International exhibition explores connection between animation and digital art with traditional crafts

A major exhibition exploring the intersection of animation and digital art with traditional craft practices such as embroidery, quilting, weaving and tapestry opens at NPDC’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre on 7 December.

Interlaced: Animation and Textiles is the first exhibition to explore the relationship between animation and textiles, through art works spanning more than a century through the work of 26 artists from around the world.

Curated by Alla Gadassik, an animation scholar at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Canada, Interlaced presents work from all corners of the globe - Aotearoa/New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Germany, France, Azerbaijan, Sāmoa, and Tonga.

Highlighting a diverse array of artistic techniques, such as moving image, celluloid quilting and digital tapestries, Interlaced emphasises the rich cultural history of textiles and their influence on contemporary artistic practices from 26 artists, collectives and studios.

The work of experimental animator Len Lye (1901-1980) features in the exhibition and was a key point of departure, playing an important connective role in Gadassik’s investigations into the relationship between film and textiles.

“Spanning the galleries and cinema spaces of the Len Lye Centre over summer, Interlaced is one of the first exhibitions globally to explore associations between two artforms that have previously been considered in isolation,” says Dr Zara Stanhope, New Plymouth District Council’s Manager of Cultural Experiences.

“As the Gallery’s International Film Curator in Residence (2022-2025), Alla Gadassik has made a compelling case for the influence of Pacific tapa design and British textile production on Lye’s innovative animation techniques.”

Opening on 7 December, Interlaced: Animation and Textiles runs until 27 April 2025. A programme of opening day events on 7 December includes:

• 1pm – Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa artists Vaimaila Urale and Sione Faletau discuss their major new commissions in the exhibition with guest curator Alla Gadassik.
• 3pm – Guest curator Alla Gadassik will lead a free guided tour of the new exhibition.
• 6pm – Opening night reception to officially open the exhibition.
  
  FAST FACTS

• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery opened in 1970, funded by a bequest from local woman Monica Brewster (nee Govett).
• Around 85,000 people visit the Gallery each year.
• The Len Lye Centre opened as part of the Govett-Brewster in July 2015, creating a global home for the life and work of acclaimed New Zealand-born artist Len Lye (1901-1980)
• The Gallery presents a regularly changing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, events and conversations.
• Regular education and learning programmes are offered to visitors of all ages.
• It also runs an art and design store, independent cinema, and publishes a range of art books.

About the Curator

Alla Gadassik is the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre’s International Film Curator in Residence for 2022-2025. An Associate Professor of Media History and Theory at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, Canada, Alla founded the Animate Materials Workshop, dedicated to animation as a method of interdisciplinary material exploration bridging the arts and sciences.