Isla Keast

Around the Fire tells the story of an ongoing conversation explored through woven form. It began with a question, why is it that when next to a flame, I feel so at peace, so connected? This work considers how fire speaks to the human spirit, and how installation can translate inner musings into outward experience.

Through a series of five weavings in mercerized cotton, I reimagine fire from what it leaves behind, wood, charcoal and ash. Each weaving develops its own presence through the interlacing of warp and weft, then is shaped further through its encounter with flame. Unwoven and exposed sections of warp become gateways into each weaving’s heart or spine, revealing its internal structure. I see these openings as gestures of vulnerability and peace, echoing fire’s capacity to expose, transform and leave trace.

By surface charring the pine rods and burning the weavings themselves, I invite fire in as co-creator. A collaboration where maker, material and flame can coexist. The works are installed in relation to one another, inviting the viewer to walk within. I ask, what do the weavings whisper as you brush past? Where do they take you, and why?