An Initiative of
Reece Scannell Art Textiles
Thread Odyssey is a mixed media exhibition, combining photography and stitch. Stunning photographic works of Reece Scannell have been worked over by textile artists and embroiderers to create unique works of art. The exhibition brings together embroiderers, textiles artists and art quilters from across the country and showcases the vast array of embroidery and stitching techniques which have arrived in Australia from cultural traditions across the globe. From lavish Byzantine Christian embroidery which travelled to Russia,to the famous Spanish Blackwork which is believed to have originated in Northern Africa, to the Indian embroidery which hit Europe in the late C17 via the East India Trade, to C19 geometric Greek embroidery which shows Turkish and Islamic influence. Thread Odyssey explores how thread and fibre art forms have has never existed in isolation, but contains layers of cultural meaning, influence, and reinterpretation.
This history of adaption and evolving techniques is showcased in this exhibition, which shows multiple adaptations of a single photographic base. These different methods of approach, worked by a geographically disparate collective of artists, illustrates how the diversity of views makes us richer, together, through the variety of their unique perspectives. We hope you enjoy the 'Thread Odyssey' exhibition and gain a new appreciation for the cultural diversity of embroidery and fibre art.
