I had originally seen the Dagny accessories on a quick visit to the Nicholas Building in the city. I admired their woven structure and beautiful colours; it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that I realised the creator of it all, Tahli Kornhauser, was infact a friend of a friend and I just knew I had to interview her!
Moving from Queensland to Melbourne Tahli studied Interior design before becoming one of the Exhibition designers for the National Gallery of Victoria. The last exhibition Tahli had to design for was one on eastern art and jewellery and as she researched and delved into the movement, she became fascinated. Little did she know this was going to be a precursor to the fate that awaited her. After leaving her job at the NGV, Tahli went back to Queensland to recollect herself and it was there that she was reminded of her childhood in which she had learned Japanese and had also spent many afternoons with her sister making jewellery. Fate's hand then pushed her to travel to Japan, where she discovered the woven belts of the kimonos and the art of Japanese woven jewellery.
Upon her return to Australia, Tahli started a correspondence with a lady in America who was also weaving jewellery and slowly she started to teach herself through the pages of instruction books and the emails of a virtual friend.
With help from a community of friends and family, Tahli started Dagny and she has seen it through to the success that it is today. She just recently returned to Japan to source more silks for her next collection and more woven kimono belts to inspire her. I was lucky enough to visit her studio in Collingwood and have a chat with her and also watch the complex weaving of a belt she was creating. Being a weaver and just a lover of all textiles and handmade things, I could not help but be in awe of her. She is truly an incredibly creative and beautiful person! I am so glad I got the chance to meet her and see her working on such intricate pieces of jewellery.
What are you most excited about right now?
I’m excited about working on a community arts project with the
Banyule City Council in early 2015. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time
to be able to use my skills to do something constructive for the community.
This project will be a great start in that direction. Onwards and
upwards!
What is the one piece of advice you will never forget being
given?
My super awesome dad always says, ‘You’re here for a good
time not a long time.’ Lately, this sentence has started to make a lot of
sense.
What is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?
Favourite thing about living in Melbourne?
It’s flat! You can ride everywhere and the public transport is
amazing. Melbournians might attest to this, but I would then say, ‘go live
in a city where there are approximately ten buses!’
Favourite place in Melbourne?
This is easy - The Heide Museum of Modern Art! This is because I
love nature as much as I love art and Heide is all about both! Plus, it’s just
beautiful on so many levels.
Check out Tahli's work and support her here:
Official Website:http://dagny.com.au
Instagram:http://instagram.com/dagny_accessories
- A
*Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article
*Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article
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