The article discusses the sudden decision to decommission RMIT's Jacquard loom, a vital tool for textile design for over 20 years. Artist Rachel Halton, deeply connected to its history and use in her teaching, felt compelled to act when informed of its fate. She joined forces with a diverse group of supporters, who worked together to disassemble and transport the loom to prevent it from ending up in landfill. Their collaborative effort highlights the cultural and educational importance of this unique piece of technology in the textile arts community.
When she arrived at campus that October morning, ready to chain myself to that tree, the only other person there was the man coming to decommission it.
The loom was the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and one of only a handful in the world, bought for the university's Brunswick campus.
It elevated what you could do as an artist, she says. Students enrolled just to have access to it.
Others felt the same. Word spread that the loom was headed for the skip and a ramshackle collective of weavers, teachers, students and alumni hashed out a plan to save it.
Collection
[
|
...
]