Svenja (AUS)
Xanthoparmelia
Based in Queensland, Svenja is a highly respected textile artist, educator and arts writer. She writes regularly for the Textile Fibre Forum magazine.
Svenja is an alumnus of the international design competition and performance known as the World of WearableArt (WOW) in New Zealand, having won 6 awards received from 13 entries accepted over an 11-year time period. She has also been a finalist/participant in Wearable Art Mandurah, (Western Australia), Wearable Expressions, (California), and the inaugural Naracoorte Art Prize, (South Australia).
As a first-time entrant in Paper on Skin™ 2018, Svenja won the Betta Milk Major Award for Lichen Morphology, $5000. She was a finalist again in 2020, also in Paper off Skin in 2022.
For this work, Xanthoparmelia, Svenja returns again to the natural world for inspiration. Xanthoparmelia is the name given to a genus of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, meaning golden yellow parmelia. They are commonly known as green rock shields or rock-shield lichens and are abundant in Australia, New Zealand and America.
“My long-term interest in lichen has often focused on the cup-like structures they display, and it is this element which is used for this work. As part of my current work towards my exhibition Distomorph, I have applied the same creative lens to it, from which ‘The work begins with focusing in on a design element of nature, then playing with it in a multitude of ways to create a very different vision of it – almost as though through a kaleidoscope-type lens. The scale of the works is enhanced to bring the intricate detail of these objects to the fore, to make the tiny and un-noticeable dominant and overpowering so the viewer can be drawn in and immersed in them.’
Technique
Twisted paper ribbon is unravelled, painted with a mixture of acrylic paint and glue, and printed with a pattern derived from lichen.
Strips are stitched and gathered to form cup-like shapes of varying sizes and edged with paper twine.
These are sewn together to create the garment.
materials
Paper ribbon, paper twine, polyester twine, acrylic paint, sequins, tubing, fleece fabric, papier mâché mask, headband.
See the Work on Film
Photos Credit: Grant Wells Photo