The Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) have announced the recipients for the 2016 Tapestry Design Prize for Architects that includes a prize pool of $10,000.00.
The first prize recipient, Justin Hill – an Australian-trained architect living in Singapore, captivated the judges with the beauty of his entry and they felt that the intricateness and delicacy of his design concept lent itself to a technically challenging and rewarding tapestry that is well suited to the expertise of the ATW weavers. Second place was awarded to Tiffany Liew, 3rd prize to Sarah Lake Architects, while the people’s choice award went to Andrew Foster and Jessica Kreps.
This year the ATW received an astounding 117 entries from 76 entrants from around the globe, who entered tapestry design concepts for the hypothetical site at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra designed by architect Colin Madigan and opened in 1982, and extended by Andrew Andersons in 2010.
Antonia Syme, Director of the ATW, congratulated the three impressive prize recipients and applauded all the entrants for their thoughtful and creative responses to the design brief and also for their considered engagement with contemporary tapestry.
“There is a long-standing historical connection between architectural spaces and tapestries. The Tapestry Design Prize for Architects was the brilliant idea of past ATW chair and architect Peter Williams, who wanted to engage with architects and encourage them to reinvigorate the intersection of art and architecture through contemporary tapestry. And we are thrilled to fulfill his vision,” explained Syme.
Judges for the 2016 Tapestry Design Prize for Architects included Emeritus Professor Kay Lawrence AM, John Denton, Julie Ewington, Alice Hampson, Kieran Wong and Brian Zulaikha – who had the difficult task of selecting the finalists and prize recipients from a very imaginative and diverse pool of entries.
The winning design and prize recipients were selected on the basis of artistic merit; ability to engage to a high degree with the unique qualities of tapestry; ability to design a major artwork that responds to a contemporary architectural space; and capacity to celebrate tapestry in architecture, through understanding of materials form, design and collaborative interpretation.
The inaugural Tapestry Design Prize for Architects included the joint-first prize recipient John Wardle Architects with the design concept: Perspectives on a Flat Surface, which has been commissioned by Sydney philanthropist and art collector Judith Neilson AM.
Perspectives on a Flat Surface will eventually hang in Neilson’s new Phoenix Gallery in Sydney and is currently being realised on the loom after extensive collaboration between John Wardle, Alex Peck and the experienced ATW weavers and dyer.
The 2016 Tapestry Design Prize for Architects prize recipients and ten other finalists will exhibit their adventurous design concepts at the ATW in South Melbourne until 21 October. For more information, visit: www.tapestrydesignprize.org for details.
Image: Justin Hill, 22 Temenggong Road, Twilight (supplied)