TOAE 2012: Noelle Hamlyn

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012

Noelle Hamlyn's work is calm, quiet and thoughtful, a lot like Noelle herself. It invites you to step closer and spend time with it. Last year I wrote about her work here. Since the last TOAE, she's created a new body of work called Sweetness of the Work.

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012

An essay accompanied the new series. Essentially the series embodies women's textile hand work, especially the repetition and the accumulation involved in creating traditional textiles.

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012

Hamlyn soaked some of the textiles in a saline solution and you can see the salt crystals in the images above and below. The salt encrusted textiles are a metaphor for the sweat and tears shed by the textile worker. The wrapped and salt encrusted scissors and the needle case below will change with time. Rust will set in and the textiles will deteriorate.

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012

The work is delicate and thought-provoking.

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012

The textile above and its detail below appear to be made using free-motion machine embroider. Beautiful.

Noelle Hamlyn textiles; Photo credit Karen Thiessen, 2012