SYDNEY.- On the 30 July 2011 the Powerhouse Museum staged a spectacular, ground-breaking exhibition of contemporary lace works by artists and designers from around the world that showcases lace design in ways never before seen or ever imagined. Around 130 lace works by 134 artists from 20 countries will feature in Love Lace, which opened for Sydney Design 2011. The exhibition is drawn from finalists of the Powerhouse Museum’s third International Lace Award that attracted an outstanding field of 700 entries globally.

Dr Dawn Casey, Director, Powerhouse Museum, said: “This truly unique exhibition draws connections between the traditionally disparate disciplines of science, design and technology in an astonishing showcase of contemporary ingenuity from a wide range of design disciplines from around the globe.”

The exhibition, Love Lace, features two and three dimensional and virtual works from installations, screens and sculptures; textiles, wall hangings and lighting; to fashion, fashion accessories and jewellery.

A disused farm truck revived by its impressive metal lace body, a sculpture of a female uterus made from delicately knitted human hair, a replica Ford motor engine created from thin crocheted steel, and a galvanised steel wire fence with its spectacular bobbin lace butterfly design, are among some of the extraordinary and provocative works that are expected to surprise and delight visitors!

Unconventional materials including human hair, horse hair, titanium, mulberry paper, tapa cloth, copper and silver wire, and optical fibres have also been manipulated with traditional techniques to create such revolutionary works.

In contrast, beautifully-constructed textiles, artworks featuring materials from the natural environment inspired by ancient skills, and exquisite pieces featuring the finest of lace techniques including needle and bobbin lace, are also presented with a contemporary twist.

According to Lindie Ward, one of the Lace Award judges and curator of Love Lace, the 2010 competition invited artists to create a lace work defined as ‘an openwork structure in which the pattern of spaces is as important as the solid areas’. This gave artists greater freedom to use a wide range of materials that has led to such extraordinary, innovative works.

“Nothing could have prepared me for the scale and inventiveness of the work this Award has attracted. Artists have combined outstanding design, superb technique and their own unique sense of place.

“By organising the Award through the web, the Powerhouse Museum has guaranteed a broad representation of designers from many countries and encouraged a truly diverse and inspiring field of new lace works,” said Lindie Ward, Curator Design and Society, Powerhouse Museum.

The first prize winner and five category winners (traditional techniques, fashion, built environment, digital multi-media, and Australian and New Zealand tertiary students) of the 2010 Lace Award were announced and awarded prizes from a cash prize pool of A$40,000 when the Love Lace exhibition officially opened at the launch of Sydney Design 2011 on 29 July 2011.

Love Lace is on display at the Powerhouse Museum until April 2012.