Please, Do Not Touch. Debuted in The Matter at Hand exhibition, First Site Gallery at RMIT City Campus. Ran 26 March – 4 April 2014, as a part of the 2014 Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program.
"What drives the next generation of designers?"
That's the question The Matter at Hand began with, exploring the natural relationship between comtemporary design and current social issues. The act of making - particularly how the process directly informs the outcome - became the focus for my work, extending upon themes of my previous final university project (and pretty much my life work so far, no biggie...)
In modern societies widespread knowledge of “making processes” is depleting. Surrounded by shiny, smooth, and cold surfaces, we are removed from how things are made. More so, we lose the understanding of processes and the potential to reimagine them.
There’s something very human about things made by hand. The tangible quality of the hand-made - it powerfully invites people to touch it - alludes to the fact we can somewhat imagine how such an item was created.
Please Do Not Touch is a tactile woven piece that encourages viewers to do the opposite. Areas of the piece are left part woven revealing where the tapestry grew from. Leaving a physical memory of the maker’s hands and re e-engaging the viewer with the made world.
