In this exhibition Don Driver brings together a body of work which he has created in collaboration with other artists.
The exhibition includes large-scale tapestries designed by Driver
and woven by master weaver Marilyn Rea-Menzies, photomontages made by
Driver and then photographed by Derek of the Western Institute of
Technology, Taranaki. And lithographs drawn on the stone by Driver and
printed by Muka Studios.
Marilyn Rea-Menzies has been weaving tapestries since 1980. In 1995
she set up the Christchurch Tapestry Workshop and has continued to run
the workshop since. She has exhibited her work internationally in the
Fiberarts International in Pittsburgh, US as well as the fifth
International Triennial of Mini-Textiles in Angers, France. She has
also won several public commissions including Tapestry 2000 measuring
15 square metres to be hung in the International Terminal at the
Christchurch Airport.
The three tapestries in this exhibition Song and Pacific Song I and
II incorporate images of birds from the Pacific. These include the
comical toucan interspersed with swatches of vivid pink and the white
heron surrounded by brightly coloured flowers. The pair Pacific Song I
and II measures over 2.5 metres and conveys the vitality and grace of
the white heron with a strong sense of movement and the shimmering heat
of the Pacific Ocean.
The photomontages are almost in complete contrast to the tapestries
consisting of somewhat aggressive images of manmade objects. The
photographs have been printed on vinyl and hang loosely from the
gallery wall.
The lithographic prints are images of the human form in quite subdued colours for Driver. |
