Working with new materials and learning new skills.
The kelp discovered on the beaches of Kálfshamarsvík, with the blackened,
elongated stem-like structures known as stipes and the holdfasts (root-like structures which anchor the kelp to the substrate of the ocean), was irresistible.
However, it wasn’t until we returned to the Textile Centre at Blönduós that I found the beautiful, intensely black fleece which was available for us to use. A perfect combination of materials and felting seemed to be the logical choice.
This was a definite gap in my knowledge, but thanks to the expertise of Delia Salter and Tara Kennedy I was soon washing, carding and rolling my own felt vessel. The contrast of hard and soft surfaces created a compelling and haptic form.
I continued to experiment with the contorted stipes and tried to contain them within a looped square structure made with hemp twine.
I am interested in the dynamic energy and the negative spaces created by the intersected black lines of the kelp in contrast to the softness and small gaps produced by the looped twine. Lots more work to be done…
Annette Mills
