When I began my handshake journey I was a stone carver. I love the materiality of stone and its connection to the natural world. I gravitate towards reductive ways of working and enjoy the meditative process of carving.
I’ve always been a forager and I love rock hounding. I’ve spent countless hours combing the beaches and rivers of Aotearoa. Some finds I use as material for making work and some end up in my pot plants or as small gifts for friends.
‘Stone #7’ and ‘Stitch #5’ brooches
Last year, I stepped away from my previous work and ventured into fabric. This was a huge shift for me, and I wanted to bring the essence of stone into this new medium. So, I began creating fabric pebbles—working with fabric in a way that mimics stone, yet without using stone itself.
My current work continues this exploration: a conversation between stone and fabric. Vastly different materials, each with their own rich histories and traditions. They have completely different ways of behaving and require specific ways of working.
I sought to find relationships between these two materials. How do you translate the language of stone into fabric? And how, then, do you bring that language back into stone? What does it mean to carve fabric, and can you stitch a stone? These questions have driven me to experiment, to discover new ways of working, and to subvert traditional techniques in search of something new and unexpected.
‘Stitch #1’ and ‘Stone #1’ brooches
In my studio, I spent many days sifting through my stone collection, studying the patterns and forms. Alongside this, I made regular visits to the tip shop—digging through the crates of discarded clothes, filling a bag for $2. I assessed each item on colour and texture and took my favourites back to my studio to deconstruct, putting aside the buttons and zips for possible future use.
I’ve used my stone collection as a guide, but I didn’t set out to create exact replicas. Instead, leaving room for intuition and whimsy— I wanted to capture a feeling rather than aiming for precision. And while my natural tendency leans toward perfectionism, I’ve learned, mostly thanks to participating in Handshake, to embrace the freedom of mistakes.