Q&A: Jade Pegler on With Every Fibre of Our Being

With Every Fibre of Our Being features works from our collection which examine diverse relationships with fabric and fibre, including multiple pieces by local artist Jade Pegler. This exhibition explores works embedded with personal, cultural, and conceptual reflections, as the artists engage with notions of memory, gender, material production and waste, heritage and the human condition.

We asked Jade to let us know more about her art practice, her works in the exhibition, and her thoughts on textiles in a contemporary context.

Tell us a about yourself and your art practice. What is your driving motivation to ‘make’?

I live and work in Wollongong. My studio is home to my sewing machine and iron which are my most used tools along with needles and scissors.

I am currently working with fabric and thread almost exclusively, creating flat quilted works that hang on the wall. However, in the past I have mainly worked sculpturally, in paper, felt and fabric.

Not too sure where the motivation to create comes from but I've certainly got it. I do like to keep my hands busy, perhaps this is part of my love of textiles.

How did you feel on learning your works were included in With Every Fibre of Our Being?

I was really pleased, it's always a pleasure to show at Wollongong Art Gallery, and I was very happy to have my work shown alongside the other artists included. Also, I haven't exhibited locally for a while. It is very nice not to have to ask friends and family to travel to see my work.

What meaning lies behind this specific work, and can you explain the technique and process used?

The meaning of the works is rather non-specific; however I was intrigued by the idea of simulacrum, which refers narrowly to a being that is created rather than born, and more broadly means semblance or likeness.

In the process of creating these works fabrics are stained with pigment bound with soy, then patched and layered, then quilted and embroidered. Shapes are cut out and reassembled into forms reminiscent of puppets or strange monsters, comical and slightly sinister. I do a lot of sewing things together, cutting them up, rearranging, and sewing them back together again.

How do you think this work relates to the much broader history of women and textiles, and what specifically interests you about textiles in a more contemporary context?

I am Influenced by a history of textile toys and dolls, and the embroidery, quilting and applique I use, which have long and rich traditions. I see my work as both incorporating traditional techniques and disregarding them. The play between tradition and innovation interests me.

Has your practice changed much since these works were acquired for our Collection?

Not really, it was just last year that Wollongong Art Gallery acquired these works from my exhibition 'Homunculus' at Gallery 9, Sydney.

What do you value the most about your current practice and what direction are you planning to take it?

I'm enjoying the convenience and practicality of making flat, non-sculptural works, they travel and store so well, and I can even wash them. Their portability means I can work on them just about anywhere.

It's also economical, much of the fabric I use is recycled, and I find it deeply satisfying.

However I'd like to return to doing some more 3D work alongside the quilted pieces. Perhaps even incorporate a bit of paper sculpture. And maybe make some artists books.  Though I am never sure what I'll be making until I make it.

Do you think there is a resurgence of interest in textile and fibre art (or was it always so, irrespective of the World Wide Web or Internet) and why do you think this is?

Textiles seemed to become more acceptable as 'art' along with the emergence of feminism, for obvious reasons, I think. It does seem that there has been a more recent resurgence. I don't know why, but perhaps there is something very appealing about the tactility of textiles to a society that finds itself somewhat alienated from the body. Perhaps they offer a welcome contrast to cold device screens?

Image:  Jade Pegler, Boo, 2023, fabric, thread, yarn, wadding, soy emulsion and pigment, purchased 2023 and Jade Pegler, Reclining Homunculus,2023, fabric, thread, yarn, wadding, soy emulsion and pigment, purchased 2023