This is a thought provoking and moving exhibition set in the spinning room of Salts Mill in Saltaire, just north of Bradford. I am not going to give a potted history of Salts Mill as there is a lot of information about it available on the internet and in print. But I will say that it is a stunning building and a great exhibition space. The stone floors and vaulted brick ceilings are original, as are the bobbin stores set into all the walls. These photographs might give some idea of the space:
Main ground floor room
Spinning Room exhibition space
The exhibition itself is site specific with works created by 23 international artists inspired by the venue. When I first arrived in the spinning room I was struck by the light, space and airiness, the artworks almost invisible. Each installation has a lot of room around it enabling the visitor to see it from many viewpoints.
The artworks force the viewer to engage with and think about the nature of the building, the processes which took place within it, the workers who created created 18 miles of alpaca cloth each day, and to examine the way in which each artist has depicted his or her response to the venue. The following are just a few of the participating artists, together with some photographs I took on my visit.
Jeanette Appleton's soft felted works based on the ledgers and sample books are placed in the bobbin stores - tactile, colourful, hinting at the work of the employees in the mill.
Caren Garfen's work is inspired by the census of 1891 and based on the lives of women who lived and worked in the parish of Saltaire. She uses stitched 'plaques' mounted on antique wooden spools to commemorate some of them.
Rachel Gray takes the viewer back to the basics of patchwork - paper piecing. For this artist, the back is almost more important than the front of a pieced work as the fragments of paper have a history of their own - her artwork incorporates archive images from Saltaire.
Diana Harrison was inspired by the flagstone floor of the spinning room interpreted in handkerchiefs - discharged, overdyed, printed - then stitched together in a loose pattern emulating flagstones and laid on the floor.
Yoriko Murayama has created work based on the landscape around Salts Mill and I quote from the gallery guide: "The images have been printed on Japanese paper which has been cut up and woven; the installation takes the form of a number of spiral cones each 2 metres high".
Yoriko Yoneyama's installation is breathtaking. Made from dried rice and silk threads, the work honours the importance and value of rice.
This is an exhibition not to be missed. And the catalogue is a work of art in itself.
The artworks force the viewer to engage with and think about the nature of the building, the processes which took place within it, the workers who created created 18 miles of alpaca cloth each day, and to examine the way in which each artist has depicted his or her response to the venue. The following are just a few of the participating artists, together with some photographs I took on my visit.
Jeanette Appleton's soft felted works based on the ledgers and sample books are placed in the bobbin stores - tactile, colourful, hinting at the work of the employees in the mill.
Caren Garfen's work is inspired by the census of 1891 and based on the lives of women who lived and worked in the parish of Saltaire. She uses stitched 'plaques' mounted on antique wooden spools to commemorate some of them.
Rachel Gray takes the viewer back to the basics of patchwork - paper piecing. For this artist, the back is almost more important than the front of a pieced work as the fragments of paper have a history of their own - her artwork incorporates archive images from Saltaire.
Diana Harrison was inspired by the flagstone floor of the spinning room interpreted in handkerchiefs - discharged, overdyed, printed - then stitched together in a loose pattern emulating flagstones and laid on the floor.
Yoriko Murayama has created work based on the landscape around Salts Mill and I quote from the gallery guide: "The images have been printed on Japanese paper which has been cut up and woven; the installation takes the form of a number of spiral cones each 2 metres high".
Yoriko Yoneyama's installation is breathtaking. Made from dried rice and silk threads, the work honours the importance and value of rice.
This is an exhibition not to be missed. And the catalogue is a work of art in itself.
