POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Physical Description

Conical hat made from dyed and stitched grass/bark. The top of the hat consists of large bunches of yellow grass fibre plaited together. These bunches then extend down from the top to form the sides of the cone in parallel ropes secured to an underlying twig frame. Starting near the top, the bundles have been wrapped and sewn with dark brown thread in a thin horizontal band. After this initial band, consecutive horizontal rows of stitching secure the grass, with stitching interspersed with rows of thread wrapping. The stitched rows form alternating patterns, including tight, straight stitching, criss-crosses, and large rows of hexagons loosely connected overtop of the grass. Three quarters of the hat are composed of rows of sewing and wrapping, and the remaining one quarter consists of the loose ends of the grass unravelled and extending from the cone in a long, dense fringe. A large band above the fringe is covered by a layer of fibres dyed dark brown, which are tied around each grass bundle. The dyed fibres have been secured to the grass with additional stitching and wrapping, but do not extend to the bottom of the fringe.The front of the hat has its fringe cut short to frame the face opening. The thread is dark brown, white, dark green and dark blue. A long, thin rope-like fibre cord extends from the top.