Remembering

Today I am very proud of my little sister, who spent several weeks crocheting poppies. Taking nothing for her expenses she simply asked for a donation in exchange for one of her creations.

She has made £260 for the poppy appeal.

All in the best possible taste

After more than a month without getting to see any major London exhibitions, this week two came along at once.  Yesterday I went to the amazing Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy which was quite exhausting.  A couple of years ago before I knew anything about art history, I might wandered around confused, but this was just the perfect timing having just finished a year studying 20th century art.  Like many art works, no image can take the place of the real thing, and I can see now why Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Clifford Still (and many others) have such a following. However, as this is a textile themed blog and there was absolutely nothing specifically textile related about this these works, I will move on to the exhibition I saw on Thursday.

With a title of The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined, currently showing at The Barbican, you might think that this was going to be an exhibition of really bad fashion.  Instead, as the display clearly explained, to understand what is vulgar you also need to understand what is tasteful so here was plenty of both. In fact it might be difficult to assess what was vulgar as much depends on who you are and when you lived that allows you to decide what is vulgar and what is not.  Even some of the outfits that I might have put into the "vulgar" category on first sight, I had to admire for the exquisite detail, much of it embroidery.  

The word vulgar has had many meanings, and originally it was more about something common and ordinary than something ostentatious and showy.  So is being vulgar something that is trying to be something it isn't - a copy?  Something glitzy or provocative?  Something extravagant and out of place?

Amongst the pieces on show there was some exquisite lace, 18th century court gowns, historic stomachers and Viennese "golden bonnets" from Wien Museum, Vienna, dating from 1798-1810, so even if you were just interested in historic fashion there was plenty to see.  There was also plenty of twentieth and 21st century high fashion, including some made from denim (a vulgar fabric?) and a dress made of pencils.  The range of fashion styles on show meant there was much to admire and even some pieces to make you almost laugh out loud - although perhaps that would be acting in a rather vulgar way?

In conclusion, I thought this a very thought provoking exhibition.  It was also definitely worth sitting and watching the recorded interviews of fashion designers answering the question "what is vulgar?"  I came out seeing the world in a new light. 

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined continues at The Barbican, London until 5 February 2017

Abstract Expressionism continues at the Royal Academy, London until 2 January 2017

Unfortunately as I can not post any images of either of these exhibitions, I have added an image of Omer Arbel's 44, which is currently installed in the Barbican foyer (until 18 April 2017).

Past, Present and Future

My present situation means that I have not been blogging lately.  Partly down to distractions in the past (ie, successfully finishing my degree) and partly as I was busy preparing for my future (studying for a higher one), something that is now my present.  It means visits to galleries and exhibitions have been severely limited.  I did manage a quick trip to Opus Anglicanum (V&A) but I'm hoping to return as it is an exhibition that needs more time.  I have also been to Bedlam at the Wellcome Collection which includes two interesting embroideries - again I hope to return so I will try and write something about both these exhibitions when I revist.

This week however, I did manage to get to an exhibition by my friend and fellow textile artist, Chris Spencer.  Chris is also thinking about the Past, Present and Future as that is the title of her exhibition.

Chris has put together a small retrospective and alongside pieces I knew, there were others that were new to me.  She is a talented felter and embroiderer.  It was good to see work made over the the last few years altogether.  It was also small enough for my mum to enjoy and made for a very pleasant afternoon.  We took our time and examined everything closely.

One set of work that was new to me was a set of six panels featuring the caps of the six wives of Henry VIII.  I have recently been re-reading Peter Acroyd's History of England, so I felt I knew the story of each queen reasonably well. This collection of panels illustrates how each queen was an individual with a different story to be told rather than just a set of wives.  Sadly their lives were often tragic but not all. The Tudor period is such a major part of English history.  The major repercussions of the need for Henry VIII to have a son or two (an heir and a spare), changed not just the lives of those involved but affected the lives of everyone.  Changing the church affected even the lowest of the people at that time. 

I also enjoyed revisiting Chris' 18th century work that relates to her research at Rainham Hall, and her bird pictures, which I had missed when Material Girls exhibited at the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes.  The sea, sea life and woodlands are also strong themes in this exhibition.  

Chris' work is on display at Gallery 50, Craft Arena, in Billericay Barleylands (craft village), Essex and continues until the 30 October 2016.  Based in a gallery within a craft store, a visit can be combined with a bit of retail therapy - what's not to like!

London's burning - but the embroidery was saved!

This week is the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.  The Museum of London is staging an exhibition Fire! Fire! as part of the commemorations which tells the story not only of the fire itself but its aftermath.  It has objects (such as a batch of hooks and eyes) destroyed in the blaze, as well as letters witnessing the event, and newspaper accounts.  There are images to show how the fire spread but also plans as to how London could be rebuilt. I was interested in it from an historical point of view but what I had not expected to see were two pieces of embroidery.

One was an unfinished piece of needlework.  Legend had it that it was rescued from a house in Cheapside, before it succumbed to the flames.  It was suggested that it may then have been forgotten about and this was the reason for it remaining incomplete.  It is just as likely that its maker found a more interesting project - I do not think there are many embroiderers to this day without a few UFOs (unfinished projects) stashed away, waiting to be completed when the time seems right.

The second piece of textile in the exhibition was a set of bed curtains - also supposedly rescued from the fire.

Until this week I had not realised how was being done to commemorate this momentous event. Artists were inspired by the fire within weeks and months of its devastation (many of their paintings were on display at the museum), and so it seems appropriate that public art and spectacular entertainment is used to remember the events today.

The fire itself is a dramatic narrative for a painting but the contemporary art works also remind us that the end of the fire was not the end of the tragedy.  The refugee camps we see on the news today are a reminder of the terrible tragedy that befalls the survivors of a disaster.  The official numbers of those who died in the 1666 fire are small, but it is estimated that many more lost their lives during the terrible winter afterwards living as they were in makeshift shelters.

It is perhaps not surprising that many of the contemporary artworks and commemorations also involve fire.  Outside Tate Modern there will be a Fire Garden, and at the Guildhall there will be a Fire Food Market.  The roof of St Paul's will have a fire projected on its dome, and the National Theatre will have another modern art work on its walls.  Three routes of breezeblock dominoes will thread through the city on Saturday (3rd September) a symbolic and physical link between now and then.  There are other works that remind us that the Great Fire is just one of many disasters that have struck communities in all corners of the globe - Of all the People in the World is at Inner Temple Hall, using rice to symbolise the volumes of people fleeing war and disaster and Holoscenes at Exchange Square, Broadgate that reminds us that water is as dangerous as water.

However, perhaps the most dramatic event will be London 1666.  A model of London's 1666 skyline will be set ablaze on Sunday evening.  Before its destruction the model itself is worthy of being admired as a piece of community art.

The sculpture (images of which are shown here) is currently moored on the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges, designed by David Best but created by hundreds of schoolchildren and young people from inner London.  If you cannot get to London to view it set on fire, it can be watched online.

Fire! Fire! continues at the Museum of London until 17 April 2017.  The rest of the Great Fire 350 Programme (3 and 4 September 2016) can be found HERE.

Chelmsford Cathedral and the Quaker embroidery

First begun in 1981, and taking 15 years to complete, the Quaker Tapestry (a set of embroidered panels), tells the story not only of the Quaker faith but many important aspects of western history. Several of these panels are now on display at Chelmsford Cathedral, in Essex. 

The embroidery was the idea of Anne Wynn-Wilson (1926-1998) and inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry (also an embroidery), but instead of one continuous strip of fabric this work is made up of 77 individual panels.  It apparently took 4000 individuals to complete this mammoth task - some of them people who had never embroidered before.

Many Quaker businesses are well known in British Society - Barclay and Cadbury are perhaps two of the most famous.  The Quakers are well known for their involvement with the anti-slavery campaigns of the eighteenth century and as conscientious objectors during WWII, when many of their members took on non-combative roles assisting with medical units.  There are many other aspects of Quaker life you can learn about through the work.

One of my favourite Quakers is Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845) who was not only an abolitionist but a friend of the poor and the prisoner.  One of her schemes to help women convicts was to create schools inside jails where she would encourage women to read the Bible and sew, rather than play cards, fight or beg.  She created the British Ladies Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners (in 1821) which not only collected donations of sewing equipment and materials for women convicts but encouraged women to aid and assist those of their own sex encouraging reformation as well as empathy.

The Quaker Tapestry is in Chelmsford until 3 September 2016, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.  Admission is free but they have a lovely  shop of books, cards and kits which if purchased supports their exhibitions.  Otherwise the work can be seen at its permanent home at the Quaker Tapestry Museum in Kendal, Cumbria.  Visit the Chelmsford Cathedral on a Wednesday and there is the added bonus of a very nice cafe with home made cakes and scones.

In Utopia even the quilts sing!

In London last week, my friend and I decided that with just an hour or two spare after lunch we wanted to visit an exhibition that might not be too large and was on route for our journey home.  I suggested an exhibition at Somerset House, specifically because I had read it included an e-textile, ie a textile with an electronic element.  I was intrigued to see how such a piece would work - would the electronics be gimmicky or actually add something to the piece of work?

The exhibition itself was an initiative of King's College London.  It was called Paths to Utopia and includes not only exhibitions but events, discussions and installations.  It has been running since July, continues until October 2016 and is a collaboration with Somerset House and the Courtauld Institute. All these activities come under the title of Utopia 2016.  The events and displays are responses to the 500th anniversary of Thomas More's Utopia, a copy of which is currently on display in the British Library in the Treasurers of the British Library gallery (until 18 September 2016).  Some of the display pieces have and will change, but the textile work will remain for the duration.  

Thomas More created the word "utopia" to mean "no place" or "no where", rather than the modern interpretation which suggests a perfect world.  The British Library page suggests that More was asking whether a perfect world was possible, whether this was merely a hypothetical question (ie, not something that could actually be created) and what would be the purpose of considering a perfect world that could never exist?  These are deep, difficult questions so it is not surprising that most of the Paths to Utopia exhibition itself is deep and difficult too.  It is best to go in with an open mind not expecting to understand the logic of how it connects to Thomas More's Utopia, but hopefully by learning more about the topic in general it will all become much clearer.  Some of the exhibits had been specifically created to make you consider what your personal Utopia might be.  It is unlikely to be the same as anyone else and perhaps the reason why it cannot exist.  

All the things you are not yet was created by Karina Thompson, an artist based in Birmingham.  It combines traditional craft skills with 21st century technology.  The image itself shows two embryos - taken during IVF treatment and later became the artist's nephews.  When the original image was taken this outcome was not certain.  The piece is quilted with silver spirals - suggesting movement but also using an ancient symbol often associated with birth and rebirth.  The viewer is invited to touch the quilt and if you do you will hear two boys singing Twinkle, twinkle, little star, which itself is about a rhyme that considers the miracles in the world around us.    This is a textile where "do not touch" does not apply - you need to touch to experience it properly.

If you are interested in e-textiles, this work is worth a visit.  There is a recording of a discussion that relates to the work on YouTube.   The artist is in discussion with Dr Matthew Howard, Lecturer at the Centre for Robotics Research, (the collaborator who helped with the technical aspects), and Neil Denny from Little Atoms. The interview starts at about three minutes in and talks about how the work was created, the technological problems and how they were overcome, plus other ideas about how textiles and technology can work together and why this work relates to the idea of Utopia.

The quilt is beautifully made and the technological element adds to its beauty as well as its meaning.   Everything was well considered throughout the design.  It made me think about other applications for textiles and technology, but also about collaborations across different fields - ie science and art.

All the things you are not yet is on display as part of Paths to Utopia at the Inigo Rooms, King's College London, Somerset House East Wing, Strand, WC2R 2LS until 2 October 2016.  The exhibition is free.

The joy of stitch

Last Saturday (6 August) was the National Day of Stitch - an initiative to encourage more people to take up stitch and embroidery in all its forms.  Along with other members of the Chelmsford branch of the Embroiderer's Guild, I spent part of the day sitting in one of the main shopping centres in Chelmsford, embroidering leaves and birds, while shoppers frequently rushed past.  Of course some stopped to see what we were doing, and some were even tempted to have a go.  It was particularly nice to see children wanting to have a go.  Other visitors told us of the pleasure they had (or used to have) stitching, knitting, crocheting - and hopefully we encouraged some to look out their needles when they got home.  Some even said they would like to join us at our branch meetings.

Since I have been studying over the last few years, I have been stitching less than I used to, but I always enjoy it when I put time aside for some creativity.  It used to be that I would stitch every day - but with other things taking priority I have seem to have got out of the habit.  That was until about a fortnight ago. For just over two weeks I have once again been stitching every day - even if it just a tiny piece of stitching.  Then one day this week I decided to spend a whole day stitching.  

Rather than worry about design and purpose I decided to find a technique I used to enjoy, with no real purpose but to experiment.  I looked through some of my books and came across "confetti fabric".  I seem to remember first coming across it when I did a class with the late Valerie Campbell-Harding. 

First a base fabric is sprinkled with something such as bonding powder, or painted Bondaweb, and then snippets of fabric and thread are sprinkled on top.  A sheer fabric, such as an old chiffon scarf, is then placed on top to trap the snippets in a fabric "sandwich" and (remembering a covering of silicon paper to prevent the iron sticking to the work) ironed to glue everything together.  Then the fabric is stitched all over - I used zig-zag stitch for speed.  This not only creates more texture it also ensures everything stays in place.  Then the fabric is cut into strips.  I remember saying to Valerie Campbell-Harding that I rather liked it as it was but she, quite correctly said, it will be better if I continue the process further.

After cutting, the pieces are rearranged and joined together.  It might be just a simple technique, but importantly once I started stitching it got my brain thinking "what if"?  What if I did something this way?  What if I changed this element or added a second colour?  What if I changed the stitch?  I remembered it was a good fabric (with a layer of felt) for a book cover and so I also rediscovered the joy of creating machine made cords, with the possibility of turning my experiment into a finished item.

All in all, I did rediscover the joy of stitching for pleasure - not having to worry about what it is going to be, just enjoying the process.  I hope it won't be long before I can set aside another day for some more experimental stitching.

Wandering along the Wandle

The River Wandle in the south of London is in an area of the capital I had not visited until this week. The river's fast flowing nature made it an ideal place for siting water mills at the beginning of the industrial revolution and for this reason a link with the creation of textiles.  The industrial heritage of the river was the subject of a guided walk arranged by the Friends of Coram, a group set up to support the Coram charity.  I knew the area also had a link to the original Foundling Hospital, set up by Thomas Coram, but a bit of history beyond the scope of the walk.

Originally the site of a priory, Merton is now the site of a huge Sainsbury/Marks and Spencer store, but our guide, Stephen Benton, showed us the last remnant of the priory wall (below) hidden behind a petrol station.  

The arch below was another section of the wall, though having been accidentally knocked down (I think in the twentieth century) it is not authentically medieval but a restored section - part ancient and part modern.  

In an area now known as Merton Abbey Mills, until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, there had been a priory.  The site was never an abbey but once named, the title stayed. It was here that William Morris set up arts and crafts (Morris & Co) workshops in the 1880s.  Fabrics were woven, printed and dyed - alongside other crafts such as stained glass making.

This was also the location where Edmund Littler produced printed silks and fine fabrics for Liberty. The building above, known as the Show House, (built in 1912), was the design house for Liberty fabrics.

Here (above) a waterwheel, perhaps once used in textile production, and is now used by a pottery.

The building above is the Colour House.  Its flint construction suggests it could be medieval, at least in part.  It was the dye house for Liberty and now the home of a miniature theatre (since 1995).

Many of the buildings have now been turned into restaurants and shops and this (above) was the Apprentice Shop.  Built in the 1920s by Liberty, it was an area to train apprentices.  Left derelict, it was completely restored in the 1980s.

This (above) is the Long Shop - originally used for pressing silk flat, and once heated by furnaces.  It dates from 1906.

This last building is called the "William Morris" and a public house - its age and original use are not known - perhaps it has always been a pub.

After walking through the "abbey" site we travelled further along the river, eventually ending at Morden Hall Park, with mills that produced snuff, not fabric.  This was where our walk finished.  Had we gone a little further we would have reached Ravensbury, once the site of John Arbuthnot's Bleaching and Calico Printing Work where in 1760 thirteen girls from the Foundling Hospital were apprenticed.  Instead there was just time to visit the National Trust cafe before taking the journey home.  

Fabric fish and sequined starfish

When I visited the British Museum, London, this week to see the Sicily exhibition, I found an added bonus.  Installed in the Great Court is a creative response to their Sunken Cities exhibition.  Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds, tells the story of archaeological sites beneath the Mediterranean at the mouth of the Nile where two cities, submerged for over a thousand years are being explored.  In the Great Court, that exhibition was now interpreted in thread and fabric.

The Sunken Cities exhibition itself includes a large number of objects from huge statues to items of everyday use. Interspersed between the historic items are films and images of the divers face to face with the giant statues now on display.  I visited it a few weeks ago.  Whilst there were many wonders to behold, myself, and the friend I was with, found ourselves losing track of where everything fitted in.  Perhaps it needs a second visit or more likely, I need to read up a little more on Ancient Egyptian history. 

The installation of textile art, Underwater Discoveries, which references both the Egyptian history and also its underwater discovery, is on display until the end of August.  The work is a collaboration between local community groups and artists from the Mary Ward Centre, an adult education college in central London.

The range of techniques used seem representative of the college itself, which runs classes in a range of subjects including printing, embroidery, and beadwork.  

I particularly liked the embroidered star fish (third image from top) but also the jelly fish (above, far right), which are almost translucent against their background - just like real jelly fish often are.

The Sicily exhibition I had gone to visit, was also very interesting.  This display focused on two periods of history, first when the island was invaded by the Greeks (about 734BC) and then when the Normans took over from Arab rule (c.1091).  Both eras created opportunities for cultural exchange.  

Of particular interest from the viewpoint of textile history, was the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (1061-1194), created by a dynasty that reigned over a fragile but tolerant society of Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Greeks, Byzantines, Christian Normans and Italians. This was partly due to Roger II's desire to bring scholars of all races and faiths together, which in turn allowed the creation of new types of art and architecture in the building of his Norman Palace of Palermo.  

Too fragile to be moved, the coronation cloak of Roger II with gold embroidered silk, pearls, enamel plaques and precious jewels is an example of cultural exchange, represented here by a printed satin replica (made in 1993).  Made within a Byzantine empire the original was embroidered by Muslims in Sicily living under a Christian ruler.  An Arabic inscription around its border includes blessings and statements regarding the virtue of the king.  The main design of the robe is of lions attacking camels, either side of a Tree of Life.  The date tree developed from a Middle Eastern symbol of fertility and immortality, later (through the trade of silk textiles) also became a symbol of resurrection and immortality (ie, a representation of the Christian faith).  The symbolism of the lions triumphing over the camels represents Roger's tolerance of his Muslim subjects, but also his dominance.  This is a robe with very definite political and propaganda messages.

Alongside this cloak replica are fragments of the funerary robe and mitre of Henry VI of Sicily - Islamic gold thread techniques are combined with horizontal repetitions of motifs typical of of North Western Europe.  Unfortunately through the glass they are not easy to see in any detail.

Sicily - continues at the British Museum until 14 August 2016 - ticket purchase required

Underwater Discoveries - continues at the British Museum until 31 August 2016 (free)

Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds - continues at the British Museum until 27 November 2016 - ticket purchase required

Thirty years embroidering Chelmsford

To celebrate 30 years of the Chelmsford branch of the UK Embroiderer's Guild, we held a small party.

We had an exhibition of work - a huge variety of styles and techniques.

The Mayor of Chelmsford attended to make the proceedings a little more special.

And there was food - not least of all a very special cake.  Here the cake is being cut by the mayor and some of our founding members.

A gathering of Miss Havershams

Is there a word for a gathering of Miss Havershams?  It is not something you come across every day?

I came across them and lots of other expressions of creativity when I visited the Octopus* group's annual textile exhibition.  It is only on for a few days and finishes on Saturday 16 July 2016.  The display is within St Mary's Church in Billericay High Street, Billericay in Essex (UK).

This is just a small selection of the work on display and once again I spent more time talking and not enough taking photographs.  Also apologies for not noting down the artists' names.

Entry is free.    The exhibition is open 10am until 4pm.  Tea/coffee and a cake is £2.  Some work is for sale.

*Octopus - so called because there are eight members in the group