26 February 2010
The art of conversation to inform textile-related project
Current and former workers from a range of occupations in the textiles industry have been encouraged to contribute to a major project taking place at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
Bristol-based artist and seamstress Clare Thornton supplements her income by undertaking costume and clothes alteration work. She is examining the textiles industry as part of the ‘Nine Trades of Dundee’ project, run by Exhibitions at DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee.
Nine Trades of Dundee seeks to take art directly to the workplace and challenge preconceptions about who is an artist. Each project is run by an artist who is either working in a job that helps fund their artwork, or who has done so in the past.
Clare has worked in the costumes department of a theatre as well as continuing to practice her 'mobile skill', which inspired her to apply to be part of the Nine Trades of Dundee initiative. She says that the art of conversation features a lot in her work as does an insatiable curiosity to collect personal stories and objects that relate to peoples working lives. She is keen to reveal hidden craftmanship and skills.
'I'm very keen to collect trade secrets and everyday work experiences and learn about the tools of the trade,' she explained. 'I’m collecting stories and memories about the textile trade and related industries and want to hear from people who have worked within these trades.
'I want to speak to people who are, or who have ever been, a tailor, seamstress, machinist, weaver, pattern cutter, fashion or clothing retailer, clothes designer, costume maker, dyer, printer, draper, upholsterer, embroiderer, milliner or anything else related to the industry.
'I’ll be coming up to Dundee on research trips pretty much every other week. The final outcome will be revealed next June or July. At the moment, I don’t know exactly what this will involve.
'It may be a limited edition object or a textile/soft sculpture, a bookwork, or I may even decide to host a social event that celebrates the stories I hear. The way I work is very process-driven and the creative outcome will be a response to what I find out speaking to the people who have worked in the industry.
'For instance relating to tailoring and costume, I’m interested in what we wear and why, and what that might tell us. Obviously each artist working on this project will take a different approach based on their second trade and creative interests. The Nine Trades project offers us the chance to bring together different aspects of life and workplace experiences.
'As regards my story gathering - no tale is too small! What people think of when they recall their work might be something very personal, that they might think of as insignificant in the grand scheme of things but I want to hear about anything relating to textiles and tailoring.'
Clare will be working with a number of Dundee businesses, including Utopia Costumes, Cooper & McKenzie, and Halley Stevensons, during the course of her research but wants to make contact with other individuals and companies. She would like to arrange meeting to discuss work experiences - whether an epic tale, a trade-secret or recollections about everyday working life.
Nine Trades is a project initiated by Exhibitions at DJCAD. It is inspired by the ‘The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee’, an organisation that has been operating since the 1400’s. Originally concerned with commerce and standards of the city it now functions as a charity and is involved in the preservation of heritage.
‘Nine Trades of Dundee’ aims to increase arts access and encourage more participation for non-arts audiences by bringing art activity and creativity to the heart of the workplace.
Anyone who would like to contribute can contact Clare by emailing clarety@gmail.com.
Notes to editors:
Interviews with Clare can be arranged on request.
Nine Trades of Dundee is a project devised by Exhibitions at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, and funded by The National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council’s Inspire Fund.
The outputs of the ‘Nine Trades of Dundee’ will include nine core collaborative commissions; a ‘Nine Trades Final Gathering’ event bringing together the artists, participants and wider audience; two ‘open door’ tours to see the work in situ; nine ‘Nine Trades Apprenticeships’ for Duncan of Jordanstone students; one ‘Nine Trades’ workshop for a Dundee school; and a linked Creative Learning Resource to accompany the ‘Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee’ display at McManus Galleries.
The project has commissioned nine artists with second non-art trades to lead collaborative art projects with workers from that particular trade, and commissions will be developed to fit the individual artists practice and the working environment and the artist will receive curatorial and peer support as part of the larger ‘Nine Trades of Dundee’ project.
More information is available by visiting www.ninetrades.com.
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