Fibre, Naturally

2 - 18 October

Carol Divall, Jayne Goodes, Penelope Lee, Helen Roberts Hill, Susan Pieterse, Peter Travis AM

Artists’ talk 3:00pm Saturday 3 and 17 October

In A.D. 105, Tsaï Lun, a functionary in the Chinese Han court, codified the paper production process and immortalised his name as its official inventor.

Yet paper from natural fibre dates even further back, which is perfectly understandable when human interaction with natural fibre could be traced to the origins of man - starting with the building of crude protective shelters to the more sophisticated weaving and spinning of cloth. Natural fibres, whether sourced from animals or plants, had a large part to play in the survival of our ancestors and their development of society and culture.

Natural fibre today is just as important in an economic and developmental sense. About 35 million tonnes of natural fibre are harvested from both plants and animals annually and it is easy to see that the manufacture of synthetic fibres combined with the impact of the economic downturn will severely impact the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on natural fibre production and processing.

The best known natural fibre in Australia is wool. Since the first sheep arrived with the 1788 first fleet in Australia via the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), the wool industry has grown to produce annually close to 27% of the world’s total production. Wool accounted for 2.3% of the world’s natural fibre use in 2003.

The attributes of wool are amazing - from insulating against noise, heat and cold, to being water repellent and naturally elastic. Most ironic, however, is that in Australia where we are so often faced with devastating seasonal fires, the importance of fabric from wool is often under-estimated. A fabric made entirely of wool is difficult to ignite, has limited ability to sustain a flame and chars rather than burns.

Perhaps in its original form, natural fibres are not much to admire, but when reworked, they become malleable, often extremely flattering, which makes it difficult to disengage from them. Unfortunately, the precariousness of natural fibres has led to their displacement over the last fifty years by synthetic fibres such as acrylic, polyester and nylon which are easily manufactured to uniform specifications.

With a global focus on eco-sensitivity and energy saving, natural fibres are in all respects a responsible choice. The production of one tonne of plant fibre requires far less energy than the production of an equivalent synthetic fibre, and unlike synthetic fibre it is also 100% biodegradable at the end of its life.

With the 'Fibre, Naturally' exhibition we hope to touch on our perceptions of the world around us while sharing our individual aesthetic, ephemeral natural fibre journeys with you.

 

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