Changing Newcastle

Since I came to live in Newcastle NSW (Australia) in 1999, the city has changed... architecture alone has changed the look of Newcastle. As I walked by the old newspaper building , I was a bit sad to see a crane lifting materials for the apartments being built behind the facade of the original building. It wasn't just that the old building is no longer, it is that the local newspaper has changed too - no local office, printed elsewhere electronically. Yet I felt happy that at least the building will become "home" to many people and that its history won't be lost.
Last week, I also captured this shot of an old 1823 building reflected in the new City of Newcastle administration building. While the new building will be spectacular as it is, I really liked the idea of the past being reflected in its shiny glass exterior.

There are some really amazing buildings which have appeared in Newcastle in the last few years. The University of Newcastle , City Campus is a testament to architectural innovations and contemporary design as well as function. It is called NeW Space - a space to collaborate , and it certainly feels like that.

In the same city precinct as NeW Space is perhaps my favourite building in Newcastle, although I never really want to spend time in there. The Law Courts completed in 2015 still resonate with a newness and somehow a distinctive Newcastle feel. It was built in a difficult triangular space, but somehow seems to spread happily into the block . Local artists' work have been featured for the interior design with the foyer installation paying homage to the original indigenous owners of the land.

And soon, this city streetscape will be visible from the new light rail which will trvel along Hunter Street Newcastle.

Sadly for some ( my grandchildren included) the Queen's Wharf Tower, an icon of 'old ' Newcastle will not be visible as it was demolished last year. However, there are many people who have rejoiced over the removal of what was considered a rather embarrassing phallic sculptural icon.

And that is progress...

Image Credits:

Wilma Simmons
https://www.newcastle.edu.au
http://www.coxarchitecture.com.au

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

#SeptTextileLove Day 12

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day12 ‘Friendship’ … This is a story of friendship based on the love of textiles and fibre art . Gallerist and artist, Anne Kempton and I have been friends for 15 years , meeting when we had both retired from ‘ top’ jobs in a government department and a high school respectively. Neither of us were the retiring types - Anne was establishing the first commercial textile art gallery in Australia and I was looking for a creative direction. We discovered we were both driven by a sense of social justice and community and shared similar artistic aspirations . Since then, we have co- curated exhibitions, collaborated on many projects. supported community art and women’s causes, and grown in our individual artistic expression - Anne includes more stitching in her work and she has had a more painterly influence on mine . Moreover, this friendship is multifaceted, deep and personal and one I value and treasure . Thank you, Anne.

#SeptTextileLove26- Day 2

#STL26Day2 ‘Hand or Machine’ … Why not both? Two small stitched works in my stitched garden series, (left - free motion machine stitch ; right- hand stitch). Which do you prefer ? #SeptTextileLove

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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