FASHION

Joie to the world

Joie Boulter likes to make things that are different. The costumes that she creates are certainly not the sort of thing that you would wear down the street in Tennant Creek. Her work fits readily into the theme "art to wear" and it was that title, a theme in the NT Fashion Awards a few years ago that caused Joie to start thinking of herself as an artist.
That realisation was a long time coming, especially since she failed sewing and art as a student at school. Joie mainly thought of herself as a good maker of costumes but as time passes her work has become more and more creative, and also more difficult.
Joie revels in the physical act of creating, of setting herself problems to solve and of making her work more and more technically difficult in order to achieve the desired result.
Joie's work is indeed wearable art - diaphonous organza cloaks, patchworked bodices and blossoming wings shimmering in the light. Joie has a love of the landscape around Tennant Creek which is reflected in her work. The fragility and tracery of fine lines, gold and copper seams running through the ground, layers of light appearing and disappearing as do our horizons on a hot day.
In some ways Joie is constrained by the lack of raw materials available in Tennant Creek for her work, although perhaps it is an advantage causing more creative solutions using materials that she borrows, collects and hoards.
Joie was the Supreme Winner in both the 1995 and 1996 NT Fashion Awards and won First Prize in the Crafts Council of the NT members exhibition in Tennant Creek last year. She has been selected to participate in a travelling exhibition curated by Barkly Regional Arts which will be seen in Tennant Creek later in the year. No doubt Joie has something up her sleeve, or maybe on it, to amaze us once again.

Joie to the world Joie Boulter likes to make things that are different. The costumes that she creates are certainly not the sort of thing that you would wear down the street in Tennant Creek. Her work fits readily into the theme "art to wear" and it was that title, a theme in the NT Fashion Awards a few years ago that caused Joie to start thinking of herself as an artist. That realisation was a long time coming, especially since she failed sewing and art as a student at school. Joie mainly thought of herself as a good maker of costumes but as time passes her work has become more and more creative, and also more difficult. Joie revels in the physical act of creating, of setting herself problems to solve and of making her work more and more technically difficult in order to achieve the desired result. Joie's work is indeed wearable art - diaphonous organza cloaks, patchworked bodices and blossoming wings shimmering in the light. Joie has a love of the landscape around Tennant Creek which is reflected in her work. The fragility and tracery of fine lines, gold and copper seams running through the ground, layers of light appearing and disappearing as do our horizons on a hot day. In some ways Joie is constrained by the lack of raw materials available in Tennant Creek for her work, although perhaps it is an advantage causing more creative solutions using materials that she borrows, collects and hoards. Joie was the Supreme Winner in both the 1995 and 1996 NT Fashion Awards and won First Prize in the Crafts Council of the NT members exhibition in Tennant Creek last year. She has been selected to participate in a travelling exhibition curated by Barkly Regional Arts which will be seen in Tennant Creek later in the year. No doubt Joie has something up her sleeve, or maybe on it, to amaze us once again.		Appliqued and sequined costume. Copper lame, pieced, embroidered and embellished with gold thread and beading.