Flora and fauna in fabric
- Lizel raises environmental awareness through her fabric sculptures
- She is deeply inspired by nature and the people around her
- In her works, she likes to recycle waste textiles
Lizel von Wielligh recreates the flora and fauna of the environment surrounding her using traditional fabrics she upcycles, driven by her concerns about the fast fashion industry. While working as a nurse in Liverpool in the UK, she felt the need to express her creativity and took classes in drawing, textile art and craft at Scalmersdale College in Lancaster. Lizel learned various techniques including trapunto, weaving and spinning. In 2015, she opened her workshop in a desert region of South Africa called The Karoo. “I love that I get to play with fabrics, the excitement of the problem solving and coming up with new ideas. My creative process always starts with the fabrics, and it often feels like the textures decide what they want to become through my hands,” Lizel says.
Interview
- What life lesson have you learned thanks to your craft?
- The biggest lesson I have learned is to be patient. Great things come to those who wait. Craftsmanship is slow and has got a rhythm to it, unlike fast fashion. We cannot run too fast all the time in this busy world. We have to sit still and take time to breathe.
- How do collaborations influence your work?
- They help me develop new skills and ideas, and find different ways of doing things. I learned a lot from other artists, regardless of their qualifications. It is important to be quiet enough to watch. I love observing people's hands while crafting, as there is a cleverness in how the fingers work.
- How would you describe what you do?
- I am a sculptor who works with fabric. I translate plants, animals and the world around me through the fabrics I collect. Sometimes, I frame my works if the sculpture is big.
- What aspect of your craft tends to surprise people?
- My 3D creations, especially the larger ones, are very impressive in their details. The pieces feature several different types of fabrics – each leaf is different. They are all blended together in the way I paint them. Seeing people’s reactions in person truly inspires me to do more and better.
Lizel von Wielligh is a master artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2015
Where
Lizel von Wielligh
