Dunedin School of Art student wins national award

Otago Polytechnic Dunedin School of Art student Hope Duncan has won the Rembrandt Fashion and Textile section of the 2018 ECC NZ Student Craft and Design Awards.

Hope, who is studying a Graduate Diploma in Visual Arts (Textiles), has built on her previous experience – last year she was “highly commended” at the ECC Awards, at which she received “invaluable” feedback from people working in the textile and design industry.

“I was thrilled,” Hope says of her experience at the awards night in Wellington on Thursday 1 November.

“Looking around at the top entries on the night, there were so many fantastic, labour-intensive and well thought through works. To be recognised among them was an honour; to win my section was a privilege.

“As a student there is huge validation in receiving something like this. Often our works are not viewed outside the classroom, so to have those involved with the industry giving positive feedback . . . it lets you know that all the hours learning and making were well spent.”

Hope’s describes her winning entry, A Beautiful Deception, as “a textural response and conversation” about the hidden damages of the use of synthetics in the textiles industry.

“Among the carefully woven traditional threads are modern interruptions to the well-planned grid, moving the piece from straight lines to an intricate story told in thread.”

Hope received $1000 in prizemoney, some of which enabled her to travel up to Wellington for the awards night as well as spend some time visiting art galleries.

“I plan on putting the remaining money toward further learning. There is so much to learn and explore within weaving and wool and I know I am only just beginning.

“I would love to gain work within the textile industry, as a designer or maker, and to be able to use ‘making’ as a way of assisting people would be fantastic, too.”

In 2017 Hope graduated with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.

“However, on graduation, I decided I wanted to spend some hands-on time creating. I felt my degree had satisfied my desire for academic challenge, but I still had a deep desire to create – so I enrolled for the Graduate Diploma in Visual Arts.”

Read more about Hope here

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