By Marica
Remember Ashley Wood? No?
In her Design Indaba feedback, Rose found emerging designer Ashley’s gauze bandage chandelier to be one of the most interesting designs at this year’s Indaba. We were both quite excited when Ashley mailed us shots of her latest designs – all part of her new Gauze range. Boy, we sure like what we saw! The range includes new lighting designs in addition to some awesome-looking scatter cushions (you know scatter cushions are my weakness).
Ashley, who studied fine art, designed this range exclusively for NAP living (so exciting)!
I was interested to know what she has been up to since the Indaba and what exactly inspired her work with bandage gauze as a medium…her answer was quite unexpected.
Diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15, Ashley suffered severe seizures that intensified during her 1st year of college. Most alarming was that the act of sketching induced further seizures…so her art (which she loved) became a fear. The seizures were so severe in fact, that she had to undergo brain surgery in hopes of alleviating the problem.
She noticed that, when she felt a seizure looming, she was inclined to fiddle, tear and tie anything close at hand. This act served as distraction. The experience led her to a process of creating through fiddling – the only way she could calm herself down. Art acted as therapy.
As an artist she adheres to a personal philosophy and an artistic concept of “Healing, Acceptance and dealing with Loss”. Gauze, and other medical products, therefore became a figurative embodiment of this notion. Ashley has come to love and appreciate gauze as an art material, especially its texture and varying colour qualities. It has the ability to be deconstructed and recreated into something new and entirely unrecognisable.
Ashley, who was completing her final year at the Ruth Prowse School of Art when she partook in the Design Indaba, was quite surprised by the overwhelming interest she got post-Indaba. She even had the amazing opportunity for her chandeliers to be showcased as part of a national fashion show for Kristall Mantwa in collaboration with Sharne van Rynveld.
Ashley aspires to one day have her own store featuring her art and products as well as the works of selected artists and designers. She is also currently working on new artworks for a ONE DAY art exhibition, partially curated by her and fellow Ruth Prowse graduates Katharina Foster, Adele van Heerden, Bianca de Klerk and Anya Kovas.
Ashley, you are truly an amazing inspiration and an exceptional woman! We give you the Royal Seal of Awesomeness.
Check out Ashley’s Facebook page: here
The Design Tabloid 
Oh My Gosh Ashley – that is so awesome to hear how you coursed a path that has led you to creating works of functional art making use of this medium. It will really be a story to tell your grandchildren one day. Well Done and from the Design Tabloid we wish you every future success. Keep us posted as to your developments.
This post really tugged at my heart strings. It is such an inspirational and motivational post. Thank you for sharing it with us Marica. We can all learn something from Ashley.
I totally agree Lelanie, she truly is a remarkable girl! The creative mind is such a positive and powerful tool, even (or should I say, especially) in adverse circumstances.
Wow, I’m reading this again! You all have taken my story and written it so beautifully. Something that I struggle to put into words and explain, but you just wrote my story as an artist and deisgner so well. Thank you Marica and Rose.
And to you Lelanie, I’m glad that in someway I moved you through my story. I hope to change and help others with the same circumstances as myself.
It’s our absolute pleasure Ashley!
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