Yallingup artist receives first award for wearable art

The quirky felt creation, A Bright Idea was designed and handmade by the self taught artist over around two months in preparation for the showcase.

“The theme this year was ‘Illumination’, and to be honest I think the inspiration for the piece came to me while I was out in the forest walking my dog,” Ms Smorthwaite said of her frequent jaunts outdoors to get creative ideas flowing.

Ms Smorthwaite has been felting for less than 10 years, and has recently joined the Bunbury Felting Group. She said her relaxed approach to creating the felt pieces gave her room to move as she worked.

“I don’t necessarily have a plan in mind when I start, other than a rough idea and a few elements I want to incorporate,” she said. 

“This gives me space to develop as I go along and change the shape, overall look and final product.

A Bright Idea features LED Christmas lights to align with the competition theme, an aspect Ms Smorthwaite said was challenging to wrangle.

“I’ve never worked with lights like this before and I had to install four little battery packs in various hidden spots. 

“I actually stitched myself into the garment at one point!”

The Common Threads Showcase is part of the City of Mandurah Stretch Arts Festival and this year attracted over 90 entries from around the world.  

The showcase, presented by Healthway and Act-Belong-Commit, provided a platform for designers to challenge the concept of what was considered ‘wearable’ by transforming the human body into a living, breathing, moving canvas.

Artists were encouraged to create and explore issues in their lives, society and the environment through their creations, which did not need to be commercially viable, expensive or even to be taken seriously, they simply had to be wearable. 

Winning garments are displayed at the Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah from June 3 to July 3.