Stitch by Stitch
“My Grandmother, Eileen Mackay was a wonderful artist, she could paint anything that was put in front of her. She was also a well respected traditional Aboriginal weaver, and she would teach other people who wanted to learn how to weave, so she was an educator also”
“She would tell stories while she wove, and we would sit there and listen and learn how to do the practice of weaving, but also we were taking on the stories of the culture, which was important even if we didn’t know it at the time.”
“Weaving is a very special process, and I think about my Grandmother every time we do it. The way that we learned relates to the phrase ‘Stitch by Stitch’ because as you take the reed out through the basket or object, and then back over towards yourself, you stitch the object to yourself, metaphorically. In this way you invest yourself in the object, it is no longer just ‘a thing’ but it becomes part of you, and you become part of it, stitch by stitch.”
“This is a way of understanding traditional approaches to resources, and to utilising the natural landscape. If you invest yourself in this landscape, you will care for it more deeply, if what you make is a part of you, it means more when you share it, give it away, or use it.”
“There is a lot of responsibility, but a great honour to be sharing the knowledge that I have been given, with my family, and with other people who want to learn.”
Kristy Kennedy
Barkindji, Ngarrindjeri
Corten Steel
Designed by Andrew Hull
Fabricated by Wangstone Studio