A FORMER Morisset High School student’s Anzac-themed dress is part of an exhibition at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
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Rachel Newman completed year 12 in 2017, and her dress, Ruffles of Remembrance, was deemed one of the outstanding Higher School Certificate works in NSW in the Textiles and Design course.
It is now on show at the Powerhouse Museum’s Shape 2017 exhibition which features a selection of the outstanding student projects in Textiles and Design, Industrial Technology, and Design and Technology.
“Rachel's was one of 11 textiles projects selected from over 1700 students who completed the HSC in Textiles and Design last year,” her mother, Karen Newman, said.
Rachel completed her major textiles project and folio over a year in what was her first attempt at felting.
She estimated that it was the culmination of more than 300 hours of work.
“Each of the felted ruffles tells a story of the Anzacs,” Rachel said.
“The top ruffle depicts soldiers leaving for war and landing at Anzac Cove. The second ruffle depicts tough life in the trenches with barbed wire, dirt, splattered blood and leather footprints.
“The third depicts Flanders Field with the bright contrast of colour and texture, and 3D poppies giving some depth perspective.
“The fourth depicts communication with loved ones at home, with telegrams, postcards and war medals. And the fifth ruffle shows a sunset with a lone bugler and the words ‘At the going down of the sun… Lest we forget’.”
Each of the felted ruffles tells a story of the Anzacs.
- - Rachel Newman
The bodice features a sweetheart neckline with felted poppy and rosemary sprigs.
“The red cape celebrates the work of the nurses, while also reminding people of the hardships with ‘bullet holes’ around the edge, and the ‘dripping blood’ of the felted dreadlocks that were shed,” Rachel said.
Ms Newman said Rachel had been inspired to create the dress after a visit to New Zealand.
The dress features about $400 worth of wool and silk.
The dress is resonating with audiences in this, the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I.
The exhibition is on show until May 6.