Weaving Radical Hope with Shaye Hardisty

At the heart of Radical Hope Machine 2, textile artist Shaye Hardisty is weaving stories you can wear during her residency at the Makerspace at Library+ Caloundra. 

Through patchwork, quilting, and a touch of magic, Shaye’s garments transform personal memories into bold, living artworks, inviting audiences to step inside, dress up, and become part of the story. Blending craft, technology, and community voices, her work captures the spirit of the project: playful, immersive, and full of radical hope.

We sat down with Shaye to chat all things radical hope.

Tell us about yourself, and what is your role in Radical Hope Machine 2? 

I am Shaye Hardisty, and I am the textile artist creating garments for RHM2.

How would you describe Radical Hope Machine 2 in your own words? 

RHM2 is such a cool, multi-layered project! It is a wild merging of textile creations and dress-ups with creative writing, story-telling and collage. There is also plenty of community participation and some clever audio technology to create an immersive experience that will leave you joyful and full of radical hope. 

What does it mean to you to sew stories into garments? 

I really feel when you create garments with strong intention and purpose that they do take on their own life and become their own storytellers. I am using patchwork and quilting techniques that always invoke some kind of magic for me. Patchworking has such a rich history of storytelling and historically has served as a communal expression of resilience and shared experiences. It really felt perfect to use that for these coats, it's like lots of individual memories and stories coming together to create something new and beautiful. 

In a broader sense, as a textile artist, sewing is creating stories. Whether I am sewing clothing at home to wear, or creating a piece for a project or gallery, I am sharing my own stories and ideas through shape, colour, construction, and techniques I use. 

When does a piece shift from clothing to something more magical? 

The shift often comes when I sew flat pieces together into a 3D shape… The process for me is mostly trying not to overthink it and control the outcome too much. So, when everything comes together, and I get a sense of the final garment, it definitely shifts to something magical. Often it will develop more of its own personality then too, and I will know what more I need to adjust or add to lean more into the individual feeling of the garment. 

What has surprised you most about creating work for this project? 

As far as RHM2, I think the biggest surprise so far has been learning about the audio technology. Having never worked this way with technology before, I expected it to be a much bigger process and have more equipment involved. And it probably is both bigger and more involved overall, but the tech pieces that I am incorporating in the garment creation are very manageable and pretty exciting to work with.

What does radical hope feel like when you’re actually making something? 

While building these garments, radical hope feels like… not overthinking. Letting go of the fear of failure, trusting my process and skills and generally feeling acceptance. I have not had a lot of extra time to test or experiment with ideas, so just jumping right in with hope and trust has been integral to get everything finished in time. 

I really like the idea of radical hope as a re-enchantment, a gentle feeling of looking for the magic, the glimmers, the curiosity, and I have definitely been feeling all of that too! 

What do you hope someone experiences when they encounter these garments at Library+ Caloundra? 

I want people to feel playful and curious. To be brave enough to play dress-ups and wear a big colourful coat with joy. I hope the coats are comfortable. When people wear the coats, I hope it feels magical and transportive. As they move around the space and the coats actually talk to them, I hope they feel light and unburdened from everything heavy and can just experience the joy and curious wonderment of this unusual visit to the library. 

How has working atLibrary shaped this project for you? 

My residency at Library+ has been a dream. It has given the project space to spread and take up space! And make a mess. Patchworking and garment production create so much mess and needs space and would have been so challenging from my very small home filled with people. 

It’s such a privilege and luxury to leave my work unfinished to return to the next day. And I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude (and a little guilt too) that there are cleaners that clear away my threads and scraps on the ground. I am so messy by nature, and it’s made this space so luxurious. 

Also, it has been lovely sharing the Makerspace with MadeSC, beautiful and helpful artists that have contributed ideas and fabrics to use in the coats. 

If these garments could whisper one message to the Sunshine Coast community, what would it be? 

“Life is magic”

What are you most looking forward to for Horizon Festival 2026?

I am excited for so much of the 2026 program! Today’s top 6: The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave, The Umbilical Brothers, M'ap Boulé, Boundaries at Bankfoot, Namba Narrates and Horizon Dance Hall! There is so much on offer and I’m really excited to experience as much as possible this year. 

Have you been listening to anything while you work? 

I’ve had this playlist on constant repeat, honestly, I’ve played it a lot.