Athena

Stitch by stitch through the long 2020 lockdowns this new skill, wire knitting, kept opening up new possibilities. The fabric I was weaving was made of metal yet was mostly space, it both refracted and absorbed light, it was a chameleon. Its patterns formed a rose window, a curtain, a shroud, sometimes even armour. Finally, a strong female presence emerged, a shadow at my shoulder to give me strength and strategy and wisdom and weaving. She was my Athena.

At Ballarat Craft Lab 2022, Athena was one of the ‘hero pieces’ welcoming visitors.

In 2023 ‘Athena’ once again made an appearance, this time in Castlemaine.

A frottage print (rubbing) of her, within the shape of my curled-up body, was used to create ‘Fugitive’ which was a finalist in the Castlemaine Art Museum’s Experimental Print Prize (September 2023 - February 2024).

During part of that time the original Athena was displayed in the ‘FALT Window’ in Templeton Street, Castlemaine. This hanging allowed her translucent quality and chameleon character to shine, creating quite a different presence than previous appearances.

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