





Tia Ansell
Weaver
Fitzroy, Australia
Mapping the world with thread
- Tia's woven panels are formed with repeating codes derived from architectural sites
- She paints flattened motifs from sites directly onto her weavings
- She works with silk, linen and cotton on horizontal floor looms
A prescribed restriction at art school led Tia Ansell to her current practice of weaving. "I was asked to make an artwork in which painting was forbidden. I chose weaving and never looked back," she says. Tia started working on a vertical loom she built herself, but it was a horizontal loom gifted by a friend that helped establish her signature technique of using floor looms with natural textiles such as silk, linen and cotton. The vibrant geometric patterns in her weavings are inspired by repeating codes derived from measuring architectural sites through cross sections or slices of locations. Tia then paints simplified, flattened motifs from the same structure on top, hiding and revealing elements of the weave. In doing so, she continues a tradition of retelling stories about environments through textiles, reimagined for contemporary life.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
Weaving is inherently based on code, a concept that I apply to landscape and architecture. I use codes from a chosen location to inform my textiles. The result is a haptic, visually vibrant, woven painting. I have stumbled across a form of information gathering that is infinite: it allows me to map the world.
Weaving is very planned. I know exactly what I am doing before I make the work, but I always get surprised by the end result. I am weaving together different elements and embedding different codes into my work, so I end up with a brand-new picture.
I have created 20 works inspired by 120 Collins Street, a skyscraper that cuts a striking, tartan-like pattern against the Melbourne sky. The building was inspired by New York's iconic Chrysler Building and was once the tallest structure in the city. Its bold design captures a side of Melbourne that often surprises people: a city rooted in vibrant colour.
Watch plenty of YouTube tutorials and keep practising until it clicks. I have woven so much that I can now do it with my eyes closed. With enough practice, you will know you missed a stitch without even looking. Your eyes might miss a detail, but your fingers will feel it instantly.
Tia Ansell
Weaver
Fitzroy, Australia
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
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