The Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) is an international leader in contemporary tapestry, collaborating with a diverse range of international and Australian artists to produce exceptional handwoven works of art. ATW offers artists and craftspeople working in any medium, and at any stage of their career, the chance to broaden their practice through their world-renowned residency program. Each year, artists immerse themselves in our vibrant studio – exchanging knowledge and skills with our tapestry weavers and engaging with local communities.

 

Caroline Phillips was selected as an ATW Artist in Residence in 2014. Over the course of the residency, Phillips drew on the unique and inspiring environment of the ATW to experiment with methods of circular weaving and their application as minimal objects. The resulting works were exhibited the following year in the exhibition Fertile Ground, ATW AIR 2014, in 2015.

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Later, the experimental tapestry Elemental Thinking was selected as a finalist for the 2021 Kate Derum and Irene Davies Award for Small Tapestries, exhibited at the ATW. Revisiting the processes developed years earlier during the ATW residency, it explores a freestyle composition to contemplate new possibilities for the tapestry medium.  A simplicity of geometric forms is tested against heightened colour and texture, brought to the fore through the use of chenille stems (pipe cleaners) as the weft medium. This child-like and simple material is used to emphasise the instinctive processes of making and choices in colour and design, to amplify the tactility and embodied possibilities in the work.

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ATW AIR Artist talk

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