Liz Williamson: Weaving Eucalypts Project

15 September 2022—12 February 2023

Liz Williamson, Weaving Eucalypts Project (detail), 2020-2021. Silk dyed by artists in Australia, India and Bangladesh with locally sourced eucalyptus leaves, bark or twigs; silk hand woven as weft into a linen and cotton warp. Image: Ian Hobbs, Courtesy of the Artist

Weaving Eucalypts Project

This collaborative project by Australian weaver Liz Williamson explores local colour, cultural connections, and shared weaving traditions. It extends from Williamson’s research into experiments with Australian natural dye plants and unique colours extracted from locally sourced plants.

The project features 100 panels woven by Williamson with fabric dyed by 60 collaborators with over 50 eucalypts species identified and sourced from over 50 locations.

In 2020, Williamson began inviting colleagues in Australia and India to colour silk fabric with eucalyptus leaves collected locally. Once received in her studio, the fabric was stripped and woven into panels referencing the traditions of woven rag rugs and ‘making do’ where ‘new’ items are made from old or readily available materials. In this project, the fabric is new while the colour is readily available in eucalyptus leaves, bark, and twigs. The woven panels reflect place and location while the process has created a unique community of practitioners.

Since 2021, the project has expanded to connect with more colleagues in Australia and India as well as other countries touched by the Indian Ocean – Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Thailand.

"The Weaving Eucalypts Project represents contemporary craft dialogue and collaboration with like-minded colleagues around the Indian Ocean – an international community of practice linked by an engagement with the natural world, sustainable textile practice and an interest in revealing the colours hidden in local eucalyptus."
– Liz Williamson, 2022

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