Thread the Loom is a group exhibition celebrating the art of weaving. An AVL Studio Dobby loom, on loan from Birmingham City University (BCU), was activated through a series of micro-residencies with West Midlands weavers. We caught up with Zoë Hillyard, Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons) Textile Design at BCU and Lara Gembarska, Student Weaving Support to ask them to reflect on their highlights.
“There has been so much appreciation for the joy of making and a real strength of feeling about how important it is that we maintain spaces, equipment and expertise with which to nurture high levels of craftsmanship – in weaving, but also in other hand-skill based disciplines too.
The resident weavers have shown how a loom can be an amazing collaborator in creating diverse expressive work. Judging by the sparks of excitement we’ve seen in faces, young and old alike, it is clearly a technology that still fuels the imagination and continues to inspire.
We were thrilled by how much experimentation happened on the hand looms – stripes of complex weave structures alongside sections exploring colour and the tactility of the process. The result is a beautiful record of collective engagement and the shared enjoyment of Thread the Loom. Our students – Lara, Holly and Hazel – and Ikon staff members, have been fantastic in helping to demystify the process of creating woven cloth, through explanations and hands-on demonstrations. The exhibition has truly been a celebration of skill-sharing, learning and creative development.
Soon, our looms will return to our Weave Workshop, ready to welcome a new cohort of students onto our BA (Hons) Textile Design course at Birmingham City University (BCU). If Thread the Loom and Seulgi Lee’s inspiring exhibition SPAN have sparked your curiosity in hand-craftsmanship – whether you’re now tempted to dust off an old loom, seek out a course or simply hold a deeper appreciation for the fabrics you wear and the craftsmanship that surrounds you – then all the work that has gone into these exhibitions will have been more than worth it.”
Zoë Hillyard, Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons) Textile Design at BCU.
“To be given this opportunity at Ikon Gallery was such a privilege. Weaving at the exhibition launch enabled people to see the loom in action but it also meant that I was able to talk to industry personnel and explain to them how weaving works. I have made several connections already at the gallery which will help my professional career once I have graduated from university. Explaining weaving to so many people has also made me realise that I do have weaving knowledge and not to doubt myself, especially as I go into my third year of University. Weaving is a process that isn’t known to many, so it was amazing to be able to explain to the public what it was and emphasise how important weaving is in our day to day lives.
As an aspiring weaver it was also fascinating to be assisting established weavers in the textile community and to hear about their ideas, thoughts and feelings on weaving. I feel as though I have learnt so much from the artists that I have worked with so far and will carry these ideas into my final University projects.
Helping out with the @textilesbcu social media page has also been such a wonderful opportunity, as it meant that I could share my experience of helping the artists in residence through my videos. I could also share some of the processes that many members of the public don’t realise happen when it comes to weaving, such as threading up and beaming on.
Overall, this has been such a valuable experience for me. I have been able to meet so many amazing people and all the staff at Ikon Gallery are wonderful people. This opportunity is also something I can put on my CV which will help my professional career once I have graduated and may allow me to go into a career pathway that might not have been possible without this experience.”
Lara Gembarska, Student Support
Stay connected with Textiles at BCU on Instagram: @textilesbcu
