Radical Textiles - Thread Talks

Join us on the opening day of Radical Textiles for a series of artist talks across two sessions.

11am Morning Session

Remembrance: Every stitch has a story

Hear from Nell and Carolynne Gordon, facilitated by Exhibition Curator, Leigh Robb.

Nell’s multifaceted practice explores the thresholds and complexities of the contemporary human experience. Growing up in regional Australia, music on the radio and DIY projects were Nell’s lifeline; her connection to the world and the formation of her selfhood. From a distinctly Antipodean perspective, she draws upon art history, popular culture, rock’n’roll, religious texts, Buddhist spiritual teachings, chance and coincidence, to create works that are at once playful, insightful and poetic.

Carolynne Gordon is a multi-genre storyteller, working as a Producer, Director, and Writer of documentary, as well as a liberated quilt maker. Working without patterns, Carolynne uses quilting as a therapeutic, meditative practise, and another narrative tool. While her quilt work is often abstract and suggestive, her personal writing is ekphrastic. She combines both mediums to produce writing about quilt making.

Radical Bodies: Frock it up

Hear from Jordan Gogos and Nicol & Ford, facilitated by Exhibition Curator, Rebecca Evans.

A true multidisciplinary artist, Jordan Gogos’ creative practice spans textiles, design, and runway shows that infuse his queer and Greek-Australian lived experience with a sustainable approach to textiles that reflects a profound exploration of materiality, where form evolves spontaneously, and the final outcome is dictated by chance. Gogos founded Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, his eponymous fashion label in 2021 at Australian Fashion Week.

Katie-Louise Nicol-Ford is the co-director of celebrated independent label Nicol & Ford, known for its innovative and conceptual designs, which have gained acclaim for its celebration of queer history and commitment to ethical production. Their designs often draw inspiration from historical and cultural narratives, blending them with contemporary aesthetics to create unique and thought-provoking pieces.

Lilian Nicol-Ford is a researcher, curator and designer, with her partner Katie-Louise co-helming celebrated Australian fashion label Nicol & Ford. Known for their demi-couture creations, the duo’s work is deeply rooted in historical and cultural narratives, often focusing on reversing queer or minority erasure. Their collections are inspired by muses from the past, blending traditional glamour with contemporary social deconstruction.

2pm Afternoon Session

Resistance: Feminism, back by popular demand

Hear from Kate Just and Kay Lawrence, facilitated by Curator of International Art Pre-1980, Tansy Curtin.

Kate Just is a feminist artist best known for her inventive and political use of knitting. In addition to her solo practice, Just often works socially and collaboratively within communities to create large scale, public or textile based art projects that tackle significant social issues including gender-based violence, reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA rights and political protest.

Kay Lawrence AM is one of Australia’s most distinguished textile practitioners. She has an international profile as a tapestry weaver and has completed a number of major commissions for public spaces in Australia and overseas. Her work is held in many public collections, and she has made a substantial contribution to the development of craft practice in Australia through her teaching, writing and art making.

Revival: Textiles forever, techniques and traditions for survival

Hear from Sera Waters and Maggie Hensel-Brown, facilitated by Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, Maria Zagala.

Sera Waters is an artist, arts writer and academic living on Kaurna Country, South Australia. Since being awarded a Ruth Tuck Scholarship in 2006 to study hand embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework (UK), Waters’ art practice has been characterised by a darkly stitched meticulousness. Her embroideries and hand-crafted sculptures dwell within the gaps of Australian histories to examine settler-colonial home-making patterns and practices, especially her own genealogical ghostscapes.

Maggie Hensel-Brown is a multi-disciplinary artist who specialises in contemporising traditional lace techniques. In 2015 she started working with Australian lacemakers to study, teach and build the profile of needle-made laces. Her works are based on the long tradition of storytelling in needle lace. Drawing from her own life, her laces use thousands of tiny traditional stitches to tell stories of contemporary moments of frustration, boredom, and bliss.

Thread Talk bookings include access to both sessions and a ticket to Radical Textiles, valid for one entry only into the exhibition, 23 November 2024 - 30 March 2025.