Craft / 2024 Poetry of the Lakes, by Dianne Firth. At Belco Arts, until December 1. Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.

We are fortunate that we have such a rich artistic life in Canberra, in all art forms. Both the crafts and poetry are being exhibited in the Pivot Gallery at Belco Arts.

Acclaimed quilt maker Dianne Firth is showing more than 40 quilts in response to several Canberra-based poets, which address two local lakes – Lake Burley Griffin and Weereewa – Lake George.

In addition to the quilts that are all 300mm x 210 mm, she is showing companion miniature works.

Tease of the Wind, responding to a poem by Owen Bullock, consists of 12 smaller works, and one miniature.

I could almost feel the wind blowing through the images Firth captures: a tree in winter without leaves, the red beak of a water bird, detritus on the lake’s edge including a feather and an errant piece of stray plastic.

These are dynamic works, creating a variety of glimpses of the surface of the water and the surrounding shoreline. The final poem, still lake/clouds/ miles deep, recalls clouds reflected in the still water on a grey day.

She is a meticulous artist and brings the lines of the poem to life.

As Firth points out in the free catalogue, Lake Burley Griffin is a controlled human construct, while Weereewa is a natural endorheic, or sink-lake and the water levels respond to the seasons. They both provide rich stories of their people and place.

Firth is also stitching her own interpretations on the lakes. Not to Scale, both the main work and the miniature, in bright orange shows in stark black and straight lines, the three points that Burley Griffin used when he was designing the lake.

An interesting variation to the series of works of similar size is Limnology, a quilt that is 10,000mm long that is hung the length of the ceiling. Limnology is the study of the phenomena of lakes and other fresh waters. The fabrics Firth has chosen and the careful stitching reflect the surface and colours of the water of Lake George.

This is an inspiring exhibition by an artist who knows Lake Burley Griffin extremely well. The idea of having two sizes, with the smaller work being a detail of the larger size gives us two bites at the opportunity to view them and is a way of focusing on a detail of the main quilt. It also gives the maker the chance to highlight what she sees as the important area.