“Go ahead, touch it. Feel the texture!”
What?
Touching a work of art at an exhibit is usually considered a no-no, but not at the Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui show, currently at Hawaii Pacific University’s Hawaii Loa Campus in Kaneohe. They have provided swatches of their work for viewers to do just that.
The show’s chairperson, Ghislaine Chock, said, “We went a step beyond just the visual aspect with this exhibit. We felt that allowing viewers to touch the creation itself (or a sample of it) would give the viewer a unique tactile experience.”
Chock added, “Modern textiles have so many different qualities; for example, bamboo fibers being soft like silk. In their exhibitions, Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui members do not limit themselves to traditional loom-weaving cloth, but incorporate natural fibers, animal or human hair, paper, fine stainless steel, metals, clay, and even glass.”
Works by 22 members, who live on Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii island, are on display.
Sanit and Carol Khewhok, both Oahu artists, served as curators and jurors. In their jurors’ statement, they wrote, “We selected works for this exhibition that are visually strong and highlight the diversity of techniques employed by the Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui artists. As lifelong lovers of the textile arts, we find the exhibition to be visually striking; a testament to the abilities of Hui members; and a celebration of old and new textile traditions.”
Nine awards were granted.
Lynn Haia, an enthusiastic new weaver from the Halawa area, won the Halcyon Yarn Store Award for exploration and imagination. “I enjoyed creating ‘Quilt,’ experimenting with color and texture,” she said.
She explained the process: “I had purchased many colors of perle cotton yarn. I wanted to play with them like they were a box of color crayons. I had planned how I would put the yarn on my loom in a quilt-like fashion. From there, I worked by experimenting with color and pattern. Using so may colors at a time made it a slow process, taking about an hour to weave an inch. In the end, I attached the felt balls to add a touch of humor.”
John Wesolosky, a Nuuanu resident, had the distinction of being the only man in the exhibit and was also an award winner. His “Matches My Jacket” piece won the WEBS Yarn Store Award for color expression, using a “double-weave pickup” technique to create a dark pattern on a light background on one layer and a light pattern on a dark background on the other.
Wesolosky explained: “Double weaving was mentioned in Chinese writings as early as 1000 BC. It consists of two or more independent layers of cloth, each with separate warp and weft threads. As such, each layer can have different types of yarn and/or different weave structures.”
One handweaver working with a very unusual medium and inspired by an incredible backstory is Michelle Schwengel-Regala, who maintains a full-time studio practice out of Aupuni Space in Kakaako. Her entry in the exhibit was knitted with wire, and its form was inspired by her work as a participant in the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, diving to observe volcanic and ice formations. “Antarctic Brinicle I” is her latest science-inspired sculpture.
“I drew from both my scientific and artistic sensibilities while exploring extreme habitats,” Schwengel-Regala said. “While SCUBA diving along the Antarctic shoreline, I saw icy chandeliers of stalactite-like structures, encircling plumes of concentrated saltwater flowing from the sea ice ceiling into the exquisitely clear, supercooled waters.
“For these sculptures, I used 18-gauge silver and blue copper wires to suggest the ice’s delicate structure.”
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ART EXHIBIT
“Threads Allure,” Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui
Where:
Hawaii Pacific University Art Gallery, Hawaii Loa Campus, Kaneohe
When:
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday through Jan. 10; gallery closed Dec. 24-Jan. 1
Cost:
Free
Info:
hawaiihandweavers.wild apricot.org
