Otago artist Hope Duncan works with wool in her art, which in turn focuses on wool as a fibre, as a material and an industry.

She has worked closely with PGG Wrightson Wool South Island sales manager Dave Burridge and general manager Grant Edwards to extend her understanding of wool, completing the Massey University certificate in wool technology this year.

Hope recently exhibited two new works in Dunedin: ‘Golden Locks and the Three Fadges’ and ‘Careful Where You Tread!’ The latter is a hand-tufted woollen rug, replicating a wolf skin but made in that of a sheep.

As Hope explains: “A fairy-tale style warning of impending danger, the work provokes thought around this issue and potential solutions, while hinting at one – wool. The rug is hand-tufted using Axminster carpet wool, an icon of the carpet industry that nearly sank due to our demand for synthetics over wool. They managed to claw their way back up and fight off the wolf at the door but will our crossbred industry?