A sculptural exhibition exploring fibre, found objects and the natural world is on at Art Attic Gallery in Invercargill until November 7.
Convergence brings together the work of Hāwea-based Jackie Ryder and Dunedin-based Kari Morseth, two artists who met while completing their Masters at Dunedin School of Art and found a shared interest in working with materials that carry traces of place, history and human interaction with the environment.
Ryder works with repurposed textiles, found objects, print, stitch and mark-making. "My work is very much driven by materials and what happens along the way - it is a collaboration between myself, materials and the environment," she said.
Morseth combines contemporary and traditional techniques of weaving, braiding and knotting to create sculptural forms, drawing on history, cultural narratives and the environmental consequences of human activity. "I am delighted to present my work and its links to local environment of Southland. The Aparima awa and Templeton Flax Mills were both research and inspiration," she said.
Visitors entering the gallery are greeted by glimpses of hanging textiles lit by the warm afternoon sun. Ryder's Kelp Forest fills an intimate room with suspended cylindrical forms — dyed, printed, rusted, cut, repaired and stitched. People are invited to move among them as the hanging textiles gently spin and sway.
In the adjoining space, Morseth's Rope/Walk installation explores New Zealand's history of flax milling and rope making. It brings together moving images, handmade rope, raw harakeke materials and a three-metre-long panorama of South Dunedin's only surviving rope-walk building. At its centre is a two-ply harakeke rope twisted by hand using an ancient technique.
In the gallery's main room, the artists' work meets in a shared installation. Distinctive fibres, textures and sculptural forms sit alongside and within one another, brought together by a complementary colour palette.
On the final day of the exhibition, Saturday November 7, visitors can meet both artists, hear about the inspirations and processes behind their work, and take part in the continuing story of Rope/Walk by adding to the length of the hand-twined rope. The artists' talk and rope-making activity runs from 1pm to 2pm and entry is free.
Convergence is at Art Attic Gallery, 43 Tay Street, Invercargill. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Friday, 11am–4pm, and Saturday, 11am–3pm.