PULL MY THREAD is an exhibition of sustainable textiles, from couture to hand weave, Upcycling to bio-textiles at Brantwood House, the historic home of John Ruskin in the Lake District. Open Saturday 27th July – Sunday 22nd September.
‘Pull My Thread – textiles for a cool planet’ features 24 makers and creatives, and examines the relationship between textiles, creativity and the green economy.
Blue Patch, the curator of this exhibition, is a community for creative businesses committed to sustainable practice.
Blue Patch fosters collaboration and experiment and, as this exhibition highlights, when creative people come together an exchange of ideas, materials and energy takes place.
Our change-makers include new bio-fleece harvested from bulrushes to radical-couture made from textiles donated by the Royal Opera House.
The Exhibitors can be seen both in the Severn Studio and the main house.
“Ruskin reminds manufacturers that the things they make and how they make them determines the nature of everyone’s world. The attention to thoughtful manufacture by Blue Patch makers makes them champions of social justice and environmental responsibility. That they achieve this by creating products of inspiring beauty is all the more remarkable. We are delighted to have Blue Patch at Brantwood.”
Howard Hull, Director of Brantwood.
Ruskin’s influence stretches across many areas and interests that continue to have relevance today. The book that he most wished to be remembered for, Unto This Last, first published in 1860, features four essays advocating an ethical and socially responsive economy.
“Ruskin’s ‘Unto This Last’ has always been a critical text for me. I like to think Ruskin would ‘get Blue Patch’ because our mission is dedicated to educating and supporting the growth of the local sustainable economy. I would give anything to time-travel’ and discuss our mission with Ruskin himself as we gaze across the lake towards Old Man.”
Jane Langley, Blue Patch founder and the exhibition curator
As a rare treat, displayed in the house alongside the iconic Nettle Dress itself, will be a reticule which belonged to John Ruskin’s mother, Margaret (1781 – 1871). The elegant knotwork is knitted from plant fibres and embroidered with coloured flowers. Its style suggests it may be Spanish, which indicates a gift from her husband’s business partner, Pedro Domecq. A reticule like this was designed to be worn on the wrist, often during dances or musical soirees.
Allan Brown on making the Nettle Dress
So much of the making of the dress involved repetition, from the foraging of the nettles for the fibres, through to the spinning of the yarn and the weaving of the cloth. I was repeating the same actions and returning to the same woods, through all seasons and all weathers, over and over again. But it never felt like drudgery, it was more like a deepening…noticing the subtle changes in both the internal and external landscapes.
The show will capture the creative spirit of the new green economy and the collaborative ethos of Blue Patch.
Exhibitors
Madder Cutch & Co, Newton Paisley, Dalston Dolls, Erika Janavi, Judi Archer, Laura’s Loom, Hedgerow Couture, Flax Project CIC, Ponda.bio, Kathleen Mullaniff, Julia Langley, Shape Furniture, Chloe Haywood London, ROCWORX, The Stitch Society, Karen Quickfall, The Sustainable Rope Company, Social Socks, Jennifer Wright, Meg Rahaim, Zoë Burt, Zoe Bicat, Carolyn Blake and The Green Salon Collective.
“…all lovely things are also necessary.”
John Ruskin
‘We are delighted that offcuts from our costume workshops can be used in such a creative and unique way. Blue Patch and their community provide a great opportunity for us to give new life to our unwanted materials, supporting our ambition to reduce waste’.
Rachael O’Sullivan, Environmental Manager, Royal Opera House
Materials used in work by Chloe Haywood London, Erika Janavi and ROCWORX have been donated by the Royal Opera House, London.
Get to Brantwood The Brantwood Trust, East of Lake, Coniston, LA21 8AD
References
- John Ruskin : The Nature of Gothic – a chapter in The Stones of Venice, Unto This Last
- Ruskin’s influence on Gandhi
- Howard Hull Director of Brantwood, on the relevance of Ruskin’s ideas
- Discussion: ‘Echoes of Life: Contemporary Art and Ruskin’ Artist Jorge Otero-Pailos, Poppy Bowers (Whitworth Gallery, Manchester) and Daniel Herrman (National Gallery, London)
- Ruskin Unleashed : Towards a Revised Political Economy of Art. Alistair Hudson
- ‘Ruskinland‘- How John Ruskin shapes our world. Andrew Hill
- Lecture: RUSKIN TO-DAY given by Robert Hewison
- Suzanne Fagence Cooper: Stones and Lilies: Ruskin’s Legacy since 1969
- Clive Wilmer’s 2019 Ruskin Lecture. What the Guild of St George does: Reflections on Wealth & Life.
- William Morris: Archive of writings of William Morris, News From Nowhere
- Kate Raworth Doughnut Economics – how to keep the economy within ecological boundaries
- Support independent bookshops by visiting your local store or bookshop.org
