Jennifer Robertson came to Australia in 1986 from England, and from 1993 became highly skilled in the processes of ‘double-weave’ and ‘triple-weave’. She works in her Canberra studio weaving Australian motifs into the layers of cloth.

In 2003, Robertson’s interest in complex weave structures took her to la Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio (Lisio Foundation) in Florence, Italy. Dedicated to the preservation of Renaissance textile processes, Lisio offers classes and residencies for making silk Jacquard, damask, brocade and velvet on ancient looms. Some of these looms now have links to computers instead of punch cards.

In 2004, as part of the To Furnish a Future project, Robertson was commissioned to make textiles for chairs in the historic Government House, NSW, using velvet she made at Lisio.

Robertson’s work was included in the 2007 exhibition 'Smart works: design and the handmade’ at the Powerhouse Museum.

Writers:

fishel
Date written:
2013
Last updated:
2013