BY India Flint | February 23, 2010

Textile fragments and soulful dolls

At the point on South Australia’s coast where the once-mighty river Murray gasps its way to the sea there is a small town called Goolwa. In its heyday it was a major shipping port where goods such as wool and grain were transferred from the paddle steamers that came down the river to a small train that pootled along the coast to Port Elliot and Victor Harbor, where the cargo was loaded on to sailing ships. In those days the mouth of the Murray was considered far too treacherous to negotiate with sailing ships. It’s still difficult but less due to the mighty waters [although there’s some fairly terrifying surf]. Sand banks clog the works for the most part.
As a commercial hub the region once boasted [among other essentials] a number of breweries. One of these is now home to collector and artist Jenni Worth who constructs exquisite dolls from a treasure trove of vintage and artisan textiles. The dolls are entirely hand-sewn and are dressed in precious costumes of layered fabric pieces. Often they are embellished with fragments of antique jewellery. Jenni lets the textures and patterns of the fabrics dictate the characters of her protégés. Each one is a unique individual, their one common feature being as Jenni so beautifully puts it “the oneness of our universal face”.
As the doll is completed she is numbered and given a tag that relates the provenance of the textiles used. I’ve been blessed with #11 who [I think] looks just a little like me…long braids and an eclectic fashion style. She’s wearing an indigo cotton garment with a vintage kimono silk apron, tassels from Turkestan and a Chinese silk headcover. These lovely dolls are available from the “Art Piece Gallery” at Byron Bay [NSW, Australia] and also be seen during the Adelaide Festival Fringe in the exhibition “Ella-Mental” at the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village.
The exhibition runs from February 20- March 14 2010, with a celebration event on February 27th. 
 
 
Art Piece Gallery      http://www.artpiecegallery.com.au
Adelaide Festival Fringe      http://tix.adelaidefringe.com.au