We are absolutely delighted that Jeanette Sendler will be visiting Ireland to give a two day workshop to members of Feltmakers Ireland. The workshop will take place over the week end of 26/27th June in the National Museum in Collins Barracks in Dublin.  We will be exploring the ideas of Felt & Nostalgia, this is how Jeanette describes her approach:

‘Fibres, Felt & Nostalgia’

The re-cycling of nostalgic items has a special significance in my textile work, in that it maintains a link with the past through using fragments from the lives we have lived. Everyone collects and hangs on to things from the ‘olden days’. We keep these things as a key to the past, linking it to the present. These fragments authenticate and bear witness to our lives. They evoke a sense of time and place. The longer we keep these things the more sentimental our thoughts and memories become. The good memories become even better, colours we remembered are brighter or matt things turn shiny in our moments of remembering. In my work I like to pick up on our memories and use felt making as a medium to frame, soften up and illustrate our thoughts, experiences and collected pieces from days gone by. Doing so, I am hoping to evoke memories and stories which will enrich our present lives. I use things such as kitchen utensils, domestic appliances, old textile fragments, letters and photographs to work into my hand rolled felt.

Jeanette Sendler

Our working title is ‘Felt & Nostalgia’. This incorporates to work with Felt and found/collected objects. The theme fo Nostalgia serves us as a personal narrative. Participants will be asked to being along personal items of nostalgia. The week-end will be full with :

• Introduction to the theme ‘Felt & Nostalgia’ with examples of Jeanette’s own felt wok.
• Introduction to Felt in a Fine Art context.
• Brainstorming of how to put a working concept together.
  • Discussion over working methods and what we want to achieve in regards to a message, story, narrative or a sequence of work.
  • Group discussion of students’ nostalgic pieces. We will look at the potential of each piece and how to take the story further.
• Establish a narrative
• Experimentations in Felt. Sampling and sculpting.
  • Discussion about the feel/atmosphere of designed work in relation to the fibres we have chosen to work with.
• Looking into more flat and 3D design options.

By the end of the two days patyicipants will have an exhibition piece which presents a narrative you have developed inspired by some items from your past. Participants will have a short description of their work which could  be the beginning of an artistic statement. They will also have been given some advice on how to present a proposal/work i.e. how to photograph  work to show it off to its best advantage.

You should look at some of Jeanette’s beautiful work:

www.sendler.co.uk