Connections

Bradford School of Art had an outdoor exhibition in the grounds of Saltaire's church as part of the Arts Trail, and I was impressed by the quality and innovation of the pieces. Students from the Foundation Degree (FdA) Textiles Practice took the theme of 'Connections - People and Place' to explore what gives people a sense of connection to place, through home, work and play. 

Jane Blackburn had taken inspiration from maps of the area to produce various household items - aprons, teatowels - that I would think could be commercially very successful. 

Liz Buckles had created 'Magic in the Air' - a series of textile panels celebrating some of the small, everyday things that help connect us to our community and environment. She had made them into storyboards for children and, at intervals during the day, children were invited to come and engage with the storytelling. Charming. 

 

Diana Spoors had been inspired by photos and stories of Salts Mill's workers' centenary trip by train to Blackpool in 1953, and had created a vibrant deckchair to celebrate a day at the seaside. 

Päivi Raine had used Salts mausoleum as the base for 'Unseen', her cyanotype on fabric, reflecting that the ordinary millworkers, many of them women, have no statues, mausoleums or streets named in their honour, despite being indispensable to the success of the mills - the vital cogs of the textile industry both here in the past and currently in many places around the world.