Location: Farfield Mill
Each artist studied at Manchester School of Art in the Textile Department and since graduating they have all continued to make work relating to stitch, print and mixed media painting. Although as individuals their textile practice has taken them in different directions, their passion for historical textiles has remained a constant facet of their work; using techniques that are rooted in textile history has been a common thread that binds them together in their making processes.
Their exhibition ‘Exspiravit’ sees them execute new works inspired by the wonderful Rachel Kay Shuttleworth Archive housed within Gawthorpe Hall. This incredible collection gathered over decades is an enduring resource for artists and designers alike. Inspirational and informative, their access to the archive allowed them to unravel textile narratives that lay hidden in the hundreds of boxes stored here at the hall.
Working directly from the collection enabled them to make detailed drawings from the embroidered, woven, printed fabrics and garments in the collection, challenging them to look closely and to tease out their individual narratives. Many of the examples are faded, frayed and fragile pieces of cloth and clothing all of which must have been treasured and used in the daily lives of people from another time and space. Other times they would open a box and be surprised to find the fabulous condition of an item that had never lost its colours and had been meticulously cared for.
The beauty of the collection is that each piece has its own story to share bringing them closer to the intimate traces of a worn garment or a fabric loved. The owner of that piece maybe gone but not without trace, a small piece of them is here preserved in Rachel’s archive forever.
