Wearable art, fashion, and fabric

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Nelson sculptor Suzie Montcrieff kicked off the Nelson wearable arts awards in 1987 as a promotional show for a rural art gallery. The event has won numerous tourism awards over the years, and this year attracted the partnership of Tourism New Zealand. The exhibition based on the show has toured the country, and a permanent home and exhibition centre for it is nearing completion in Nelson.

The show, now known as the Montana New Zealand Wearable Arts Awards, has grown and now attracts entries from overseas as well as around New Zealand. Tickets for the September 2001 show, which went on sale in February, sold out within 24 hours. A fourth show has been added to cope with demand and this year the show runs from 20 to 23 September.

Categories in the award include creative excellence, student design, silk, first time entrant, the South Pacific section, illumination illusion, children's, avant-garde, cyberglam, the supreme award, and the ever popular bizarre bra.

Based on the age-old idea of adorning the body without the restrictions imposed by fashion, or commercial necessity, the awards have tapped into a huge well of creativity. Entrants employ sculpture, painting, robotics, engineering, and fabric concepts to present awe-inspiring creations.

The awards promote newcomers in the fashion design and costume design industry as well as fabric artists and those who work in many other materials. The event is a significant tourist attraction for visitors to the Nelson region from around New Zealand and around the world. It also helps to raise the profile of New Zealand made fabrics to the world, and fabric design work as a career.

Wearable Arts
The Wearable Arts Awards site has images of previous winners, a short history of the event, and the latest media releases and news (www.wearableart.co.nz/).

Costume design Webguide
TKI published a Webguide in August 2000 on national costumes and costume making for the theatre (www.edgazette.govt.nz/webguide/79_15/).

Bad Human Factors Design
TKI evaluated the Bad Human Factors Design website, gave suggestions for how it could be used in teaching and learning programmes, and described how it is relevant to the technology learning area in the New Zealand curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/evaluation/baddesigns_e.php)

Masks
In this level 3 learning example the students view masks, discuss their purpose, how they are or were used, develop a design for a mask on a particular theme, and then make the mask (www.tki.org.nz/e/arts/visarts/visarts_L3/visarts_L3_A1_menu.php).

Paper weaving
This level 2 learning example involves students looking at a variety of woven objects such as kete, mats, cloaks, and talk about their purpose, their significance and ways they were made. They then use paper to experiment with weaving methods and select a variety of papers to weave a personalised mat for sitting on in the classroom (www.tki.org.nz/e/arts/visarts/visarts_L2/visarts_L2_A2_menu.php).

Patterns of change
This Hot Topic explores the world of patterns, shapes and textures, both natural and man-made. It uses the context of design to focus on the area of textiles (www.tki.org.nz/r/hot_topics/patterns_e.php).

Personal adornment
This level 3 learning example asks students to discuss how different groups of people use clothing and personal adornment to express their identity, role, or status in society. Students then observe and make drawings or paintings of a peer in dress-up or a community member dressed in role. The site includes notes on elements and terms, ideas for planning and assessment, and links and references to teaching material (www.tki.org.nz/e/arts/visarts/visarts_L3/visarts_L3_A3_menu.php).

Fashion
The Fashion New Zealand site has information on working in the industry, stores and news, and an A-Z of fashion - from A-line to Zouave jacket (www.fashionz.co.nz/).

Tourism
The Tourism New Zealand site shows how events like the Wearable Arts Awards and New Zealand as a whole are promoted overseas (www.purenz.com).

Wool research
The Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand (www.wronz.org.nz/wronz-main/index.html) highlights the latest technological advances in wool use.

The Wool Group (www.woolgroup.co.nz) has market information, and an overview of wool history in New Zealand.

The Merino New Zealand site (www.merinonz.com/) has information on what makes merino wool the best for the garment industry.

Costume design
The Auckland Theatre site has costume design drawing and photos of productions (www.auckland-theatre.co.nz/).

Textile technology
Explore science and technology in relation to the history of American fabric making at the Whole Cloth site (www.si.edu/lemelson/centerpieces/whole_cloth/index.html).

Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/technology/curriculum/contents_e.php), The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/arts/curriculum/statement/contents_e.php), and Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/index_e.php) are available on TKI.