Saturday, 25 June 2016

Flower Power Exhibition, Adelaide 2016

After much anticipation, I was lucky enough to see Prudence Mapstone's "Flower Power" exhibition for myself, in real life, when it came to Adelaide as part of the 'Stitches & Craft Show' in May 2016.





This post is full of photos of the amazing crochet and knitting work that makes "Flower Power" so awesome.  Greetings and thanks go out to Prudence, Stephen and Cat who kindly gave me permission to take as many photos as I like and to share them here.  Enjoy!


The artwork stretches around three exhibition panels. These photos follow the work from left to right. At the left hand end, is a poster and two visitors signing the guest book.
Visitors can sign the guest book.
I was so busy looking at the work that I forgot to sign the book.
Sorry, Prudence!
Continuation of the first of three panels. It continues around the corner.
Continuation of artwork onto second panel (of three).
Second and third panels of the artwork. At the end is a list of contributing craftspeople.
Third and final panel of the artwork. At left, one can see the side view of the artwork on the second panel, then it continues around the corner to the third.
I am very grateful for permission to photograph because I could look at the pieces forever. Crochet fascinates me so–such a versatile craft and the creative possibilities are myriad. Frustratingly, fatigue and medication truly do interfere with memory so by taking photos, I can remember what I saw and use the beautiful colours and patterns as inspiration for future crochet projects.
Closer view of top left hand end. The colour palette is full of pinks, mauves and purples with accents of yellows, aquas and greens. The bottom left section moves into lighter pastel shades. Towards the right hand side the mauves give way to more yellows, oranges and aquas. The bottom right section has hot orange, red, and pink with bursts of deep warm yellow. The centre focal point is a mulitcoloured freeformed face.

A riot of colours and motifs including a red shield shape at the top with an embroidered peace motif, swirls, spirals, stars, flowers, rainbows and love hearts.

Moving towards the right of the first panel (of 3) the colours are more saturated. A Beatlesque face in profile looks towards a radial pattern of stripes, stars and sunset colours. A textile landscape of a tree before a sunset adorns the top border alongside another peace symbol.

A closer view of the second panel. the crocheted words 'Flower Power' are surrounded by sunflower petals. This panel has some larger motifs including flowers, peace symbols and another face. 3D roses, doily lace and other flowers are interspersed with abstract shapes. The colours are predominantly bright.


Let's take a closer look …

A close-up view of the multicoloured face on the first panel. Alongside are flowers, a 5-armed starfish shape and circular shapes.

Close up from first panel. Circles and wave shapes using bullion and puffy stitches.Aqua feather yarn embellishes some.

Hot pinks, yellows and reds along the bottom of the first panel.

A lower section of the first panel. One can see circles of mesh, bordered by crochet and embellished by all sorts of charms and beads such as butterflies, flowers, love hearts and shark's teeth. It also features the word 'Love' and a peace symbol in the centre.
It truly is a work of mixed media.
The lower left hand section of the second panel adjacent to a giant pink flower. The large, white-bordered, pink petal of that flower is along the top edge and surrounded by blue crochet mesh.
I adore the bright colours and textures of the three-dimensional work. Notice the bullions, beads and curlicues. The multicoloured mandala looks so happy to me.
A face embroidered onto a sun or sunflower. Orange curlicues cascade from the top right hand side of this picture. Yellow chain mesh borders a pink shape on the botom right hand side.
I love how this face is created by blending crocheted appliques and satin stitch embroidery.
From the third panel, motifs include the word 'love', a rainbow, more flower and mandala shapes and a three dimensional heart-shaped cushion. Embellisments include fluffy novelty yarn, ruffles and curlicues.
The three-dimensional heart-shaped cushion was made to support and raise awareness of organ donation.



… and closer still …

Three dimensional 'scrumbles' from the top left end of the work.

Red 'peace shield. A tassel hangs from the bottom point. Details are embroidered onto a knitted shape.

Raised stitches add a three-dimensional aspect.


Front view of the raised stitches shown on the previous picture. Tiny beads and stars embellish the crocheted motifs.

Round pink motif with little flower embellishments.

Stars, rainbows and paisley shapes decorate the corner of the display.

Close-up of paisley and floral motifs which are joined by crochet chains.

A close-up of bullions and curlicues. Tiny beads have been stitched into the outside edges of the curves.
Look closely and you will see that even the curlicues and bullion stitches have been embellished with beading.

Close-up of scrumbles from the top right hand end of the work. Some are embellished with beads and stars.

"Flower Power" is a collaborative project made of freeform crochet pieces kindly made and donated by crafters from all over the world (over 200 contributors from more than 20 countries). It was designed for the 2015 Sydney Fibrefest in conjunction with the 'Craft & Quilt Fair'.

The finished dimensions are 10 metres x 1.5 metres
(approximately 33 feet x 5 feet) with a weight of 17 kilograms (over 37 pounds)!

Prudence Mapstone blogged the creative process during the project. She shared each contribution as it arrived including information about where it came from, who made it and, where possible, the inspiration behind the work.  If you want more detail about this amazing artwork, do visit the blog, 50 Years of Flower Power.

"Flower Power" continues to tour around Australia in 2016.  Prudence has a calendar on her Knot Just Knitting web site outlining forthcoming exhibitions and workshops.

Maybe this will inspire you to experiment with freeform crochet or 'scrumbling'.  


Have fun with your fibre!

 

References & Links


Craft Events: http://craftevents.com.au/
This is the home page for the Craft & Quilt Fairs and the Stitches & Craft Shows.

Prudence Mapstone:
  

Related Posts on Lupey Loops

"Adelaide Stitches & Craft Show", 9 May 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/adelaide-stitches-craft-show.html

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10 comments:

  1. Meredith26/06/2016, 01:36

    What an amazing sight!
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie26/06/2016, 14:50

      Hi Meredith!
      It was huge! Prudence Mapstone achieved quite a feat, curating all of those different pieces into a cohesive and pleasing whole. Have a look at her blog post (first of three in the bullet list above) where she laid out the entire thing to photograph.
      Totally mindblowing! I hope these pictures provide a nice distraction from the everyday.
      Hugs,
      Jodie

      Delete
  2. mamasmercantile26/06/2016, 01:45

    What an amazing project, a real feast for the eyes. I wanted to reach out and touch the screen, beautiful.

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    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie26/06/2016, 14:59

      Hi Lorraine,
      You are right! The work is so enticing. That's why I NEEDED to go and see it for myself. I am so pleased that it wasn't roped off or anything. We could get so close to it and have a good look at the stitching; so many beautiful little details. We didn't need to touch it because we could get so close. If people were touching it all the time, it could get spoilt. When I think of that, I ask myself how on earth does one go about laundering such a thing?
      Prudence is so lovely that she did let some children touch the piece in one of her prior exhibitions because the children were so fascinated and they had extremely clean hands!
      I am glad the children were allowed to touch it because it is so tactile. It's part of the learning experience. Who knows, that extra sensory experience of the artwork might inspire those children to pick up a hook or needles or some other craft or arty activity.
      As news of Prudence's "Flower Power" spreads, you may discover it in a place near you one day. I sincerely wish that everyone who reads about it here gets to see it in real life one day.
      A screen is a very poor second to the real thing but I hope my photos inspire you.
      Cheers,
      Jodie

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  3. Sharon - creativity and family28/06/2016, 03:58

    What an incredible amount of truly beautiful work!! So glad you were able to get there and see it in person :-)

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    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie29/06/2016, 13:34

      I hope that you might get the chance to see it too one day, Sharon. You and Abi would love it!
      I love the collaborative aspect of this project - every contributor had something unique about their own work that added a valuable dynamic to the finished product. I look at the "Flower Power" exhibition and marvel at the combined energy, skill, imagination and effort which went into it and make it meaningful. The fact that pieces came from all over the world truly enhances "Flower Power's" universal message of peace and togetherness, don't you think?

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  4. Tammy@T's Daily Treasures04/07/2016, 14:42

    Truly amazing! What a task to put it all together. I think I could stare at it for a week or longer and still find something new and fascinating.

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    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie04/07/2016, 22:25

      Precisely, Tammy!
      If you can, do have a look at Prudence's blog (the first link in the list above of the post "It's Huge") and you get a true appreciation of the scale of the task. Prudence Mapstone is astounding. This is a project I will certainly return to repeatedly to seek inspiration for the same reasons you outlined here. Thank you for popping by and saying hi! It is always nice to meet new visitors to Lupey Loops. It makes me happy to know that the things that excite me, excite you too. Have a colourful day! :-)

      Delete
  5. Ingrid K.04/07/2016, 23:22

    Hi Jodie!

    How wonderful!!!!

    Ingrid xx
    Myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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    Replies
    1. Jodiebodie10/07/2016, 12:51

      You were bound to like this, Ingrid. I believe Prudence is hoping to take the exhibition to the USA in 2017 but you never know, she might be able to take it to Europe after that. Keep our fingers crossed. :-)

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