubber ball and cone’, to grip the floor and prevent damage to floors surface.

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

DESIGN The ballroom hosts functions such as concerts and conferences with guest speakers and seating needs to be provided for guests to occupy the room in comfort. A manufactured, stackable chair by Phillips Stark has the design DNA in style and new technology. This is an elegant chair that imposes itself in a room to give the sitter a feeling of elegance, style and glamour. You feel special in this chair.

I have created a design that could be printed with transfers and be fused to with a clear Laminate to the back of the chair. Who knows whether M. Stark would appreciate this, however a chair such as his design could be collaboratively designed with and Australian designer.

The faces I have used are famed international models and film actresses, in some respects this idea and design falls into the pop art genre. However faces have been used on Coinage, Notes, Stamps and Seals for centuries as symbols of power, prestige, royalty, and guarantees of a variety of tenders. These graphic forms are very often idealised images of the famed and fortunate.

left Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II above the actress Kate Blanchett as herself and as her role as Queen Elizabeth I.

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TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

DESIGN to be remembered using images that are unsual.

Portraits of contemporary people of the day, with their faces immortalised by a framed mask cut-out. Portraits are used on Coinage, Notes, Stamps and Seals as symbols of power, prestige, royalty, and guarantees for a variety of tenders.

Photos retrieved from: www.emmohome.com

EMOTIVE The shapes reflect the florid flora and faunas seen in the Neo-classic symmetry and asymmetry with the hinted Rococo ‘s’ shapes and Arts & Crafts Movement.

The shapes are created from ‘printed matter’ that show glimpses of recognisable textures, shapes and colours. The chairs have a contemporary feel, shiny and glamorous, the fabrication is unusual.

These resonate with the Ballroom glamour, the excitement and expectation of a concert or guest lecture. A topic to encourage socialability. The backs of the chairs are a of series of portraits that could reflect new faces in the Australian Government and its society a definate talking point! These associations are carried as special memories of ‘pride of place’ with being an Australian, visiting dignatory or a happy tourist.

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

Classic Louis Ghost stackable armchair in smooth batch-dye or transparentpolycarbonate.

Transparent Colours: Crystal (clear), Smoke (grey), Yellow, Sunset Orange, Crystal Green, Ice Blue Dimensions: w 21" h 37" d 22", seat height 18.5", arm height 26" Weight: 10.6 lbs Designer: Philippe Starck

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A. Underside: Padded cushion: 50 deep cm x 55cm wide.

The text is featured the Governenor’s ‘Ceremonial Chair’ Rug and the Piano Stool Cushion.

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A. Topside: Padded cushion: 50 deep cm x 55 cm wide, Australian Sheep’s Wool, Wadding inside. White Hemp Canvas 18.5oz, fabric printed using a six colour process, 4 separation and 2 specials, with a sewn rich Vevet mid-section, creating contrast in textures and sensation.

B. PRODUCTION Acrylic Laminate, photo-transfer, transparency 48%,

TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

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DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

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ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG

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TEXTILES PROJECT 3B - GOVERNMENT HOUSE NEW SOUTH WALES

DESIGN PROCESS + OUTCOMES

Acknowledgements M.Bowels, C. Isaac, Digital Textile Design, Lawrence King UK Bastiaan Drees, Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University Page 4 Honey Bee D.Cole, Textiles Now, Lawrence King UK 2008 S.Seymour, Fashionable Technology, Springer Wein New York, 2008 M.McQueen, Extreme textiles, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 2008 S.Pakhchyan, Fashioning technology. O Really, CA, USA, 2008 S.B.Quinn, Textile designers, Lawrence King UK, 2009 Vogue Living Magazines 2009 The World of Interiors, UK Magazine 2009 S.E.Braddock Clarke and Marie O’Mahony, Techno Textiles 2, Thames & Hudson, 2007 Olga Gutiérrez de la Rosa, An Eye for Colour, Collins Design, New York, 2007 Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney www. nla.gov.au www.australianmuseum.net.au www.australiapost. royal australian mint www.mooseyscountrygarden.com www.bangarra.com.au www.ptolemymann.com margoselby.com www.gettyimages.com 15/15

ISOBELLE POVER-LEONG