Wearable art
Hand embroidery, shadow work and exquisite Brussels lace on a variety of items, will be on sale at “Threaded Dreams” – an exhibition and sale by Andrea Boekel and her students. To be held from 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 at the J.D.A. Perera Gallery, Horton Place, Colombo 7, the display will be the result of much hard work over two long years by Andrea and her students.
An extensive range of clothing – dresses and blouses in the finest linens embellished with hand embroidery, shadow work and Brussels lace and soft, cool nightwear, children’s clothes, a range of bed linen, cushion covers, napkins, runners and wall hangings will be available.
For more than 25 years, Andrea who is well known for her creativity and skill has carried on her needle art, infusing this time-honoured tradition with her characteristic element of “hip”. No more the realm of prim fashion statements, Andrea’s embroidery is splashed across the trendiest of today’s styles. Her dresses are lavishly adorned with embroidered and lace accents and her blouses are in both formal and casual ranges.
“Art is something that is not meant to be tucked away inside some closet; rather it should be worn confidently. I have done my best to create pieces that are both practical and elegant and that have a soul,” she says.
Andrea Boekel
Leaning towards all things artistic from a very young age, and studying visual art for many years, Andrea turned her attention to the medium of textile and textile-related art. Despite her parallel love of all things literary and modern music, she found herself always returning to her needle art. Sherealised she possessed skills in teaching and sharing her knowledge after a short stint at Colombo International School as their craft teacher.
Led by her strong social conscience, Andrea first taught her skills in a remote village in the North Western province. She converted the class to a business venture although she admits that ‘there is no price to hand work as profit is negligible when you consider the man hours put into a piece”. Many women in that same team she began with still remain working with her, she says proudly.
She has taught more than 500 students over the years including many at Sarvodaya Sawan Sahana Sewa and at the Somawati Children’s Home in Koggala. More recently, the Japanese-funded “Saree Connection” project engaged her as a consultant for their saree upcycling project in Jaffna. Beyond these shores, Andrea has lectured in textile art at two prestigious Australian universities as well.
Perhaps thehonourthat resonates deep within her, is when she was called upon to collaborate withSelynFairtrade Handlooms to create the altar cloth for the Mass held on Galle Face Green by Pope Francis on his visit to Sri Lanka. “It was the most awe-inspiring experience,” she said. “Selyn’s objectives and mine are similar, so it was an amazing collaboration. We used traditional Sri Lankan motifs while adhering to a passage in the Bible.”
Some of her creations
A writer of repute having contributed to many local and international publications, Andrea published several books on architecture and lifestyle for Australian Media House – the Images Publishing Group in Melbourne during the 15 years she lived in Melbourne, Australia. Her other passion is fitness, which instils a strong sense of discipline she believes. She works out with a personal trainer at 5.30 a.m. four days of the week.
As diverse as Andrea, will be the products on display at “Threaded Dreams”. Her motto has always been that wearable art should also be affordable and although the finest quality of linens, fabrics and threads are used, they will be very reasonably priced. Also on sale will be lovely Beeralu lace items created by award winning lacemaker from Galle
M.B. Priyani