If you have purchased the book Finding Form with Fibre - you might recall reading about and seeing the beautiful images of Zora Verona’s exquisite nests.
Zora Verona is now embarking on a touring exhibition and planning to take it around venues in Australia. Her first event is being held in the delightful township of Marysville, Victoria, Australia.
For centuries, the strength, fragility and resilience of birds has captured our collective imagination. They play a central symbolic role in our mythology, religion and folklore and have inspired our desire to fly – from science to poetry, art and music. Yet could birds have inspired the origins of our textile craft?
Birds inhabit the globe and their history of textile use and technique mirrors the diversity of the cultures with which they coincide and intersect. They weave, felt, stitch and sculpt their nests using only beak and breast, yet from splitting, stripping and shaping, to coiling and random weave, these techniques are all echoed in human crafting tradition.
Above nests by Zora Verona - Brambling Nest, Rock Sparrow Nest & Yellow Warbler Nest
The Art & Craft of Nests explores the tenacity, determination, skill and ingenuity of birds to craft and curate. Artist Zora Verona emulates a birds methodology in collecting nesting materials by foraging locally for fauna, flora and found objects, re-envisioning nests that are held in natural history collections worldwide. This exhibition of twenty seven sustainable contemporary art works explores the complexity of nest forms honouring birds as artist and architect.
Although these artworks are not for sale, she intends to secure funding so that they might travel as a body of work to other regional galleries in Australia after Marysville In touring the exhibition she wishes to share more widely the unique stories revealed with each nest and raise further awareness that each bird species is worthy of our wonder, awe and most importantly our protection.
Above nest by Zora Verona - Baltimore Oriole
Meet the artist
If you live in Melbourne, eastern suburbs or the Yarra Valley - why not take the beautiful drive to Marysville and see this fascinating exhibition.
Zora Verona will be in residence at MiRa in Marysville during the exhibition on 2nd, 10th & 22nd of April 2023 with hosted artist talks at 11am & 2pm on these dates. Tickets are free for the hosted artist talks, yet please reserve your place via Eventbrite.
If you are unable to attend the exhibition there is a detailed online catalogue that you can browse and an online tour. https://zoraverona.com.au/media/
Date of exhibition: April 2nd - May 1st.
Time:10am - 4pm daily.
Closed Good Friday
Place: MiRA, 11 Murchinson St, Marysville
Zora Verona in her garden
Website – www.zoraverona.com.au
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zoraverona/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/zora.verona/
Images by John Christie @george_grace_creative