Make, Unmake, Remake
It is my great pleasure to present this exhibition by participants in my Finding Fragments online course. This work demonstrates how willing everyone has been to explore new ideas and materials. Participants were experimental, inventive and playful as they pushed initial work through multiple processes of alteration and transformation, making and unmaking to create this exciting exhibition of contemporary mixed-media work. I am always amazed at what a wonderful variety of work is created from the same starting point. Some pieces are quiet and subtle, and others are colourful and bold. All reflect the makers’ personal choice of inspiration as they observed, gathered and recorded small fragments in some way.
How many times have you made something and wondered whether it is finished or whether you should work further by adding stitches or embellishments? The makers in this exhibition showed bravery by ‘unmaking’ work that was virtually complete. Some opted to do this in a controlled way, while others used chance and serendipity. The remaking and reconstruction of each piece bear all the ‘scars’ of the transformation. Their courage to take work apart and reconfigure it has led to the most amazing results, and I am thrilled by all the fabulous exhibition submissions. It has been wonderful to watch the progression and development of this work. I thank everyone who took part in the course for trusting me to guide them through the process, but I have loved seeing everyone take an idea, push it, and explore it to make it their own. I hope you enjoy looking at the richly layered surfaces and intricate details of each piece within this wonderful exhibition.
Shelley Rhodes