Wendy Scully – Australia

Kirra

Description

My headpiece is a balance between ‘nature’ and ‘manmade”; between ‘illusion’ and ‘reality’ between ‘found’ and ‘recycled’, between “freeform” and ‘controlled.”

All the materials involved reflect these concepts. The concept is also reflective of the balance of the life I have as a creative artist, and my love of the flora of the country in which I live. The name of the headpiece is ‘Kirra,” an Aboriginal word for “leaf”.

My focus was to create balance from asymmetry, to have elegant yet simple repetition of delicate elements, elements in the form of the leaves which surprise the viewer when they realise they are silk and not real.

Handwoven vintage silk, recycled from one on my son’s dance outfits, is bonded to a gold threaded machine embroidered vintage silk organza.

Both vintage fabrics are over 20 yrs old and full of memories of my life as a mother and also a designer. Each eucalyptus leaf was made individually, wired to allow for the movement, with the repeating shape reflecting the balance and beauty of the changing nature of each leaf, achieved through the reflection of light off the shot dupion silk.

The base is a natural willow wreath, with the leaves clustered and then flowing out, with leaves attached to the ends of the willow twigs. Small delicate gold balls create the eucalyptus gumnuts.

The headpiece sits easily on the wearer, and the long willow twigs move gently as the piece is worn.

Simplicity, delicate components, combined to make a whole.

Materials

• Willow twigs
• Vintage silks – dupion shot and organza
• Fine cotton covered wire
• Cotton thread
• Pliers, scissors, iron, pins
• Bondaweb
• Foam balls and gold paint
• Glue – Uhu and PVA

Techniques

• Blocking head to shape willow wreath
• Wetting, shaping and wiring the willow
• Developing pattern for leaves
• Cutting silk, ironing, bonding /wiring the silk leaves
• Creating gumnuts – foam balls/ gold paint/wire
• Attaching the leaves/gumnuts to the willow wreath – sewing and glueing