Background

Over the last ten years Lesley Millar has been responsible for four major, international textile projects: ‘Revelation’, 'Textural Space’, ‘Through the Surface’ and ’21:21 – the textile vision of Reiko Sudo’. These projects have together generated:

• 263,000 visitors
• 200 press articles (international, national, regional magazines and newspapers)
• 14,000 participants in education programmes for schools, students and adults
• 5 million hits on project websites
• 10 exhibits purchased for major public collections
• 7 commissions for participating artists
• significant investment in the arts and creative industry sectors

These projects were conceived as major international research projects with significant curated and written outcomes, demonstrating that such projects have an important role to play in the dialogue surrounding contemporary practice.

These projects are exceptional in that they:

• generated collaboration across sectors and regions – nationally and internationally
• represented unusual collaborative planning, meeting targets for:
  - funding bodies
  - museums
  - universities
  - artists
  - public

‘Textural Space’, ‘Through the Surface’ and ’21:21’ were originated through The University College for the Creative Arts (previously known as The Surrey Institute of Art & Design) as cross-regional collaborations between HEI’s and museums involving:

Textural Space

• University of East Anglia, University of Manchester, Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, Whitworth Art Gallery, Brighton Museum, Fabrica Brighton, Rochester Art Gallery, Maidstone Library Gallery.

Through the Surface

• University of Huddersfield, University of Chester, University of East Anglia, University of Brighton, Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, Hove Museum, Fabrica Brighton, Nottingham Museum, Bankfield Museum.

Through the Surface and 21:21- the textile vision of Reiko Sudo and NUNO also generated international collaboration between HEI’s and Museums:

Through the Surface

• National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Japan
• Seika University, Kyoto, Japan
• Osaka Seikei University, Japan

21:21 – the textile vision of Reiko Sudo and NUNO

• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
• Institute of Art and Design, Linz, Austria

By any standard the above represent successful exhibitions, meeting targets for the public, for the artists and funding bodies. Yet, despite this demonstrable success, it is still a struggle to find mainstream museums and galleries that will programme contemporary textiles. If such exhibitions and associated events have a role to play in the dialogue surrounding contemporary practice, then it would seem the largest possible dissemination should be sought and encouraged.

There is evidence of a critical mass, made up of practitioners, curators, academics and critics, drawn together in their concern about exhibition context and content. This was confirmed during the following Symposia (Autumn 2005):
‘Signpost to a New Space’ (Harrogate in collaboration with the ‘Knit and Stitch’ exhibition)
‘Futures in the Making' (Victoria and Albert Museum)
‘Ambiguous Spaces 2’ (University College for the Creative Arts)
In all cases the view was that, while issues were being discussed within individual sectors, a framework for working across those sectors was lacking.

At ‘Futures in the Making’ Professor Emanuel Cooper highlighted the importance of context, noting that work is ascribed a particular value by the context in which it is seen. At ‘Signpost to a New Space’ practitioner Michael Brennand-Wood and writer Mary Schoeser both identified a clear need for discrimination in the understanding of practice and the context in which work is exhibited. The difficulties in bringing all sectors to work together are even more acute in those areas of practice which cross boundaries, as exemplified by textiles.

In the context of the exhibition ’21:21 – the textile vision of Reiko Sudo and NUNO’, the seminar ‘Ambiguous Spaces 2’ discussed how practitioners and exhibition programmers could work together to increase the profile of contemporary textiles. The seminar looked at examples of different initiatives and asked: What are the constraints? What are the strengths? What role could educational establishments play in developing collaborations?

The panel, drawn from curators, representatives of funding bodies, educators and practitioners, together with the audience, discussed ways to identify and develop constructive ways forward. The discussion carried on by email after the seminar. The outcome was an application to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for support to stage more seminars and establish this website to engender further discussion that would result in a Paper outlining strategies for collaboration. The application was successful and ‘Context and Collaboration’ has been initiated.

If you would like to contribute to the discussion or attend one of the seminars please go to the Forum or Contact page.