What lies beneath

Sue Hiley Harris' woven sculptures, on show at Swansea's Mission Gallery this month, reflect her abiding fascination with nature, writes Jenny White

- Jenny White

LOOPS, nets and fronds made from woven copper, silver and yarn bring the organic patterns of nature to the walls of the Misson Gallery in Swansea this month.

Evoking trees, decaying leaves and root systems, Sue Hiley Harris' work reflects a long-held fascination with both nature and the process of weaving - a skill she first developed by learning to make scarves. Born in suburban Australia, she initially learned to weave in silk, and then also progressed to making naturally dyed arashi shibori scarves.

Over the years, her work has evolved from craft a fine art that combines weaving and sculpture. Along the way, she has gained a BSc from the Open University, a diploma in handloom weaving in Bradford, and then an Associate Diploma in Fine Art, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, Australia.

"I still think of myself as a weaver, and I feel like a weaver, but I call myself a sculptor weaver because the work is more sculptural," she says of her current approach, which has taken her from weaving in fabric to weaving with materials as challenging as metal.

Work in her current show includes pieces woven from silver and copper wire, as well as threads and paper yarn.