Decades and Diversity

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Solvig Baas Becking
Pam McDougall
Fay Skyring
Di Lansdown

Craft ACT Gallery Two: 25 May - 1 July 2007

Text by Jas Hugonnet, May 2007

Solvig Bass Becking has been an active practicing artist in the Canberra area for over forty years. During this time she has been involved in weaving, teaching and mentoring while being a positive activist for the arts. Aside from the great skills she has passed on to others evident in this exhibition, she has also produced a body of work rich in design and technical excellence. The passing on of skills in the arts seems rudimentary at first glance but to the artists who have known Solvig, they testify to the way she has touched their lives through her chosen art form, her generosity, and through sharing her philosophy and ethical views.

As weavers Pam McDougall and Fay Skyring saw the need to celebrate Solvig Baas Becking's work as well as her tireless commitment to promoting the arts in Australia and at the same time say something about the teaching process and its lineage. Solvig's studies in weaving commenced in Sweden and Holland where she worked in interior design focusing on decorative materials. In 1963 she moved to Australia with her partner and three children and settled in Canberra. Luckily for all of us here at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre she was a founding member and past President of the organisation, and also a board member of the Australia Council Crafts Board for three years. Forever at the forefront in creative development she was a founding member and past President of the Canberra Spinners and Weavers and co-instigator of the original fi ve day weaving school at Sturt Workshop in Mittagong which went on to develop into The Australian Forum for Textile Arts. Now held every year, it continues to attract wide audiences.

Pam McDougall is our direct line to Solvig in this lineage and she described Solvig's infl uence on her work as endowing her with a love of fi bre and nature. Not only did she pass on technical skill to Pam she also taught her the value of working with good materials and the importance of having a strong philosophy in relation to design and technique. Pam's weaving focuses on double cloths, collapse weave techniques and the use of cashmere yarns and hand spun fi bres some of which are produced on her property in Sutton, NSW. While mostly concentrating on wearable items Pam explores the possibilities of a multishaft computer aided loom using a variety of dyes and dyeing techniques.

Fay Skyring was taught weaving by Pam. When asked could she see a connection to Solvig via Pam's teaching, she spoke of meticulous attention to detail in relation to both Solvig and Pam's work. Fay sees the passing on of skills as a total package and is astounded by the complete generosity involved in the process. A key thing that Fay has learnt is the importance of structure and planning in relation to weaving. Fay has had a strong studio based practice at the Gorman House Arts Centre since 1987, working on a diverse range of commissions including Parliament House, Canberra and St Paul's Cathedral, Parramatta. She has participated in numerous exhibitions often collaborating with artists from different fi elds including dancers, sculptors and architects.

Di Lansdown has a connection with Fay Skyring that goes back to 1985 when she was employed as a weaver by the Skye Workshop, Ainslie Village under a Commonwealth Employment Program Scheme that was administered by Fay. Since graduating in 1987 in textiles from the Australian National University School of Art she has worked with Fay on the fabrication of upholstery fabric for the Australian Parliament House and is currently working with her on a project for the Joint House Department. As the last in the lineage of this exhibition I asked Di what sort of connection she felt with Solvig and her work and she mentioned that in her pursuit of excellence she has often sought encouragement and guidance from Fay, who has always generously imparted the knowledge she has attained through the example and love of weaving set by Solvig Baas Becking.

Jas Hugonnet is the Curator and Exhibitions Manager at Craft ACT.

Image credits (top to bottom)

• Di Lansdown, Themeda australis (detail), 2007, Silk.
  Photo: courtesy of the artist.
• Solvig Baas Becking, Gum Leaf Litter, 1998, Linen warp, wool weft. Collection of Belinda Mackay.
  Photo: courtesy of the artist.
• Pam McDougall, Solvig taught…, (detail), 2007, Linen, cotton.
  Photo: courtesy of the artist.
• Fay Skyring, Some Days are Golden (detail), 2007, Meditation wrap, wool, silk and metallic yarns, linen, cotton.
  Photo: courtesy of the artist.
• Di Lansdown, Themeda australis (work in progress), 2007, Silk.
  Photo: courtesy of the artist.