Wowed by wearable arts success
A thousand metres of exquisitely furled red organza ribbon has earned Palmerston North wearable arts designer Jennie Munro a place in this year’s World of Wearable Art (WOW) final.
That’s just the fabric in the lower part of the creation.
Entered in the ‘‘red’’ section of the competition, Munro’s Unravelled is one of 103 garments by 121 designers from 14 countries selected for the Wellington catwalk extravaganza in September, and the only one from Manawatu.
It’s the sixth time Munro has entered and the sixth time she has been selected for the final.
This year’s entry was inspired by the Mylar sculpture of New York artist Tara Donovan.
‘‘I was surprised when I made the final the first time.
‘‘I’m still surprised, considering the high calibre of people who enter from overseas.’’
It’s perhaps because this year there are fewer finalists than last and Munro is not trained in fashion or design.
She is someone who simply decided to give it a go after attending WOW in 2009 with her daughters.
And it’s not as though the teacher’s aide at Ross Intermediate is particularly good at sewing, either.
‘‘My sewing is not flash. The first entry [in 2010] was really the only one I sewed. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to use different materials.
‘‘I take over [husband Bruce’s] shed and get the compressor going – I use a lot of power tools.’’
In 2012, Munro received an honourable mention award for Rain, in the visual symphony section. It was inspired by a soggy camping experience and the Hone Tuwhare poem, also called Rain.
Made from shaped plastic that was riveted together, the garment came with its own sound effects. ‘‘It had to make a noise. ‘‘It had a thunder maker underneath – a piano spring in a cardboard tube and the model carried a rainstick.’’
After 2013’s Born to Be Wild, which she entered in the man unleashed psychedelic revival category, Munro took a couple of years break, but was back last year, entering Out Of The Blue ,a brightly painted fibreglass creation in the surrealism, cubism and expressionism section.
‘‘It’s a lot of work, but it’s all very exciting. It involves building and problem solving, and engineering. [The judges] even look on the inside at how it is made.’’
The finalists’ garments will be showcased in the WOW Awards Show in Wellington from September 21 to October 8, following the final judging.
‘‘I just enjoy the whole focus and intensity of it all,’’ Munro said.