It was my honour to work with Imelda Connolly to create this silk and wood piece. The project was part of a collaboration of fashion and craft organised by Council of Irish Fashion Designers and Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, and launched as part of the AW22 fashion show.
A hand-crafted neckpiece of wood turned discs and beads by Imelda Connolly, enhanced with silk and worn over a
silk dress created by me, Hazel Greene.
Both of us in our individual practices like to work with the natural beauty of our material; this collaboration
began with an exploration of colour and texture and developed into this neckpiece, showcasing the versatility of
turned wood and painted silk.
The silk design was created from an original landscape painting on silk of the Poulnabrone dolmen of the Burren.
The painting was digitally printed onto 100% heavy silk twill fabric and used to create the empire line dress inspired
by the fashion of the early 1800s. The silk was then twisted and used to cover wood discs, linking the neckpiece and
the garment.
The wood for this collaboration piece is walnut, a stable hardwood that is strong, but also light. The pieces were
turned on a lathe, sanded to 1000 grit and sprayed with ebonising lacquer, then a copper gilt cream was applied to
highlight the grain.
