Commission: Fabric of the City: Manchester Metropolitan University

Fabric of the City comprises two interconnected textile works by Alice Kettle, commissioned by Manchester Metropolitan University. Together, they celebrate the University’s multi-disciplinary creativity, drawing inspiration from the diverse schools and research centres housed within the Art and Humanities building and its dynamic relationship with the city of Manchester.

Kettle was further inspired by Great Northern Diver, a poem by Michael Symmons Roberts from his Mancunia collection. In response, the artworks envision Manchester as a living poem—layered, rhythmic, and shaped by its people, histories, and places. The city emerges as a tapestry of intersecting voices and narratives, both past and present.

Central to the project was collaboration. Kettle worked with a group of Undergraduate Textile in Practice and MA Textile alumni—Ibukun Baldwin, Olivia Barrett, Hannah Jones, Romilly Tucker, and Jasmine Walne—developing a process rooted in dialogue and exchange. Each contributor shaped both works, resulting in a co-designed composition that mirrors Manchester itself: a city made whole through many distinct voices.

Created during the 2020 pandemic, the project also reflects the challenges of remote collaboration under lockdown restrictions. With limited access to studios and materials, the team adapted their methods, rethinking processes as the work evolved. The collective designs were ultimately reimagined by Kettle at monumental scale, printed onto cloth and richly embroidered to introduce depth, texture, and tactility. The integration of textile print and stitch pays homage to Manchester’s industrial heritage and to the School of Art’s longstanding commitment to these disciplines.

Through the fusion of poetry, visual art, and applied practice, Fabric of the City embodies the Faculty’s cross-disciplinary ethos. Situated within this architectural context, the works foreground the creative contributions of professors, students, and technical teams alike, while affirming culture as central to Manchester’s identity.