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Publication: Textile Design Theory in the Making | Elaine Igoe

1 December 2021 General / Publication
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Textile Design Theory in The Making
Textile design inhabits a liminal space spanning art, design and craft. This book explores how textile design bridges the decorative and the functional, and takes us from handcrafting to industrial manufacture. In doing so, it distinguishes textiles as a distinctive design discipline, against the backdrop of today’s emerging design issues.

With commentaries from a range of international design scholars, the book demonstrates how design theory is now being employed in diverse scenarios to encourage innovation beyond the field of design itself. Positioning textiles within contemporary design research, Textile Design Theory in the Making reveals how the theory and practice of textile design exist in a synergistic, creative relationship.

Drawing on qualitative research methods, including auto-ethnography and feminist critique, the book provides a theoretical underpinning for textile designers working in interdisciplinary scenarios, uniting theory and texts from the fields of anthropology, philosophy, literature and material design.

Elaine Igoe is Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Portsmouth, UK

Funded PhD: Royal College of Art Textiles

1 December 2021 Awards / General / New weave developments / Reseach
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Woman stripping bark from a nettle plantA Funded PhD with RCA Textiles, enabled by funding from the late Susi Dunsmore’s foundation.

About the project
The aim of this project is to develop innovative new pathways for the textile-led social development work of Susi Dunsmore. Dunsmore’s textile practice-led approach to community development was holistic in its understanding of the place of the nettle plant in the local environment and culture.

The Nepalese Giant Nettle provides one of the longest bast fibres in the world and is traditionally used in weaving and knitting by the women of communities in the mountainous region of East Nepal. Woven, knitted and other constructed textile products provide supplementary income to subsistence farming. Susi Dunsmore worked with these textile makers and introduced new weave and knit structures, fibre blends and product types to improve income generation through textile making.

Dunsmore’s approach to social impact through co-design integrated an understanding and respect for the lives of the female makers. Her work provides a model for social impact projects through textile making. This research project will simultaneously model and extend Dunsmore’s approach addressing urgent and contemporary production concerns.

Text and image: with thanks RCA

Grants: The Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers | Alison Morton Memorial Awards

1 December 2021 Awards / General / Scholarships
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Grant: Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers
The Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers will be making their biennial grants to weavers during March 2022. Grants of between £500 and £5000 are awarded to younger weavers in the early stages of their careers who show potential and commitment as well as to more experienced weavers for a particular project or for time out to develop their work.

The Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers aims to encourage and support weavers in the United Kingdom to enjoy artistic freedom so that they may contribute to the development of handweaving and the education of future weavers.

Application deadline: 1 March 2022

Further details and an application form is available to download from their website  or by contacting admin@theomoormantrust.org.uk

Alison Morton Memorial Awards
In 2022 the Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers will be making two additional awards in memory of Alison Morton (1946 – 2021). Alison was one of the most dedicated loom weavers of her generation, latterly renowned for her beautiful understated linen cloths and hangings. For the last fourteen years of her life, she was a Trustee of the Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers, a role to which she brought great commitment, as well as invaluable humour and experience.

Weaving residencies at Ruthin Craft Centre 12 – 26 March 2022
Application deadline: 5 January 2022
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Exhibition: Ann Sutton | On From Weaving – A Survey

1 December 2021 Exhibitions / General / New weave developments
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The New Art Centre is delighted to announce a major survey of pioneering British textile artist Ann Sutton (born 1935).

The exhibition will feature works from every decade of Sutton’s career, from her early days as a student at the Cardiff College of Art, through the 1960s and 1970s when she worked on both two- and three-dimensional textiles, and on to recent painted works, made after Sutton sold her looms in 2010 – a radical act for someone so feted as a textile artist and yet a move entirely in keeping with Sutton’s uncompromising attitude as an artist.

As Richard Howells, Emeritus Professor of Visual Culture at King’s College London, writes, Ann Sutton ‘has always been moving resolutely upstream, against the flow… but doing so with a heady combination of freedom and restraint.’

This survey exhibition is a response to the recent ‘discovery’ of craft as an art form in its own right (and not simply a subset of a wider field of ‘artistic making’) – something that Sutton has fought for from the outset of her career, preferring always to be described as a ‘maker’ rather than a ‘weaver’.

The exhibition will highlight Sutton’s endless experimentation as she pushes the boundaries of what can be ‘woven’ (plastic, linen, cotton and nylon monofilament) and how the necessary geometry of warp and weft can become the starting point for a wider enquiry into systems, pattern, order, balance and harmony. The show will also demonstrate her experimentation with colour, often in contrast to a more formal poetry of monochrome.

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Exhibition: Lenore Tawney | Alison Jacques

26 October 2021 Artist Profile / Exhibitions / General
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LENORE TAWNEY
Part One: 12 October – 6 November 2021
Part Two: 18 November – 8 January 2022

Alison Jacques is delighted to announce two exhibitions of work by pioneering textile artist Lenore Tawney (b. 1907, Lorain, Ohio; d. 2007, New York). Part one, on view during Frieze London, focuses on Tawney’s early work and material
innovations; part two will feature rarely seen late work and an installation from the iconic ‘Cloud’ series. The exhibitions, Tawney’s first in the UK, follow a landmark survey at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Wisconsin (2019).

In 1957, Tawney lowered her beloved cat Pansy into her Daimler and drove from Chicago to Manhattan. At the age of 50, she was leaving her home of 30 years in the search of ‘a barer life, closer to reality, without all the things that clutter and
fill our lives.’ Tawney may not have earnestly committed herself to her artistic practice until relatively late in life, but this move initiated a total immersion.

‘The truest thing in my life was my work’, she later recalled. ‘I wanted my life to be as true.’

Upon arriving in New York, Tawney settled on Coenties Slip, home to such luminaries as Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly and Agnes Martin, before moving to the nearby South Street, where she leased three floors of a former sailmaker’s
loft. It was here, free to experiment at unprecedented scale, that a nascent idea crystallised, one that would define Tawney’s work for the coming half decade. ‘The idea of weaving in volume floated up to consciousness this morning’, she wrote in 1958. ‘I awoke nervous and excited all day thinking about it.’

Tawney was born in Lorain, Ohio, in 1907, and raised on the shore of Lake Erie. She spent her formative years as a proofreader for a legal publisher in Chicago, but the imprint of Ohio lingered. Her work – weaving, collage, mail art – is strewn with birds, feathers, stones; she never shook ‘the blue of the water and the sky.’ Finding equal value in Zen Buddhism and such Western thinkers as Erich Neumann and Carl Jung, Tawney lived as a modern-day pantheist, finding within nature an all-encompassing and immanent spirit.

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Job: Assistant Professor with a Focus on Weaving | Rhode Island School of Design. USA

21 October 2021 General / Jobs
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The Department of Textiles in the Division of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, invites applications for a full-time faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor with a focus on weaving to begin fall 2022.

The Textile Department seeks candidates with an extensive understanding of woven structure and its potential for two and three-dimensional work who can teach a range of courses in the weaving area including hand and digital weaving technologies. Candidates should demonstrate expertise in their field and professional work that shows a high level of proficiency, commitment to the ongoing evolution of the textile field, and active engagement with contemporary art and culture. The ideal candidate will support students interested in pursuing weaving for fine arts work, as well as fashion and interior/architectural applications. Candidates whose creative practice and/or teaching centers on works and bodies of knowledge from historically underrepresented communities will be prioritized.

Rhode Island School of Design is an undergraduate and graduate college of art and design with approximately 2,400 graduate and undergraduate students. RISD supports faculty professional practice with sabbaticals, pre-critical review leave, conference funds, and professional development grants. RISD has a critical review process, which is very similar to the tenure process. For more information about RISD

One of RISD’s founding departments, the internationally renowned Textile program instructs students in the concept, method and practice of textile art and design. The department has approximately 100 undergraduate and 12 graduate students, 4 full time and 12 -15 part-time faculty offering a two-year MFA degree and a four-year BFA degree. The curriculum hones artistic identity through visual and material research built upon a foundation of strong technical skills, and emphasizes a thorough understanding and integration of process, structure, material and technique. The faculty support the development of students as artists and designers who energize the field through personal vision and understanding of the larger artistic, cultural and social contexts of the discipline. The department is committed to anti-racist pedagogy and curriculum and is working towards realizing this with the RISD Textile Department Anti-Racist Commitment and Plan of Action. Continue reading →

Identity Launch: ReWeave | Here Design | London Craft Week

6 October 2021 Artist Profile / Company Profile / Events / Exhibitions / General / Lecture / New weave developments / News / Reseach / Weave Designer Profile
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ReWeave: Textile Waste Transformed

ReWeave is a novel approach to exploring how fabric waste can be transformed into design-led woven textiles on an industrial scale to meet the increasing demand for circularity in designing fashion and textiles.

Led by textile designer Kirsty McDougall, ReWeave is a Hastings-based design studio specialising in woven textiles and product, and supported by the BFTT. The project intends to develop a viable business model for a more circular approach to design and fabrication, and to analyse the environmental impact of repurposing fabrics at an industrial scale.

By exploring new models of textile design, ReWeave aspires to serve as a blueprint for ideas about reuse and repurposing for manufacturers and brands, spearheading industry change.

ReWeave will be at the Hoxton Gallery to launch their new identity created by Here and Kirsty will talk about the processes and ideas behind ReWeave and their collaboration.

Event: Sat 9th Oct 2021
Time: 11.30 – 12.30
Venue: Hoxton Gallery, 17 Marlow Workshops, Arnold Circus, Shoreditch. London E2 7JN
What3words: extend.union.motor
Tickets: To book event click here

Instagram:
@re_weave_
@heredesign

With thanks to ReWeave & Here for text and images

Exhibition: Craft by Residency | An immersive showcase for London Craft Week 2021

6 October 2021 Artist Profile / Company Profile / Exhibitions / General / New weave developments
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This London Craft Week (4th-10th October), innovative, pop-up retail solution, Residency, plays home to 14 talented makers who will showcase a plethora of crafts and the processes behind them. Craft by Residency is featuring a vibrant curation from Future Icons, and an exhibition debut from marbling artist and designer, NAT MAKS, the space will be transformed into an interactive and immersive showcase that celebrates the technical skill and technique as much as the finished product.

Marble wallpaper artist, NAT MAKS, founded by Natascha Maksimovic, will be unveiling her new Marble Tapestry. Made using wallpaper offcuts, Maksimovic breathes new life into her designs to create a spectacular wall hanging. Maksimovic will also be showcasing her recently launched Metamorphosis collection, a range of 3D fashion garments formed from marbled paper that pay homage to the ancient craft of Suminagashi.

On the Marble Tapestry, NAT MAKS says: “Taking my responsibility further as a print maker, I have found it impossible to throw away my marbled wallpaper off-cuts. In order to celebrate these pieces and reduce my production waste, I have created these curated Tapestry wall pieces. Each one is unique and celebrates the hidden pieces of my art that would usually have been discarded.”

Following acclaimed showcases at the Burlington Arcade and Oxo Tower Wharf, Future Icons presents the work of 13 of its makers spanning a range of disciplines from ceramics to embroidery, to intricate metal and enamel projects to a range of textile and leather based artworks. Continue reading →

Event: London Craft Week

6 October 2021 Courses / Events / Exhibitions / General / Lecture / New weave developments / News / Workshops
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London Craft Week (LCW) returns for its seventh edition with a curated programme of events across the capital, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and creativity from emerging and celebrated makers. This represents LCW’s most ambitious, wide-ranging festival to date, featuring over 380 events, more than 450 makers and over 240 partner organisations.

From heritage crafts to immersive experiences to pioneering practices using the latest materials and technology, LCW celebrates the art of making and champions the talent, skill and stories of both independent makers and behind leading luxury brands. With workshops, tours, tastings, pop-up stores and unique exhibitions over seven days, visitors are invited to engage with extraordinary craftsmanship from London and beyond, with 31 countries represented in this year’s programme.

Spanning the fields of art, design, craft, luxury, fashion, food and beauty, the festival will highlight how the pandemic has been a catalyst for creative development and new collaborations, spotlight innovative sustainable practices and showcase unique, collectable pieces that enrich our lives and homes.

London Craft Week runs from 4th-10th Oct 2021
You can find the programme of events by clicking here

With thanks to LCW organisers for text and images

Event: British Textile Biennial 21

5 October 2021 Events / General / New weave developments / News / Reseach / Workshops
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British Textile Biennial 2021 returns this year with new artist commissions, exhibitions and performances presented against the backdrop of the impressive infrastructure of the cotton industry in Pennine Lancashire. The Biennial runs from the 1st – 31st Oct 2021

This October, BTB21 turns its attention to the global nature of textiles and the relationships they create, both historically and now, with a major new commission by Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid, fashion historian Amber Butchart as guest curator, a groundbreaking and  sustainable fashion project with designer Patrick Grant and a collaboration with artist James Fox and actor Maxine Peake. The final element of the programme is announced with C.P. Company Cinquanta, a retrospective of the Italian Sportswear company’s 50th anniversary.

In line with celebrations for the brand’s 50th anniversary, C.P. Company will be taking part in the British Textile Biennial 2021 programme, presenting a retrospective dedicated to five decades of Italian Sportswear, and Massimo Osti’s lasting legacy. Taking place in Darwen, Lancashire, from 1 – 10 October, the display will feature exclusive C.P. Company archive pieces from throughout the label’s illustrious history.

An arrangement of activities will run alongside this exhibition, including student workshops and panel talks, which will include speakers from the brand, as well as respected names in sportswear and casual culture.

With an abiding interest in the history of textiles within both an African and European context, Turner Prize winner, Lubaina Himid will present a major new work responding to the Gawthorpe Textile Collection in Burnley, exploring the histories of industrialisation, female labour, migration and globalisation in the Great Barn at Gawthorpe Hall.

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