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Artist Statement
Working from her Flinders (VIC) studio, weaver Emma Shepherd practices one of the world's oldest crafts with the sensibility of an artist deeply embedded in her environment. Thinking through fabric, its strength and its structure, Shepherd has acquired an innate understanding of textiles as a universal language, and the long history of weaving as a site of innovation, intuition, and intimacy.
The Bauhaus ethos remains central to Shepherd’s practice, where art, craft and design are seamlessly integrated without hierarchy. Carefully selected yarn affords Shepherd the opportunity to reflect on the deeper lineage of fibre, allowing each material - especially those collected from sites around the studio - to shape the work in a gentle yet deliberate way. She sensitively honours the landscape within which she lives and works by periodically folding in colours resembling the verdant foliage, the dark tones of tree trunks, the neutrals of the sand and stone of her coastal hometown.
Theme: TETHER
The functional roots of our crafts were the starting point for TETHER—what originally connected Thannie and I’s practices and guided our conversations. I’ve always been drawn to objects made out of necessity, and to how those same forms, over time, become vessels of beauty, care, and cultural importance.
Working by hand shapes how we relate to objects: what we touch, use, and live with carries a different weight. The handmade asks for attention—it holds labour, time, and intention, and in doing so becomes precious.
I was also drawn to the historical connection between weaving and ceramics. In many archaeological sites, ceramic or stone warp weights are among the few traces left behind to indicate weaving once took place. That shared lineage—where function, material, and making intersect—feels central to TETHER.
— Emma Shepherd, Flinders
