Phytoplankton is the hottest fashion trend at Mawson research station this winter after an exclusive line of hats went under the hammer.
Australian textile artist Hadley Westwood has again carried on an Antarctic midwinter tradition by donating her bespoke beanies to wintering expeditioners.
Each beanie is carefeully crafted, taking around three weeks to create and often designed using images taken by expeditioners.
“I get a thrill out of knitting something and imagining whose going to end up with it. It’s an exciting gift I can send out into the universe,” Hadley said.
“I don’t sell them, I only knit for people who inspire me.
“I think wintering expeditioners down there are very special people. Mawson is a distant outpost. It’s an amazing place that’s difficult to live in and I want to support the work they do down there.”
She started the Hadley Hats Arts Project in 2019 as a way to pay homage to Sir Douglas Mawson’s ideals of conservation and exploration.
Each year’s work is based on a theme, with the artist settling on phytoplankton (microscopic marine plant-like organisms) this year.
A tour of the Australian Antarctic Division’s krill laboratory also helped weave some ideas into the project.
