Textile artist Tuija Hansen
Textile Artist Tuija Hansen Presents New Exhibition
By Kat Lyzun
From November 25 to December 9, Co. Lab Gallery + Arts Centre is hosting a new exhibition by local textile artist Tujia Hansen. In Gathered Elsewhere, Hansen explores the relationship between nature, place, tradition, and technology. This past spring, Hansen attended the Digital Weaving Lab at Praxis Fibre Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio, where she created this series with wools dyed during recent residencies in Scotland and Iceland.
Cleveland Praxis Fibre Workshop loom
“During my time [at the Praxis Fibre Workshop], I designed and wove 11 weavings that pay homage to the place [where] the colours were foraged,” she says. “This work honours traditional weaving drafts while handweaving on a digitally supported Jacquard loom. Individually, the weavings capture snapshots of foraging sites and the colours derived from specific plants. Together, the series conveys my ongoing documentation of plant colour and the experiential relationships that humans form with nature over time and in specific places.”
Dyeing lupin
“Traveling to new places like Scotland and Iceland allows me to explore the colour potential from plants growing there that we don’t have here. And sometimes I learn about local uses of plants that we do have here,” she says, noting that she is excited to experiment with local varieties of iris leaves and lupins using techniques learned abroad.
Iceland plant dyes, 2025
Hansen has attended the Textilmiðstöð ós Residency in Iceland several times, and in 2025 she was able to spend a summer exploring plants that are typically buried under snow when she visits. “One of my favourite colours—a pure grass green— surprisingly came from the purple seed-head tops of the common reed, which blew in the fields surrounding the northwest region where the Icelandic Textile Center is located, along the edge of the River Blanda and the North Atlantic Ocean.”
Scotland lichen dye
In Scotland, some of her favourite dyes came from crottle, or Scottish lichen, gifted to her by her residency host, renowned textile artist Deborah Gray. “This plant dye has deep roots in local history, so it felt fitting to use it for the first time in Oban,” Hansen says. “Exploring the Scottish rainforest on the west coast allowed me to extract colours from abundant hawthorn, holly, and ivy. Taking the ferry to the Isle of Mull introduced me to the yellow flowers of gorse, the vibrant colour from iris leaves, and the traditional weaving mill, Ardalanish.”
Sneak peak
Hansen says her practice always begins with plants; they are her passion. As a textile artist with Finnish roots, she gravitates toward weaving as an artistic presentation of her plant colour research. “Even the same plant can produce a different colour, depending on the season and what time of the year it’s being harvested, how you’re processing it. Things like water matter, the temperature you’re simmering it at or if you’re simmering it at all. There is always this joy in seeing the result because you’re never 100% sure what you’re going to get.”
Gathered Elsewhere opens at Co. Lab on November 28 at 6 pm. For more information, visit tuijahansenfibredesign.ca.
