Melbourne based designer Emma Shepherd graduated with a BA in Textile Design from RMIT in 2018. She specialises in weaving, with the preservation and continuation of hand weaving processes being an integral part of her practise. Her work crosses the boundaries between art and craft, decorative and functional. She explores the notion that although textiles often live in the periphery of our lives, they inform so many of our experiences, how we feel and how we live.

 

Her practise is ever evolving, drawing from a deep interest in ethnographic textiles and the ways in which the language of thread has been passed down through generations. The experiences arising from  travel and and being present in nature are key to informing new work.

 

The slowness that comes from handling each thread, winding it, threading it, knotting it, means that her pieces are imbued with connection and care. Emma also ventures into surface design, using techniques such as block printing and collage to create patterns.

​