Laura Thomas's Ashes commission
Ashes Vessel, Laura Thomas (photo by Kutchibok Design)
Welsh textile artist Laura Thomas has just finished a new work commissioned to commemorate the Ashes test match held in Cardiff early this month
It was the first time the Ashes has been held in Wales and Thomas’s vessel celebrates this moment in cricketing history as well as symbolising the friendship between Australia and Wales. It was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly in partnership with the Arts Council of Wales and Safle – public art Wales and will go on show in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
The piece, called the Ashes Vessel, is made out of a gently curving sheet of acrylic resin inside which floats a series of hand-woven ribbons. The flowing shape – a departure for Thomas who more normally uses geometric forms – is inspired by the trajectory of a spinning cricket ball. ‘There is an obvious analogy between a skilled weaver and spinner and the ability of a highly skilled bowler to perfect and control the amount of spin on the bowled ball. Both also highlight the skill of the hand in tandem with the brain. This led my design ideas to exploring the idea of spins and twists,’ explains Thomas. The twisting theme is repeated by the ribbons themselves as each one is twisted creating what Thomas describes as a ‘controlled, structured textile content, juxtaposed against a more fluid acrylic form’.
See more of Laura Thomas’s work here
