Lis' Spinning Wheel

Lis’ old Dutch spinning wheel was originally a flat pack piece of equipment: easily assembled, disassembled and portable. Its design and technology was, despite the elaborately turned wooden parts, very simple and practical. Lis inherited it from her mother who died six years ago. Despite its history, Lis doesn’t have a strong emotional connection to the object, however she does have respect for its level of craftsmanship.

To begin, repairer Monique van Nieuwland carefully analysed the object. Many components were broken and the wheel was beyond functional repair. To acknowledge the object’s history, Monique has given all its breaks and attempted repairs prominence with hazard yellow paint and stitching. She has assembled the parts into a hat and coat rack. In this new form the spinning wheel has lost most of its three-dimensional qualities, but the elements have been assembled in a way that maintains the silhouette of the original shape.

Design Repairer: Monique van Nieuwland

Monique (Master of Philosophy-Visual Arts at the ANU – 2004) is a weaver and an Accredited Professional Member of CraftACT. In her practice she uses contemporary techniques and materials (incl. recycled), keeping loom weaving vibrant and relevant as an innovative form of expression.

Monique exhibits her work nationally and internationally. In 2016 she represents Australia at the 15th International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland and her work has been selected for the Tamworth Contemporary Textiles Exhibition (1988, 2004, 2014). Van Nieuwland has worked on many commissions for private and public places, including on the film ‘Gods of Egypt’ (Alex Proyas), producing shawls as well as cloth for cloaks and tunics for characters played by Brenton Thwaites and Geoffrey Rush.

Monique van Nieuwland teaches weaving at tertiary level at ANU but also enjoys teaching in the community.

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Lis' Spinning Wheel. Repaired by Monique van Nieuwland. Photos by Lee Grant. Image copyright Hotel Hotel.