TRACES

June 14th - July 20th 2008

Christine Lawry, Chief Executive of Walford Mill Crafts, has organised and curated the 'TRACES' exhibition in conjunction with Textile Forum South West.

The aim of the exhibition was to make links between textile makers and regional museums. Artists were briefed to use objects and historical material from museums as a source of inspiration to create contemporary textile pieces, signifying the importance of our heritage and how it can be used to inspire our future through contemporary craft. The correlation of ancient and contemporary offers a dialogue to inspire, challenge and stimulate the viewer.

Fourteen members of the Textile Forum South West have been selected to exhibit in 'TRACES'. The exhibition delivers a wealth of diverse textile practices including hand stitched and screen printed pieces, hand and machine embroidery and fashion garments exploring knitted and felting techniques. Other work incorporates appliqué, batik, quilting, tapestry, digital images on fabric and hand dyed 3D work. There is a book made from hand made paper, as well as computer manipulated stitched work, gilding and collaged embroidery, a wire and wrapping suspended piece and a video installation.

 

Janet Haigh states, "Researching the darning and mending samplers at Bristol Museum, I was touched by their refinement and the fragility of the fabrics caused through constant handling. Stitched on fine woven linen using the thinnest threads to needle weave various darning patterns, they are refined pieces of needlework. In an inconspicuous place the ground will have been torn and then mended so that the quality of practically invisible sewing is demonstrated for any subsequent mending of clothing and household linens.   These small square mending samplers were the inspiration for the two mended heart icons"  

Inspiration for this work has come from many varied sources including workhouses, slavery, witchcraft, cave paintings, quilts, samplers, mother of pearl souvenirs, fossils, crinolines,
clothing and a Keman.

Makers took this inspiration from regional museums including Dorchester, Somerset County, Trowbridge, Priest's House in Wimborne, Bristol City, Russell Cotes in Bournemouth, Plymouth, Chertsey, Boscastle Witchcraft Museum, The Costume Museum in Bath, and the Constance Howard Textile Research and Resource Centre in London.  

This exhibition has helped makers find their own journey of discovery, as one maker quotes, " I would just like to say that this has been a most exciting project for me, it got me out of a rut I really didn't like being stuck in but wasn't sure how to get out of, and has taken me in new directions!"

Come and visit this exhibition at Walford Mill Crafts from the 14th of June to the 20th of July 2008.

Thanks to Marion Howitt for doing a Dorset Button demonstration in the gallery.