March/April 2020 update and Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, not just here in New Zealand - but worldwide. As new cases of Covid-19 continued to rise around the country the Prime Minister declared on Monday 23 March that New Zealand would enter alert level 3, effective immediately, during the health ministry briefing. We were advised to prepare for alert level 4, effective at 11:59 pm on Wednesday 26 March that would see New Zealand go into lock-down. 

Along with hundreds of other businesses, THE BACH gallery closed up, uncertain of when things would return to "normal" life-as-we-knew it. With the country in lock-down and only essential services permitted to operate, the tapestry project came to a grinding halt. 

At the beginning of March 2020 we still had a number of foreign and domestic tourists enjoying Northland. 

 Petra de Koning Gans (above) and Jeltsje Wieroma (below) visiting from Ulrecht in the Netherlands, both enjoyed doing some weaving on the community tapestry 

They both agreed they enjoyed weaving experience and were grateful for the opportunity.

The day before New Zealand moved to Alert Level 3, Pam - a local from Kamo, took up the invitation to try a bit of weaving, opting for the harmony panel as she didn't feel confident weaving on the main tapestry. She too enjoyed the opportunity to "just sit and add her bit" to the community project.

This is where we are currently up to...

 

 

 Thanks for checking in!
We are looking forward to being able to return to spending time with members of the community, sharing stories and teaching the basic weaving techniques when it is safe to do so.

February/March 2020 update

FEBRUARY 2020

Klara from Germany enjoyed creating her own pictorial design on one of our harmony looms. These looms have been set up for those who would like to try weaving but feel a bit intimidated by our Town Basin series of panels.   

Laura Anderson, from Airdie, Alberta in Canada loved the opportunity to brush up on an old skill and share it with her two children.

Initially, her son Levi (9) wasn't very interested but after being encouraged to give it a go, he actually really enjoyed it!

 

Mariah (13) loved doing weaving and is keen to have a loom to weave on when she gets back home.

We always have visitors who enjoy watching the weaving process.

Cate Laurenson and her daughter, Meg  from Timaru, New Zealand were up in the North on holiday for a few weeks when they came across our tapestry project. They made a special visit the next day to do some weaving and Cate said it was a very special experience, one she would like to take back to South Canterbury as a project idea down there.

Mike Gilbert from Mill Stream Cottage, Langstone in the UK really enjoyed and appreciated to opportunity to weave. He found it very meditative and  soothing. The process reminded him of macrame, which he had done in the past. Thanks for your lovely feedback, Mike!

 Petra de Koning Gans (above) and Jeltsje Wieroma (below) from the area of Utrecht, Netherlands had a go at weaving which was a craft they had not done before. 

 They both appreciated the opportunity to weave while visiting Whangarei. 

New Year update..Happy Twenty Twenty!

Happy New Year - I can't believe we are over halfway through the first month of 2020 already. Apologies for not getting back to update the tapestry blog sooner but December/January are our busiest months in the gallery with Christmas/New Year, Summer holidays and tourists visiting.

 Here is a couple more photos of the lovely Emily who was visiting with her Mum and sister from Palmerston North in October 2019.

Emily is home-schooled, enjoys crafts and was really excited about learning to weave.

 

 Michelle Nichols, from the Sunshine Coast in Australia had a lovely relaxing time and was really glad of the opportunity to try weaving.

She also said she felt like she was leaving a little piece of herself behind in Whangarei.

 Pavi from Auckland said she had fun and was thankful for being shown how to weave. 

 Catherine, visiting New Zealand from Jedburgh, Scotland. 

She said she hadn't done any weaving but enjoyed learning how to do it and having a go on our harmony panel.

Brenda, from Maungaturoto she said she was very creative, enjoyed embroidery and wanted to give weaving a go. I think by the big grin, she enjoyed it!

Brother and sister from Whangaporoa enjoyed having a turn at weaving as well. 

 They thought the work was great and the project run by lovely people.

Thanks for your lovely feedback!

Sana, from Mangere in Auckland also loved doing some weaving. She had been up visiting Paihia with her family and passing through Whangarei on their way home when they decided to stop at the Town Basin. She appreciated being show how to do it and found the process very relaxing and enjoyable.

The kids looms have been well tended to over the holidays as well!

 The Harmony panels are growing!

 Naoko has been experimenting with the rings which will feature in the Town Basin Tapestry Colonial settlement panel.

 Julia has been working on "the water" (representing Hatea River) and the mangrove bushes.

Naoko working on the start of the anchor which is positioned on the Carruth tartan in the design.

Panel No.2 - Colonial Settlement

The second tapestry of our TOWN BASIN – our history series reflects the early times based on history research and documented by Whangarei District Council, Mim Ringer (local Historian) Northland Regional Council, Te Papa Wellington, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Tamoko Studio and Maori arts, New Zealand.

The artwork reflects the Colonial settlement of the 1880’s and incorporates a blending of the two cultures, Maori and European based on the images and history gathered by Project Manager, Julia and as with the Pre-European panel fellow member/artist of The Bach, Heather Carthew created the visual concept for the weavers to follow.

 The painting encapsulates symbolic aspects of both cultures and embraces the central panel - a visual impression of colonization at the Town Basin in the late 1800's.

We are working the next panel on the same set of warps as the first one and commenced weaving the hem in July.

 Marking the Kaokao pattern in preparation of starting the boarder.

We also have a new community project idea!  Our complimentary panels on either side of the central panel, called Harmony Tapestries have been set up to encourage novices who would like to try weaving but do not feel confident working on our Town Basin series. 

 If you live in Whangarei or you are visiting call in to The Bach Artisan's Gallery and have a go at weaving!

The new tapestry projects have revived interest in weaving.

Arohuni Harris from the mid-north enjoyed participating in some weaving.

AUGUST 2019 

Joanna Sanderson from Silverdale, Auckland enjoyed learning to weave.

 She thought the weaving was a great community project. 

Lena Nicholas (13) from Worthing, England said weaving was really fun and she very much enjoyed it. 

Lena was excited to be able to learn a new skill

Little hands working on the children's looms.

Naoko our chief weaver was on hand to help when needed.

SEPTEMBER 2019

 Carla Millard from Kumeu, Auckland said it was good to see the tapestry weaving is continuing. She contributed to the Whangarei - Love it here tapestry while it was being woven.

As a tapestry weaver herself she thought it was "wonderful to have this community project for everyone to see and participate in!"

OCTOBER 2019

Bella Tissink (12),from Whangarei had fun doing weaving.

Bella's brother Xander (9) was content to just watch.

Tara and her daughter Abbey from Palmerston North were both keen to try weaving.

 Abbey and her sister, Emily are both home-schooled.

 Showing Emily how to make weft hills.

 Weft hills are a loose woven row that you pack down one part at a time, forming hills that get smaller and smaller until all the weft is pushed down against the previous row. This allows you to keep a good tension that doesn’t pull on the end warp threads.

More to follow....