Outcomes - Seminar 1
'Ambiguous Spaces 2'
2121 the textile vision on Reiko Sudo and Nuno
9th December 2005
Notes taken by Lucy Gundry
Introduction by Lesley Millar and June Hill
The seminar is a chance for discussion and to look at how we profile
textiles. An opportunity to exchange information, ideas and knowledge,
to look at areas that we feel need discussion, raise issues that will
strengthen and take forward the future of textiles. These points are
going to be put forward in application for funding on nationwide seminars
and workshops for this purpose.
Lesley Millar
This seminar has the advantage of having delegates from the highly conceptual
through to the practical makers to contribute a true reflection of the
textile world as it is today.
We need to raise and work on areas that can help textiles move forward,
to establish a series of points that can provide a strong funding argument
for future seminars around the country, with view to writing a paper
to support this.
June Hill
We have a lot of knowledge to contribute and share here today – everyone
has something to offer. We are expecting an honest and positive day and
to explore real issues. We are going to start with a tour of the exhibition
to initially engage everyone in the work here and to think about what
kind of response they have and what it generates for others. The conversation
paper by Audrey Walker and Helen Weston from the 62 group covers issues
that we would like to raise today, as a basis for debate. If you want
to raise points, you can either speak personally with Lesley and I, or
openly in the debate.
Speakers
Sue Pritchard
(Curator Contemporary Textiles, V&A Museum)
‘Breaking the mould – Contemporary Textiles in a traditional
context’
In 2001 with the launch of the new galleries, came the future plan for
the V&A. There is to be a new grand entrance, staircase, shop, galleries
and gardens. The V&A was built as a Victorian museum, to house an
established collection. The idea for the future plan is to incorporate
and accommodate new work and a modern look to establish itself as a contemporary
collection, as well as traditional as both are really about documenting
the present. ‘The purpose of the V&A is to enable everyone
to enjoy its collections and explore cultures that created them and to
inspire those who create contemporary design.’ But this has meant
necessary rebuilding as the old Victorian building which was not designed
with expansion in mind, to house an ever growing collection. There are
over 85,000 objects and only 5% on display at any one time.
The textile sources are not static, indeed the work of Sue Lawty demonstrates
this inter relationship with the past and present. Work in the museum
is displayed with this synergy, education and accessibility to the
wide spectrum of society in mind.
Sue went on to cover the V&A’s six primary objectives to plan
key activities.
She mentioned;
(The Art of Bollywood Exh 2002, Costumes celebrating 40yrs of Carnival,
and yearly celebrations of the Chinese New Year)
She then outlined
The aims of the V&A’s future plan
To provide services to the under represented areas of society – to
encourage a complete cross-section of society to come in and enjoy an
activity/exhibition that they will be able to relate, interact with to
some extent.
V&A’s Achievements in 2001 onwards
(Navigation(?), Wednesday late view, Friday late night events – evenings
of knitting, drinking and listening to rock music)
V&A’s public programme
(List of exhibitions running from now up until 2009/10 including a quilt
exhibition in 2009 and various fashions exhibitions/events.
The Contemporary Textile display
2002/3 Exhibition by the 62 group
2003/4 Recent Acquisitions
2005/6 Concealed and Discovered by Sue Lawty.
She then went onto discuss the more traditional textile rooms (101)
which have changed from being a permanent display to a more temporary
way of presentation.
She came to work at the V&A after 13 years at the Tate. The difference
of working in a modern art gallery with contemporary spaces to the Victorian
building of the V&A. She has maintained a modern approach to the
display of textiles at the V&A, like the Tate, she shows fewer items,
in bigger spaces. Usually free standing with a low level rope delineating
the space around the piece or attached straight to the wall. Also to
showing less work with a higher turn over of exhibition. This is breaking
a mould within the V&A. These exhibitions are not funded she has
relied upon help from students at local colleges such as Goldsmiths for
the setting up and taking down of the exhibitions. There is no or very
little funding available for contemporary textiles at the V&A.
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Sue Lawty is the current textile artist in residence, her ongoing work
is called ‘In context’. She has brought together something
of the antiquity of the V&A with her use of materials and processes,
she has referenced her own work and the visual nature of traditional
textiles. This ongoing project reflects the need for more access to more
work in progress with reference to antiquity with a contemporary response.
Due to lack of funding for exhibition hanging material, this has lead
to a more direct and simpler way of hanging – attaching the piece
directly to the wall. This has never before done in the V&A. Sue
exhibited her work in progress in one of the galleries, she has been
working with placing small stone fragments to form a carefully considered
pattern – the stones were stuck directly on to the gallery wall.
The only disadvantage is that visitors could and did pick some of the
pieces off (which are always replaced by Sue with her ever ready bag
of replacement fragments)
In this manner, not only is she mending the publics interaction, but
she is there in person to interact with the public in the gallery space,
and with working with the students who volunteered to assist with the
exhibition set up, she was providing a valuable opportunity for them
to learn, ask questions and to work with a professional artist, in a
gallery space.
There is also a log on the V&A website in which she records her progress – an
invaluable insight to her working process. There are sketches and text
available for everyone to read.
There are going to be new Renaissance and Medieval galleries, and there
is a small space on the off the main foyer that will be host to textile
exhibitions in the future.
The future of contemporary textiles at the V&A needs to be fought
for in terms of funding, but at the moment the lack of it is creating
forced and innovative ways of incorporating textiles into the agenda.
Pitches for funding are competitive, and so are the slots for textiles
exhibitions themselves. The next strictly textile exhibition will be ‘Quilts’ in
2009 but there is the ongoing work by Sue Lawty and on top of this many
fashion exhibitions and fashion in Motion shows. Fashion does tend to
dominate because it can get sponsorship and it brings in much press and
publicity. There are of course the textile rooms with the framed antique
textiles and the costumes in the permanent collections on display.
Points raised:
Audrey Walker made the point that it is a terrible indictment that there
is no budget for Contemporary textile exhibitions at the V&A.
Sue replied that what they do have is a specific acquisitions budget,
but it is spread across the textiles, furniture and fashion departments
in both historical and contemporary categories, and therefore it is in
competition with pitches from other colleagues. Her role is to pitch
for items she feels would make a right and substantial contribution.
Comment for conclusion ‘Thank you that someone is buying contemporary
textiles – we need to keep that vision’.
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Moira Stevenson
(Deputy Director Manchester City Galleries)
‘Collections, Creativity and Enterprise: The International Centre
of Excellence for Fashion and Textiles in Manchester’.
The aim is to look at how we can re-engage in the community, the wealth
of textile heritage and tradition we have in Manchester. How can we exploit
collections in the city’s economies?
Moira listed the different museums and collections that hold textiles
in the greater Manchester area.
There are seven textile Industry museums (including Museum of the Lancashire
Textile Industry, Museum of Science and Industry, Quarry Bank Mill, The
Silk Museums etc)
There are eight Textile/Fashion collections (Including the Whitworth
Art Gallery, collections holding pattern books, and banner collections
for trade unions)
There are four Embroidery collections.
Manchester and Greater Manchester’s legacy of hundreds of mills
that provided employment, and a major centre for education goes back
to the 1830’s.
In 1838 The Manchester School of Design was opened, providing industrial
art education throughout the 19th Century, with links to the museums,
creating an intimate co-existence between museum, industry and art
school.
In the 1880’s the Arts and Crafts movement philosophies were adopted
into teaching practice and in 1888 the ‘Decorative Art Museum’ was
opened. The considered the role that textiles play in the city.
Also in 1888, the Museum acquired two tapestries by William Morris.
Today the Whitworth’s textile and fashion collection (second to
the V&A), is a valuable source of research and inspiration for the
students of Manchester’s schools, colleges and universities.
There is much systematic study related to the technology of textiles
more recently documented in the form of research into pattern books,
published in a new UMIST paper.
How can this legacy continue to be exploited for the creativity and
economy of Manchester and the textile community Nationwide?
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Melanie Miller
(Tutor) Embroidery Department the Manchester Metropolitan University
‘Mechanical Drawing – The Schiffli Project’.
The Embroidery course at Manchester Metropolitan University encourages
real understanding of processes and materials, strong use of drawing
and visual research in an historical and contemporary context.
MMU is a very well equipped and unrivalled embroidery department, with
traditional and modern machinery supporting a number of techniques
including tufting, and computer programmed embroidery machines to the
unique Schiffli
machine, the oldest working example in the UK.
This machine was first produced in 1828, before the conventional sewing
machine and it not only continues to keep a traditional method of Embroidery
alive but it also provides an exciting process for students today to
work with. The aim is to save this machine from extinction and revive
its use through professional and academic application. The textile artist
Alice Kettle will be using this machine in the spring to do some new
work on – it will give her a new dimension to work with. The aim
is to curate an exhibition of work produced on the machine with the idea
that it can tour the UK (but funding is needed). The project is called ‘Mechanical
Drawing’ and it was first opened up to the academic staff at MMU
then Melanie did demonstrations, anyone who was interested was invited
to come along and see the potential of this machine for artists working
in all sorts of disciplines. It is up to them how they translate their
work through this, for example Steve Dixon (a well know ceramicist who
makes large pots embelished with political propaganda) is also going
to use the machine to make new work.
The machine works to a scaled up hand drawn image (six times the size
of end product) that it relates through a series of dots (?). The needles
work together in groups and relate the stitch and form from the ‘Pantograph’ which
reads the drawing. The distance between each stitch is not widely variable – the
bracket is roughly less than 1 mm to 1 cm.
The machine can produce lace pieces (usually used for commercial use
on underwear or dresses for example), delightfully hand drawn looking
figurative work, sketchy looking letters in rows, which can overlap to
create a textured effect. Needles can be taken out at certain points
in the process which can create different words. E.g: ‘INFORMATION’ can
be shortened to ‘FORM’.
This project needs funding and the Schiffli machine needs exposure.
It is looking for collaboration with other educational establishments,
museums and galleries.
Past and ongoing collaborations with MMU and other galleries/museums
MMU encourages its students to do research, work experience with artists
and designers as well as placements in galleries. The MA Fine Art collaborates
with the ‘Corner House’ in Manchester, another MA course
collaborates with the Tate, Liverpool. There is a ‘Makers’ group
now set up for all disciplines with the aim to raise the profiles of
textiles.
Researchers are appointed in the academia of MMU to put together workshops/initiatives
to get textiles into primary schools and opportunities for current
students at degree level to access and develop teaching skills for experience
and a career in teaching.
MMU is currently under threat in terms of space, more students needing
more space and with no expansion the old fashioned Schiffli machine requiring
hand drawn designs is in direct competition for space with the new technologically
advanced machines students are more inclined to use today…again
the need to raise its profile.
Points raised about history, tradition and the new being part of the
same process, therefore it is necessary to hold on to prized old fashioned
items that can indeed breed new life into designs. Funding is the issue
here, and the Schiffli machine itself, we need to protect the last of
this dying species, can MMU become a working museum for this piece?
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Helen Parrott (Artist):
‘
Pure Practice’.
Helen has experience in a variety of roles around the practice of textiles
including practitioner, producer, exhibitor, arts developer, funder,
mentor, teacher, lead artist, writer, Regional Arts Board Member, project
manager and consultant.
Helen stressed how supporting others as well as making her own work
is equally important. She also stressed that working collaboratively
in
the form of seminars or as partnerships with other discipline makers
broadens horizons. What underpins her work is: what as an individual
and collectively we say and we do, small actions lead the way, ‘actions
speak louder than words’.
The contrasts she has experience in her professional work, for an organisation
with others or for herself by herself, all small things come together
to make a whole and this is what makes things work.
She believes that we get information from fabric that simply can not
be put into words verbally or in writing, however the visual, the words
written and verbal all contribute to a synergy that creates a whole that
is substance to move forward with – collaboration.
The contrast between artist and audience, private and public. There
has to be a response, either positive or negative it doesn’t matter
both are important. There is a different language for different roles;
curating, funding, exhibition designing, mentoring…all are crucial
to get work out. They are three layers that make the fabric create a
synergy of the whole, the material, the concept and the reception.
Inevitably, thus practice can not be ‘pure’. Like life it is gloriously
complex and creative.
Quote from Paul Allen:
‘snapshots of what it is like to try to make art in Britain
now by people engaged in the daily struggle to make things that haven’t
been made before’
Meaning that this poetry reads like snap shots of the daily struggle
that artists go through to explore and create something that has never
been made before, this effort to pioneer through the desire to create
and discover new ground. She says that it is the curators role to support
this daily struggle and understand this search for work that has never
been made before and then the small parts can make a whole.
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Paul Harper (Writer)
‘Critical Language and the Crafts’
This is a discussion about the critical language used in the crafts.
His initial interest comes from being a furniture designer maker since
then after many years in a more design based approach he has moved away
with study for a PHD. Exploring the potential of video as an analysis
of the discourse used in the language of crafts.
Also through work for an advisory scheme called ALIAS, work is with
groups on a range of funding and creative practices, and the emphasis
is on
response to artists needs. Symposiums are needed to create a ground
for critical discourse, groups and networks can help provide that context.
Dissatisfaction has developed within some groups of the nature of critical
discourse.
Poetry was mentioned. This led on to referencing seminars that are orientated
around issues such as vagueness, precision etc, encouraging artists to
discuss some of the very issues they may be grappling with.
Craft was invented as a written discourse by William Morris but throughout
the 20th Century there was no cohesive thread with the crafts, whereas
today much is written and talked about which has lead us to invent a
research culture to back up the practical in educational systems.
Critical writing has the potential to shape craft as opposed to illuminate
it, this causes tension. Sometimes things that are hard to write about
do not get written about as your senses do the reading. We believe that
art and craft needs to be read, at worst art/craft can be seen as a blank
page on which to project words.
There are lots of facets missing from critical discourse, things that
craft offers the material world that has not yet been incorporated
into the discourse. So can it really do justice to what the work? We
need
to consider the context in which the pieces are made.
Makers are encouraged to write about their practice, however there is
a personal voice, that of the maker that needs to come through. The artist
Christie Brown when writing about her work was descriptive and analytical – which
presented a detached history of art type narrative. However she then
started to talk about her experience of working and her relationship
with her work, the words, the perspective, the structure and the emotion
were completely different there was love and passion and a cohesiveness
that was beyond grammar, her work was seen in a different light.
The Arts Council will be launching a new National Strategy (not published
yet) this lack of critical debate has been identified as a problem.
It is very important that makers contribute towards discourse and it
is also very important that dialogues and events are created to support
this. Indeed an event like this seminar which brings together makers,
curators, researchers, tutors etc to reinforce this partnership.
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The discussion was then opened up to the group.
We do not need any more theory, do we need more poetics?
The notion of different language was discussed;
- The language of jargon is mistrusted.
- The language of how people talk about their work
- The verbal, visual and written language
- ‘
Flow’ meaning – absorption in things within our capacity
and challenging
- Difficulty in adopting an appropriate language – consider work
in a more poetic way.
- As you work, you develop a language, and a language is communicated
in some way.
- Talking about ideas and processes has become very divorced, how
can we narrow this gap?
- Within the education systems, there is an emphasis on the cerebral,
and encouragement to work conceptually.
It was put forward that if you cannot talk about your work it is powerless
to you and to others, which was countered by the notion that work should
speak for itself.
There has to be a discourse, it is an important part of the making process
that you find a language for yourself. Edmund de Waal conducted a writing
workshop, makers were encouraged to engage and talk about their work.
Very personal language emerged in the form of poetry, snippets of thought
and engaged emotion when referring to pieces of work.
If we were to develop our own sophisticated language and response to
our work, we would not rely on writers or have to write awkward artists
statements.
In that case there have to be more forums focused on writing about one’s
work.
The videos in the 2121 the textile vision of Reiko Sudo and Nuno, are
interviews of people not only talking about their work but textiles
as a whole, all in different and very personal ways. This ties in with
my
work where I film artists making and I get them to talk about their
work, as work in progress
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NEVAC ( National and Electronic archive for the Crafts)
It is very difficult to get hold of scripts written by craft practitioners
about their work, much easier from past artists. Getting the artists
voice into the printed word, is not as prolifed as it should be, but
publicity is gained through the press and journalism.
Much discourse comes from around exhibitions. All the people that put
together and make an exhibition happen are then part of that work to
some extent, in fact they often feel like it is partly theirs.
Like with curating and photographing, writing to some extent can take
an ownership of the work, how strong is the artist’s voice in this
context? Is the curator’s voice louder than the artists?
It is crucial the discourse between these roles is explored. For this
we need to find ways to communicate and work together to create a profile,
this can be achieved with nationally held forums, workshops and seminars
which will provide invaluable platforms for this discourse and a strong
future for textiles.
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