Kathy Barber (Te Ami Objects) - Tethered

When we are in nature, without worldly distractions we are opened up to a sense of quietness that fills the gap. To honour this space, we are drawn to conscious foraging, to choose a tangible souvenir where we can add meaning, of time and place- creating a forever memory with connection.

Tethered encompasses a exhibition of rocks I have collected from such experiences across the motu and further afield.

At the heart of this exhibition is a dual piece- one rock sourced from a riverbed on the Nakasendo Trail in rural Japan and the other from the cliffs of Karekare on the rugged west coast of Auckland. I cant explain why I was drawn to these two pieces: on different days, in different countries some 900km apart.  Aesthetically they have nothing in common, but they fit naturally together like two hands- symbolising unity and connection.

The completed pieces like humans- are complex with multiple processes involved in any one work. Te-ami netting, linear copper coils and my adapted form of the Japanese art of repair Kintsugi, combine together to bring attention to natural flaws and characteristics. These parallel our humanness as they are what makes us individual and unique.

Intricate wire cages once woven around the rocks have been removed and delicately re-attached to the original form. This netted shadow represents human connection and the ties that bind us to people and place, past and future.

Kathy Barber

I tend to walk a different path. I have no formal training but have been successful in my careers in advertising, as a painter and also in sculpture. I am comfortable in my own skin to learn and develop through hard work and motivation.

This self teaching was the path into developing my wire craft Te-ami.

My initial project was taking a humble rock and weaving around it to make the ordinary un-ordinary. These pieces embody the untiy of an organic object coupled with a personal  connection to a place, person or time of significance.

I continue to develop and push the boundaries of working with wire. It is a pliable material but with a short memory to breaking point. Delicate yet strong it demands respect.

The basis of my hand netting is simple. The simple twist of two strands of copper wire. What develops next is a complex conversation between the object and craft united to embrace the imperfect, taking pleasure in the understated.