Niki Collier
Ireland
www.nikicollier.com
Instagram : @nikicollierfelt
Facebook: @nikicollierfelt
Artwork 1
Three Micro-organisms
The three sculptures were made for a solo show launched in November 2020. The techniques used I learned over Zoom workshops. It was a positive way to connect with other folk within the context of the unknown and unwelcome, but inevitable change. Together, connected in felting we witnessed the trial of all us humans. Some of the encounters ended up in textile exchange, some of which are incorporated in this work. Three sculptures of viruses explore the complexity of the form and surface of these half organisms. The work is made using silk fibres, silk textiles donated by people who survived these particular viruses, and wool from rare breeds of sheep. Each piece is built by reverseengineering the way that the virus propagates, beginning with the nodes and then attaching them to a hollow sphere.
The selection of the three viruses: Syncytium, Herpes and Flu is motivated by the message that microorganisms give life, change life and sometimes take it away. Like any other living thing in nature they are involved in the complex systems of life.
Materials and Techniques:
Wool, silk, bubble wrap, ..silk scarf
Artwork size in CM: Width……25.……… Length……25.……… Depth……25
Artwork 2
Wool Makes you a Saint.
The work was a culmination of art engagements in which I took a group of artists to explore inside and out using stained glass window techniques. The tutorials I gave enabled the artists to learn the technique and develop their ideas. I used inspiration from an iconic work of the artists and made a self-portrait using an image of mine carrying wool through an archway. I used old and new prefelts emulating the ancient Japanese tradition of celebrating broken by making it a fabric of art narrative.
Materials and Techniques.
Wet Felted Patchwork free hand machine embroidery, Silk thread.
ArtWork size in CM: Width…30…cm.……… Length…50cm.……… Depth…2cm
Artwork 3
Sliced Bread.
During Lockdown I connected with a community very involved in practicing healthy ways of life. We started putting a cookery book together which was a wonderful way to explore traditional recipes from childhood and other folks favourites. There was a special section on bread. .As most of us in the group are artists we were invited to create a piece in response to the book. My sliced bread shows the beauty of mould. Something I have not being able to celebrate to date.
Materials and Techniques.
Wet felting, silk, wool, hand-dyed.
Artwork size in CM: Width…20cm……… Length…30cm……… Depth…10cm
