Waverley Mills
Founded in 1874, Waverley Mills remains Australia’s last fully vertical woollen mill, continuing a long tradition of local making shaped by natural fibre, craftsmanship and time.
Presented as part of Work Shop: On Permanence in Contemporary Practice, this installation traces wool through its various states — from raw fleece and spun yarn to finished textile — revealing the often unseen processes behind production.
Desert Field, Fiona Lynch’s first textile collection for Waverley Mills, draws inspiration from the shifting light and tonal vastness of the Larapinta landscape. Across four woven throws — Simpson, Stanley, Ormiston and Sonder — colour is reduced to elemental bands that move between softness, depth and intensity.
The wool is sourced from Winton Estate in Campbell Town, Tasmania, a property connected to Fiona’s family history through her grandfather J.W. Benham, a respected sheep judge whose own flock lineage was shaped by Winton genetics.
Woven in Tasmania from superfine merino wool, the collection brings together landscape, memory and material continuity — connecting inherited knowledge with contemporary practice.
Fomu Studio
Established in 2017, Fomu Studio is a Melbourne and Tasmanian-based design studio with an aim to design and create objects that embody simplicity, using beautifully considered form and details to enhance the overall functionality of the design.
After years of experience in furniture making and the fashion industry, Andrew and Gabrielle merged their expertise to establish Fomu—a multi-disciplinary design studio. Their ethos revolves around blurring the boundaries between art and design, believing that the art of living is expressed when designs are thoughtfully created to resonate with people, transcending mere functionality.
Sustainability is fundamental to their design philosophy. They prioritise minimal material wastage, create timeless designs, and collaborate with skilled craftspeople in Melbourne and Tasmania to ensure refined outcomes and positive relationships.
Fomu has gained international recognition, being featured in publications such as Vogue, Milk Decoration, Architectural Digest, and more.
Featuring:
Fomu Studio (@fomu)
Waverley Mills (@waverleymills)
Fiona Lynch Office (@fionalynchoffice)
Exhibition Photography: By Matthew McQuiggan
(@matthewmcquiggan)
Flowers by Ruby Bakker (@bakkerflowers)
