Ubiquitous: Aspects of Contemporary Pattern

Ubiquitous: Aspects of Contemporary Pattern is a thematic exhibition exploring contemporary pattern with works made by New Zealand makers and designers within the last 10 years. David Brett, a British contemporary authority on pattern and ornament, observes that pattern is as pervasive, perennial and, implicitly, primordial as language and arithmetic. Indeed, pattern can be found in every culture, every era and in every environment. Pattern appears in fields as diverse as fashion, nature, mathematics, tattoo art, software design and interior design.

In presenting this exhibition, Objectspace seeks to explore the enduring appeal of pattern and pattern-making for contemporary New Zealand makers. Ubiquitous: Aspects of Contemporary Pattern presents work by practitioners working across a wide range of media including design, craft, applied arts, sculpture, print-making and photography, demonstrating pattern's contemporary relevance. Both the exhibition and accompanying publication explore three themes; Pattern and Construction, Pattern and Identity, and Pattern and Knowledge. While these themes are porous and represent only a few of pattern's many properties, each theme demonstrates a different aspect and purpose behind the use of pattern. Common across all three themes is pattern's attraction as a device for exploring and expressing individual and collective concerns.

Just as there are no societies that do not speak or count, so there are none that do not decorate, embellish or make patterns - David Brett (2005)