A&D ANNUAL 2021

Isabelle Cameron

The Australian country town faces one of its biggest challenges; the worldwide pandemic has caused a stand-still in the rural tourist sector. Visitors to the bush—both domestic and international—are reduced, jeopardising a significant factor in the economic sustainability of these regions. ‘Talking Textiles’ explores the opportunities available for cottage industry textile design to intersect with rural tourism in the form of a bespoke collection of furnishings intended for boutique accommodation in Armidale, NSW. Grounded in small-medium enterprise and home industry practices, the collection of custom decor and amenities have been hand-crafted using a combination of botanically dyed, screen-printed and embroidered fabrics, all reminiscent of the colours and shapes of the New England area. The aim was to create textiles that speak not only of the local landscape but of the people that inhabit the area. The Armidale community was involved in the design stages of the work through a cultural probe workshop that ensured the local voice was present in every detail of the fabric. The creative voice of rural Australia deserves to be heard beyond town limits; with the conversation being started in a hotel room, who knows how far it will travel?