Better Ancestors visits with Seonaid Burnie in Ōtautahi / Christchurch on the East Coast of the South Island, Aotearoa / New Zealand. Seonaid is an eco-printer and textile artist.

By re-purposing second-hand fabrics, using eco-printing and dyeing techniques Seonaid reveals art from within nature.

Her passion is to communicate creativity without using the chemicals and without creating the waste that is associated with traditional art.

There is another element that is transmitted through her knowledge, skills and experience which is the circularity of life.

Christchurch’s “Red Zone” is an outcome of the destruction associated with the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 / 2011. By foraging for plant material in what were old gardens Seonaid samples the new life and uses textures and patterns to communicate a message.

The work has a subtle natural beauty, a calmness that speaks of a quiet reflective and almost timeless place, an antidote to the juggernaut of 21st century rapid change.

To learn more of Seonaid’s journey and see more of her work you may care to visit:

https://theclothworks.co.nz/