The Len Lye Centre presents Interlaced: Animation and Textiles, the first major exhibition to explore the interplay between these two art forms. On view until April 27th, 2025, the exhibition transforms the gallery and cinema spaces into a dynamic exploration of animation and textiles. Featuring 25 international artists, Interlaced reveals how textile materials, patterns, and techniques inspire moving-image works, while animation breathes new life into traditional fibre arts.
The exhibition includes Len Lye’s experimental films, which serve as a pivotal connection between the mediums, showcasing how Pacific tapa design and British textile traditions informed his groundbreaking animation techniques. Alongside Lye’s work, contemporary pieces like Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s digital tapestries examine cultural memory, while Sabrina Gschwandtner’s quilted celluloid films highlight the materiality of cinema.
By blending analogue and digital practices, Interlaced examines how textiles and animation reanimate history, interweave memory, and craft narratives of transformation. The exhibition is a vibrant testament to the enduring creative potential of these art forms, offering visitors a compelling and immersive experience.
Be sure to catch our interview with Brathwaite-Shirley, where she delves into the profound exploration of human connection and memory within her art.
Hal, 2016.
Courtesy of FAIG AHMED, photography by SAM HARTNETT
Courtesy of MARGUERITE HARRIS, KELLY EGAN, JENNIFER WEST, SABRINA GSCHWANDTNER, photography by SAM HARTNETT
Convolution (Ribbon Snake), 1965 (2008 reconstruction
Courtesy of LEN LYE FOUNDATION COLLECTION, GOVETT-BREWSTER ART GALLERY, photography by SAM HARTNETT
Courtesy of JENNIFER WEST
