Caroline Hammat
A unique one-off event organised by Imagine Millicent Arts Group (IMAG) has been hailed a success.
180 people attended the Millicent Met Wearable Art parade held on Saturday night at the Millicent Civic and Arts Centre.
24 garments created by 20 entrants were paraded down the catwalk to music of their own choice.
Councillor Moira Neagle hosted the night which was split into three sections and judging was undertaken by Kate Loftus, Brianna Scanlon and Pat Smith.
Many entrants modelled their own work and others had family or friends parade the garments.
Thousands of hours had gone into creating the works which used plastic, wool, metal, jigsaw pieces, upcycled and discarded items.
First to parade their garment was Helen Joyce who danced along the catwalk to the tune Octopus’s Garden while wearing her colourful crochet coral as an oversized poncho.
At the end of the evening the judges announced the work, Fantasy Coral Reef, as the winner of the Most Imaginative category.
“I was really pleased about that, I like to be the most imaginative,” Ms Joyce said.
“It was a great night and really well organised.
“The set looked fantastic and I’m amazed at the 24 garments that came out.
“I think that’s a great effort for a small town, they were so well done and varied and colourful.
“Lots of people are saying when are we doing it again.”
The artist lost count of how many hours were put into creating the work which will now be turned into a bedspread.
Plastic Fantastic created by Helen Varcoe was a favourite with the crowd, and the judges, and won three of the five awards.
The white ensemble won the Upcycled Extraordinaire, Best Dressed and People’s Choice awards.
Ms Varcoe had decided quite late to enter the competition and invested 200 hours in less than four weeks to create the garment.
It was made from discarded polypropylene, plastic drink bottles, broken glass, aluminium swarf and cable ties from Ms Varcoe’s business, Millicent Windows and doors.
“Everything came from the rubbish, the idea came when I saw the boys taking a big bunch of polypropylene and plastic to the bin.
“I said hold it, I think I can use that and it eventuated from there.”
The headpiece was made from broken toughened glass which Ms Varcoe salvaged from the business with the shoes covered in aluminium swarf which is leftover from when aluminium is cut on site.
Final details added were the neck piece made from cable ties with the ensemble modelled by Ms Varcoe’s daughter Kimmi Tincknell.
Ms Varcoe’s husband has suggested now the work is complete it can go back in the yellow bin from where it mostly came from.
The final award of the night was won by Kaidee and Mim Thomson who took home the Student award for their collaborative work titled Construction Site.
Construction Site was a bright orange dress made from items found at the family business and modelled by Mimi Thomson.
The three judges praised the quality and creativity of all the entries.
“As a judging team we were truly impressed by the diversity of the event and the interpretations brought forth by all 24 entries in this competition” Pat Smith said.
“Each piece showcased a unique level of creativity, craftsmanship and passion, making the judging process a bit of a challenge.
“From the intricate knitting that was expressed to the avant garde concepts, every entry added a depth to tonight, highlighting the boundless possibilities of wearable art as we have seen.
“Artists explored themes from environmental consciousness to personal experiences.
“Some entries displayed outstanding technical finesse, others conveyed raw emotion and social messages, demonstrating that wearable art is a powerful medium for expression and societal reflection.”
An exhibition of the wearable art items will be launched on Sunday, October 22 at Ant’s Redgum Gallery during an afternoon tea from 2pm-4pm.
Items will remain on display at the William’s Road gallery until Saturday, November 12th.
