a matter of time
16th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial

Suzie Attiwill

Participants: John Barbour, Sue Blanchfield, Bula’bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation, Georgina Cresswell, India Flint, Mavis Warrngilna Ganambarr, Desley Henry, Meredith Hughes, Sara Lindsay, Paull McKee, Sebastian Di Mauro, Linda Lou Murphy, Andrew Nicholls, Monique van Nieuwland, Rosemary O'Rourke, Sue Pedley, Sharon Peoples, Julie Ryder, Sue Saxon and Anne Zahalka, S!X, Holly Story, Christian Bumbarra Thompson, Liz Williamson, and Louiseann Zahra.
Catalogue essay by Writer: Linda Marie Walker.

Since 1976 the Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial has developed from a survey exhibition showing the most innovative fibre textile works from the previous two years to a curated exhibition recognized nationally as Australia’s pre-eminent textile related exhibition. For the 16th Biennial, titled a matter of time Suzie Attiwill was invited to develop the curatorial proposition, select works and produce the exhibition.

She has presented a textile exhibition focusing on time and temporality. The works selected engage with the transformation of matter into expressions of time such as histories, rituals, global events, everyday activities, and traditions. This happens in many ways: through the repetition and rhythms of stitches, the printed image, the kind of materials used – for example recycled, ephemeral, seasonal; techniques such as traditional tailoring, indigenous weaving techniques, digital technologies like jacquard and Photoshop. People from a diversity of practices such as visual art, craft, multimedia, performance, fashion and design have been invited to participate because their works engage with the temporal dimensions. As a curator and exhibition designer, Suzie Attiwill approaches each exhibition as an event, a kind of spatial choreography that takes into consideration temporal and spatial aspects. a matter of time as an exhibition was itself be a matter of time as it toured to different venues and is performed and rearranged. The national tour included an opening performance by Linda Lou Murphy, talks by participants and a handsome catalogue.

Tamworth City Gallery, opening in December 2004; touring nationally 2005 to 2006 to RMIT Gallery, Melbourne (May-July 2005); Gosford Regional Gallery (July to September 2005), Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide (September to October 2005) then Wagga Wagga, Cairns, Bunbury, Sydney, Ballarat (concluding 4 November 2006).

Images:
1: Catalogue: designed by Peter Thorn
3: Installation photograph: RMIT Gallery, 2005. Photograph, Suzie Attiwill
4: Installation photograph: Jam Factory, Adelaide, 2005. Photograph, Suzie Attiwill
5: Installation photograph: Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, 2006. Photograph, Suzie Attiwill
6: Linda Lou Murphy: Drawing Threads performance at opening, Cairns, 2006.