Alice Kettle curated this touring exhibition of contemporary works by staff and students at Manchester School of Art, made in response to the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection. The collection includes 30,000 pieces amassed by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth (1886–1967). An expert maker herself, she collected everyday examples of lace, woven textiles and embroidery. These objects were originally gathered as instructive specimens; however, in Significance they inspired new work.
Jane McKeating and Caroline Hagan responded to colourful nineteenth-century embroidered bandanas, where printed paisley designs are obscured by French knots and feather stitch in shades of yellow, brown, red, blue and purple. Jane’s vibrant printed drawings are similarly overlaid with rich stitchwork, while Caroline repeated the paisley pattern in bold florals. Delicate tatting samples were transformed into 3D prints by Mark Beecroft, who noted, “I was drawn to how the small fragments of lace had been listed and preserved.” He questioned whether 3D-printed textiles will become an enduring medium.
Fragments of patchwork inspired Lynn Setterington’s rePurposed Patchwork, made with footballs, and Jessica de Sailles’s brightly coloured cloth of reprinted found fabrics.
Nineteenth-century Chinese silk cuffs with intricately stitched figures were a popular source. Kelly Quinzel created Monkey and Juggler, while Lisa Baronona produced small allegorical pieces. Nigel Hurlstone described his Darned Sample as encompassing “the necessity and capability of cloth to be mended and re-formed,” while Rachel Kelly and Kate Egan respectively animated Queen Anne–inspired embroidery and electrified a ticking pillowcase. Finally, Alice Kettle’s figure drew on the lyrical thread drawings of Alice Edna Smith.
The new works told new stories. By linking and unlocking connections, the creative potential of this historical resource was revealed as a site for learning and looking.