'27' Is one of a group of seven works by Louise Weaver exhibited in Gamble Against the Spirit World: Works by Peter Ellis and Louise Weaver

BACKGROUND Weaver's research is concerned with concepts of nature and its representation, its fragility and endurance as her complex objects and installations evoke nature's boundless capacity for reinvention and rejuvenation. CONTRIBUTION '27' builds on Weaver's previous research into themes of transformation and metamorphosis through shamanistic references and by extending her fundamental techniques to a vastly increased scale. The work can be seen as a woven painting. Red nylon wool has been woven though warp threads of hessian so the woven stiches operate in a similar way to the mark-making evident in a comparatively painted abstract surface. Independent marks, made slightly irregular in relation to the neutral flaws and fault lines of the hessian, appear to shimmer optically (almost as a mirage) increasing and diminishing in intensity as the viewer observes the work from various oblique or central positions. This complexity shifts the work away from its craft origins, allowing the ideas to link to other possibilities including the strategies of such minimalist artists as Agnes Martin (evident in such works as White Flower 1960s Guggenheim collection). The inclusion of the 27 kauri shells links the work to the shamanistic use of natural materials. SIGNIFICANCE This work lead to the artist being invited to undertake a residency at the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and for selection as a featured artist in the 2010 Adelaide Biennial of Art.