WEAVING WORKSHOP

Reclaim the Void: Weaving Country Whole Workshop Saturday 23rd April 2022 1 - 4 pm 

Cooee art has partnered with Reclaim the Void to host a weaving workshop in our Redfern Gallery. We are inviting members of the public to join us in creating ‘rugs’ that will become a part of a greater tapestry. The event is free and all are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Provided: Afternoon tea and refreshments A loom for each person A tutorial on “How to weave” Scissors and tools A comfortable space to weave What to bring: Recycled Fabric (old sheets, or cotton clothing - all colours) Reclaim the Void was born from Ngalia elders in Leonora, Western Australia, expressing their pain and grief at ‘those gaping mining holes left all over our country’. The idea was conceived to symbolically ‘seal’ one of the holes with an artwork expressing the story of country. 

In Australia We’ve dug 50,000 holes across sacred land. We dump 500,000 tonnes of fabric and clothing every year. Can we give our hands and hearts in healing to create 5,000 rugs to seal one hole? Country is alive with story, song, dance, law, Tjukurrpa. When we wound country, we wound ourselves, and end up with a scarred physical and cultural landscape. This project carries the desire for healing country, healing community, and healing ourselves. It is about acknowledging the hurt and contributing to restoration. It offers people the chance to learn about country and culture. The vision is to cover a mining pit with a large-scale ‘dot’ artwork made up of thousands of handmade circular rag-rugs woven from discarded fabric. Woven by people from all walks of life and backgrounds, the rugs will be joined together into a giant textile artwork which shows an overall pattern that carries the story of the Tjukurrpa of the country on which the pit is situated. Reclaim the Void is a bold cross-cultural project. It seeks to raise awareness of the story of country and its importance in Aboriginal culture in both its physical and spiritual dimensions. This project is a collaboration between creative director Vivienne Robertson and the Ngalia Heritage Research Council (Aboriginal Corporation) represented by artist cultural custodian Kado Muir. The project is informed by Ngalia Western Desert traditional knowledge, spirituality and culture and is immersed in the cultural custodianship of elders past, present and emerging.