Quilts in Capital Country...

The 2023 catch up tour continued with making it to the ACT to visit with my friends...and the bonus of the 12 month delay is the Rajah Quilt being on exhibition at the National Gallery! I'd seen it before when it was in Melbourne but there are some things you don't miss if you get another opportunity...

 

Thursday morning E and I headed off for a day of quilt viewing as in my interweb wanderings I'd found there was also a small quilt exhibition in Queanbeyan...A Stitch in Time at Rusten House Arts Centre.  A small one room exhibition of quilts from the Quilts 2000 project, the opening of the QBN Bicentennial Hall and the Centenary of Federation commemorations.

It was nice to see older quilts being brought out again and Rusten House is a beautiful old building.

Morning tea in a cafe in town and a look in a couple of shops before crossing back into the ACT and heading to the National Gallery and the Rajah Quilt!  These really interesting pots were passed on the way to the quilt exhibition space...created by Juz Kitson the collection is called A Lament for the Wildfires (the link goes to the National Gallery page for the collection)...they were incredible up close, the detail...

We had planned to have lunch at the National Gallery and then see the quilts, but when we got there we discovered the restaurant has been shut leaving only a coffee cart type arrangement outside which had no food left, after all it was about 12:30!  So we went in to see the quilts...

 

At the entrance...possum skin cloak...I didn't remember this from the exhibition in Melbourne but I'm told it was there so there you go...

There is so much detail and so many elements that make up the designs on the cloak...a relatively recent make revitalising cultural practices...And then...there it was...front and centre when entering the space...The Rajah Quilt...the sheer size of the coverlet, I forgot just how big it is...325cm x 337cm (that's about 10' 8" x 11' 2/3")...huge!

Then it was on to the rest of the exhibition A Century of Quilts...smaller than what we saw in Melbourne but still plenty to ooh and aah over...a selection...

 

Fortunately, after we'd seen the quilts and were wandering around as we made our way back down to the front door, one of the security guards told us the cafe at the National Portrait Gallery is still operating - literally across the road on the other side of where we'd parked the car, so we walked over there and had a nice late-ish lunch.  Seeing as how we were there I had a look around the exhibitions as I'd never been there before.  There is so much to do in Canberra really.

 

Only a quick trip to Canberra this time but I achieved the objectives - seeing my friends and seeing the Rajah Quilt again.

Happy Stitching...

Dressmaker Exhibition...

There was a reason why I was tripping up and down the Hume Highway recently...to go here!...

Or more technically correct the ACT (Canberra) to visit with friends and go to...The National Film and Sound Archive ...to see...

an exhibition of the costumes from the film...Loved it!...the detail and workmanship in each piece - stunning...there was also a short documentary film "Behind the Seams" to watch which was so interesting and informative.  We went around the exhibition, watched the film and then...back around the exhibition for another go...My friend E & I spent four hours at the NFSA and went around the exhibition three times! - having another final look before we left for the day. Did I say I loved it!!...I've seen the movie more than once and to see the costumes and the amazing detail not apparent on screen was well worth the drive north.

OK so the four hours wasn't just in The Dressmaker, we also had the experience of a Virtual Reality Experience as part of the Carriberrie exhibition/event which was amazing and we were lucky to get to see it as it was nearing the end of time it was being presented...it happened to be the start of NAIDOC Week which was appropriate but really was just coincidental...neither of us had ever experienced a Virtual Reality presentation before and we both raved about it afterwards...so much fun...it was like really being in the different communities sitting on the grass or the sand or a log watching the performers tell their stories through dance and song.  We also sat through a number of newsreels showing in the cinema including a tourism "advertisement" for Melbourne leading up the 1956 Olympic Games which was presented as a short film about a family preparing for daughter's wedding showcasing various places around Melbourne as each family member took care of things like travelling to Melbourne by plane (I think on TAA!!!)...Mum going into Town (the City) to buy a hat...Grandpa bringing flowers in from his place in the country (somewhere like Ferntree Gully!)...it was a bit of fun.

A few pictures...taking photos wasn't restricted in the exhibition and I took full advantage of being able to bring home a record...

It was just so well curated and presented.  Each item had a description not only of where it sat in the story but who wore it and details of the fabrics and construction methods used...

Each outfit beautifully presented, not behind glass or a wall so the details and fabrics could be fully appreciated...

 

 Scenes from the movie formed backdrops to the mannequins...

Glass cases showcased props and one set out some of the tools and techniques used by the costume designer and her team in creating the costumes and props.

It was just so fabulous...

Happy Stitching...