Members of the public are invited to join Local Wellington artist and loom weaver Genevieve Rae and her community of weavers this December, as they share their public arts activation Micro Mill. Micro Mill is offering free loom and spinning opportunities using waste textiles as a way to educate and discuss our problem with textile waste.
Micro Mill is a community activation, shared with the public from Wednesday 6 December to Thursday 21 December, on the corner of Victoria and Dixon Street. Open from 11am to 7pm, the project will invite people to take part in using a loom, weaving found waste textiles to create a community tapestry. Alongside this, artist and weaver, Genevieve Rae, will be using the opportunity to discuss problems with waste textiles with the public.
Bringing together a community of five other weavers, Genevieve’s aim is to engage the public in loom practice and spinning processes, helping us grasp the realities of our textiles. Through the corresponding kōrero, they also hope to increase people’s knowledge and depth of understanding about how woven textiles are produced and the physical labour that goes into making them.
Genevieve speaks of her hopes for Micro Mill. “Many people are aware of how detrimental the textile and fashion industries are to the wellbeing of te taiao, however for many of us it feels like such a big unsolvable issue that is difficult to face as an individual. We hope to offer a space to connect, be playful, share knowledge, and build a sense of community around meaningful relationships with textiles. Together we can create deeper understandings of textiles and feel empowered to respond to how and why they become ‘waste’.”
Alongside the weaving loom, Micro Mill will also feature a yarn spinning wheel as well as providing smaller weaving frames, providing plenty of fun for the public to engage with. The site will also feature the opportunity for the public to interact with the loom workers and share their thoughts about textile waste.
“We hope participants leave having learnt some new skills, feel empowered and confident to enact those skills in their textile relationships, and inspired to share them with their communities. In the Micro Mill we are weaving waste, but also textile connections!” says Genevieve.
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