HOOKED ON TAPESTRIES

The tapestries created by Gudrun Robinson are made with an ancient device known as a locker hook, using wools from Arraiolos, a town in Portugal renowned for its high quality yarn.

She makes stunning pieces of art and practical items such as bedspreads and rugs. Apart from their visual appeal, the texture of every item begs to be touched.

Saturday sees the opening of her exhibition at the Cultural Centre in Lagoa, the Convento de São José. Bringing together a collection of more than 50 pieces of her work, the public are invited to attend the opening night from 6p.m. The exhibition continues until July 5.

The craft of locker hooking has a long history but nowadays few people are aware of its existence. Gudrun explains: "A few communities in Ireland, Australia and North America still use the locker hook but, in most other places, its function has died out. Here, in Portugal, where hand sewing, embroidery and tapestry are popular, people are curious about my locker hook, never having seen one before.

Usign a cotton canvas with a regular hole pattern as the base, stitches are made with the locker hook, a sturdy needle with a crochet hook at one end and an eye at the other. The hook is used to pull up loops of yarn through the row of holes and these are then secured by the threaded needle, creating a row of locker hooked stitches.

The unusual finish is enhanced by the fine quality of the Arraiolos wools. The town is well known throughout Portugal for making rugs and carpets, a tradition that goes back 300 years. A flourishing yarn-making industry spins local fleece and the wool is dyed with a choice of 350 colours.

Gudrun is almost certainly the only person to have brought the locker hook and these beautiful wools together, making her creations entirely exclusive. Her designs are imaginative and varied, sometimes showing typical Algarve scenes; she can also create items based on contemporary works of art and makes copies of existing designs such as coats of arms.

She has written books about the craft of locker hooking and supplies kits for people who want to try making items for themselves.

It is more than a quarter of a century since she first took a serious interest in wool.

"The event was triggered by what was supposed to be a brief holiday to the Orkney Islands," she says, "it was there that I first learned how to spin. Eventually, I moved from Germany and lived in Scotland for 10 years."

She moved to the Algarve in 1988 where she has built up a wide reputation for highly original and unusual work.

The exhibition is open on Saturday from 6p.m. and continues until July 5. Normal opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9a.m. until 12.30p.m. and 2p.m. until 5.30p.m., Saturday 3p.m. until 7p.m.

Article from Euroweekly News, 1st - 7th June, 2006.