Charli Stardust - Starling Sparrow, Christchurch
THE LONGEST SHAKE: A joyfully wearable, fun and whimsical semiotic exploration of kiwi identity and culture through an iconographic lens Charlotte Shaw aka Charli Stardust aka Starling Sparrow.
"What is your culture?" - asked Art school…
A 6th generation Kiwi; Charlotte was born in Canterbury in 1977 and raised by art and fashion collecting Parents, a bespoke jewellery designing Stepmother, a photography loving Grandfather and a bead weaving Grandmother. Its safe to say that Charlotte has been creating since her beginning.
At Art school Charlotte was endlessly inspired by local masters of symbolism; Bill Hammond, Colin McMahon, Dick Frizzell, Seraphine Pick and Glenn Jones and delved extensively into the world of body language, semiotics and iconography.
Emerging with a degree in Contemporary Photography and a Masters in Fine Arts. She was also awarded Student of the year.. After tragically losing her best friend in the 2011 earthquake, Charlotte spent many years in Asia finding solace in her love of jewellery making. This eventually led to… THE LONGEST SHAKE; an adorable collection of beaded earrings and necklaces, woven in ‘brick stitch’; an ancient European slow art technique, using the highest quality, most uniform Japanese seed beads - Miyuki Delicas.
Each piece takes days to design and 5-7 hours to weave together. Which caters ideally to Charlotte’s hyperfocusing ADHD! Themes of belonging, identity and nostalgia run through this latest wearable body of work with the pieces featuring highly stylised caricatures of New Zealand objects; contraband, native plants, symbolic Kiwi icons… anything that represents our special and individual ‘Kiwiana’ culture and style whilst conjuring the irresistible sentimentality of childhood.
Charli designs from a home-based studio in Sydenham, where she lives with her two delicious sons Tommi (9) and Alfie (6)
