Outcomes - Seminar 1
Comments received in response to Seminar 1 held on 9th December 2005
Lucy Gundry
I believe it is crucial that the discourse between these roles is explored – for
the purpose of greater understanding and communication between the
makers, artists, curators, writers etc, which can only strengthen the
identity,
purpose and provide a productive future for textiles. I do believe
that cross-cultural and cross-discipline partnerships are also crucial
for
inspiration and development in both educational systems and in professional
practice not only to broaden our horizons but the profile of textiles
in society Nationally and Internationally.
We need to reintroduce textiles to society - everyone can relate to
elements whichever language we communicate in, as artist, maker, writer,
speaker, curator. We are all passionate about the same subject and that
needs to be communicated, in which ever language we choose, as we all
speak the language of textiles.
I also think the cerebral profile of textiles
can be raised through the written word in publications such as Selvedge,
which in itself
is another form of textile.
However, I think seminars and workshops Nationwide are critical at
this point for textiles, (even if it is a seminar on writing as
an artist). They will provide the opportunities to bring people together
face to face (unlike a publication which we all read, but individually)
and there is nothing more powerful than the spoken word or the
act
of making itself as a form of communication to reinforce real issues
in the textile world.
Lucy Gundry
Caroline
Just on my way and only just found this so rather late with this. I find
it interesting that on the Publicity for Collect this year there is
not a single piece of Textiles. I wonder what this reflects?
Best wishes
Caroline
Ruth Singer
Thank you for hosting the seminar which was an interesting day. I have
a few points that I had hoped to raise, but didn't fit into the discussions
that occurred. I'm not sure how far these fit in with your current work,
but I thought I would let you know anyway, to see if they are of use.
I was interested in Sue's comments about the somewhat uncomfortable
interface between high profile fashion and its poor relation, textiles.
That issue
is something I tried to address within the V&A education programme
(I was adult education officer until 6 months ago, and still lecture
and teach freelance for them) and started trying to do with the interpretation
of the redisplayed fashion gallery (which was in the end done on minimal
budget). I get the impression that textiles people are very uncomfortable
with the fashion people and think its something we ought to address.
My academic and creative work crosses both, and can't be the only one.
I know from my work with audiences that it is a rather arbitrary division
that they don't follow (along with many necessary curatorial divisions).
My other point was a small one, but having organised many textile /
fashion events at the V&A I suffered the constant problem of communicating
this to interested audiences, particularly at short notice, too late
for print deadlines. Selvedge has filled the communication gap to some
extent, but does not have event listings or the rapid response. Something
I always intended to do at the V&A but never had time was to set
up an email group for notification of events. Now I am freelance, I have
finally done it. I hope that before too long this will be a huge network
of interested people and will enable museums and institutions small and
large to reach their
target audiences. It can be found here: http://groups.google.com/group/TextilesandFashion.
I had hoped to mention this at the seminar. if there is any mailing
that would go to the seminar audience it would be great to let them know.
I think communication between textile people is one of the most wonderful
things about working in the field and really wish to enable greater
access
and communication between all those involved and interested.
Very best wishes
Ruth Singer
Matthew
Thanks for organising the Seminar on Friday. I found it interesting and
inspiring. The exhibition was fantastic, magical and sensual, a rare
thing these days; the memory of that space will stay with me for a
long time. I'm not sure that I am able to contribute much to this funding
application though I did leave with one over whelming feeling, and
that was that we as practitioners are incredibly privileged to be part
of a language that stretches far back into human history and hopefully
reaches far into the future. It is a language that is almost egalitarian
in the way in which it connects with so many peoples understanding
and experiences. To continue to make work that uses this language and
in some way find a means to communicate it's uniqueness in words is
a challenge I hope we can all meet.
Thanks again for a stimulating day.
Best wishes
Matthew
Olga Norris
Thoughts on the needs of the textiles world, and the possible benefits
The term ‘textiles’ covers such a large, diverse, and interesting
group of activities – perhaps too large, too diverse, and thus
off-putting. For example, when looking down a list of textiles exhibitions
one really takes potluck between art, commercial products, history, or
hobby work unless one knows the maker(s) or the title is explanatory.
I think that each category suffers in consequence.
On the other hand the diversity is in itself interesting and should
not be lost. It should be more possible to move from one grouping to
another, or to cover more than one area at a time.
I believe that all textile work suffers from a lack of clarity, so that
each individual struggle has to be repeated rather than built on. I found
that the route and direction Reiko Sudo has taken and is taking could
act as an example for what we could do about and for textiles in this
country. She has taken in both traditional practices in textiles and
industrial innovation across a wide range of disciplines, and using clarity
of vision alongside a lateral problem-solving approach is producing outstanding
work for which she seeks and persuades appropriate users. She also initiates
and pursues a kind of critical discourse in the publications Nuno produces.
A depth and breadth of information for input, a fluid approach to design
and making, and a growing knowledge of end use is what we all need for
the textile world.
When Moira Stevenson spoke about the wealth of material and information
around the Manchester area alone, I was really excited about what resources
there must be in the whole country. And in this day of online databases
what a treasure that could be for textile development.
With a clarity within textiles, it would be easier to work sideways
with other disciplines at similar levels. Appropriate textile art could
be included with the ‘fine’ arts of mixed media and sculpture
without necessarily being a separate category added on. Excellent design
in production textiles could be celebrated with industrial design without
being a poor relation, or always having to cling onto fashion to find
any serious credibility. The professionalism of designing work, with
serious internal and external critique which discriminates levels of
quality in work to an art-buying public would help build up confidence
in non-maker collectors, so that perhaps more textiles would appear in
serious gallery outlets, and Collect.
I think we need
•
a defining – an explanation of the areas that constitute textiles,
•
a database of information, and a network of exchanges,
•
encouragement by institutions, galleries, artists and makers to explore,
learn, and constantly strive to improve, with use of exhibitions, publications,
and
•
critical discourse within and outside areas of practice, which brings
about
•
a clarity of discrimination (in a positive rather than in any pejorative
sense),
•
to confer appropriate value, so that textiles are not lumped together
as the bottom of any art or design consideration. If the textiles elements
of industrial design (such as the fine metal fibres that Nuno used in
their blow-torched fabric) are pointed out in a defining of textiles,
they along with fashion and other such high-profile areas can raise the
profile of artistic practice (especially if this last is discriminated
clearly from the hobby practitioners by ‘fine’ critical discourse),
and then the individual elements of textiles can slot into the broader
categories of art and technology.
And all of this needs good publicity that works for everyone: more visibility
for the institutions and galleries and of course the practitioners. The
theory is that textiles will be seen to be such a vibrant, diverse, technologically,
artistically, and financially important area that money should start
circulating to warm up the at present blue fingertips of art and craft
practice!
Olga Norris
Melanie Miller
I was attempting to address one of the questions that arose from ‘Ambiguous
Spaces 1’: ‘Is textiles a language that crosses cultures?’ I
was making the point that the inherent tactile appeal of cloth is something
that is universal, utilising the example of my eight year old son’s
reaction to a collection of fabrics. I relayed how I had taken home a
portfolio of student work, the portfolio consisted of a range of embroidered
samples. My eight year old son wanted to look at the work. As he ‘looked’ he
could not keep his hands off the fabrics. He stroked them, he felt them,
he handled them. I repeatedly asked him not to touch, he repeatedly replied, ‘I’m
only looking’. He simply could not look without touching.
I related this back to Michael Brennand Wood’s assertion at the
Harrogate conference a couple of weeks ago, when he described his process
of making as ‘thinking with his hands’. It is thus apparent
that textiles practice involves thinking with the hands, making with
the hands, looking with the hands. The creative process and the making
process are inextricably linked.
I related this back to my concerns over the lack of understanding of
the primacy of process within several levels of education, from primary
school to higher education. The development of ideas is advanced through
practice. Without an understanding of the making processes in textiles
it is not possible to be creative. In theory a design can be created
on a computer screen, and then produced by computerised machinery,
but without an understanding of the construction process innovation is
unlikely
to happen. Learning through making is crucial for the development of
our subject area.
Melanie Miller
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