Fruit of Lacemaker Ūsiņš with Trīdeksnis
Sculpture, 2025-2026
 
Artwork Statement
This work is a new iteration of sculptural collage we made entirely from found and discarded materials during the activation of our sculptural installation "Lacemaker Ūsiņš" (2025) at the 2025 VCA Grad Show.
 
"Lacemaker Ūsiņš" (2025) was situated in-between our solo works, as a place for meeting and sharing knowledge, and so this work was born from the in-between. Finger-knit scrap fabric was woven into a large piece of lace, and then scrap fabric was woven in-between the gaps, to preserve the pattern. This iteration of the work includes Rory’s interpretation of the traditional Latvian percussion instrument "Trīdeksnis" which investigates the sonic qualities of plastic at the intersection of queerness and Latvianness. The process of up-cycling found and discarded materials draws attention to how materials exist in similar in-between situations to those of humans; how everything exists between desire and function. Ultimately, this work celebrates Isabel and Rory's deep love and dedication to the "broken" and "unwanted", and demonstrates how we can break down rigid expectations to allow materials and cultural items to morph into (and exist in) unconventional, intersectional and in-between forms.
 
Artist Bio
Rory Giezekamp (he/they) is a queer multidisciplinary artist and an active member of the Latvian diaspora community in Naarm (Melbourne). As a sculptor/musician/performer, Rory enjoys making multimedia works that embody the queerness of hyper-capitalistic and consumerist environments. Using rubbish and recycled materials, Rory explores the “ground-scapes” of unsustainable cities that have been violently imposed on this land.
 
Isabel Willis (she/her) is a Naarm based artist who works across sculpture, performance, and fibre arts. Her practice explores labour, community, and shared knowledge through historically informed, textile-based processes that showcase mediative, reparative process and material engagement. Through repetition and material intimacy, Isabel challenges the temporal pressures of modern life while gesturing toward more communal ways of being and creating.