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Treasures in the desert

The creative endeavours — goldwork, jewelry and flax-derived lace — of three Antipodean artisans shine brightly at Uzbekistan’s new folkart festival

WORDS CARI JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHS SERENA S T EVENSON

SOME 2000 years ago, merchants hauled their treasures along Silk Road trade routes to the settlement of Bukhara, now the fifth-largest city in Uzbekistan. One can only imagine reaching the ancient Persian mecca after nothing but solitude and sand in the cruel-but-beautiful Kyzylkum Desert. The fortified citadel has been revered by merchants, artisans, adventurers and scholars and, over the centuries, passed through the hands of Alexander the Great, the Turkic Khaganate, and even Genghis Khan.

Fast forward a few millennia for a spectacle reminiscent of Bukhara’s past. For four days earlier this year, nearly 300 artists from around the globe unpacked their wares at the first-ever International Gold Embroidery and Jewelry Festival (known locally as the Zar Festival), a new biennial extravaganza aimed at developing gold embroidery and jewelry traditions in folk-applied arts. Representing New Zealand were Helensville gold embroiderer Jo Dixey, Auckland jeweler Joanna Campbell and Northland lace textile artist Rowan Panther, the artists selected by Mahi ā Ringa, Craft New Zealand Aotearoa.

During the festival, the base of the ancient Ark of Bukhara came to life like a lively bazaar. The trio of New Zealanders waded through a kaleidoscope of colour, culture, and unusual materials. Sharing their techniques and watching others work, they also discovered kinship through a universal language older than Bukhara itself.

(Far left) If goldwork gives metal fluidity and movement, then Waitākere jeweler Joanna Campbell’s fabric-like pieces are in a similar vein. Joanna, who teaches at Auckland’s Whitecliffe College and has helped accessorize films such as The Last Samurai, mixes sterling silver and 18- carat gold to mimic lace and textiles — like draped ribbon or a delicate string of sequins. Her wearable works look at home in Bukhara, where maximalist ornamentation is en vogue. Take only a few steps into the ancient city to see entrances embellished with ceramic tiles and elderly Uzbek women proudly wearing sparkles and colour. Joanna notes that the Modernist movement involved the rejection of ornamentation and decoration in Western culture, which is quite the opposite in Uzbekistan. (Left) Joanna wears a colourful embroidered pendant by Auckland crafter Bronwyn Lloyd.

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2022-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/283502209826682

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