Image from SEAMS exhibition by Laura Wilson in CCA (March – June 2023)
Linen: Material Inheritance
In this seminar we will hear from female creative professionals who have come to linen from different perspectives (fine art and fashion design). Both discovered a personal family history with linen and this has continued to shape their research and development as they consider how skills, objects and textile knowledge pass between generations.
Both speakers will introduce their work and practice followed by a group discussion unpicking some of the common threads running through in their approaches to this material, including the importance of heritage, material knowledge and sustainability.
Speakers: Laura Wilson (visual artist), Amy Anderson (creative director, Kindred of Ireland clothing brand).
Discussion host: Jill Phillips (designer and researcher).
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Amy Anderson
Amy Anderson is the Creative Director of Kindred of Ireland. Founded in 2020, the brand promotes sustainability while breathing new life into Irish Linen Heritage by creating timeless pieces with a contemporary edge. Responsibly sourced, handmade to order, sustainable, and intentional, integrity is at the heart of Amy’s vision for Kindred, as is her dedication to helping others adopt a slower, more considered approach to fashion.
Irish linen has always been a part of Amy’s life. Growing up listening to stories of her grandparents’ youths spent working at Moygashel Linen Mill and hearing them talk of transforming flax into fabric, she has long been enthralled by the craft and skill involved in producing linen. With Kindred Of Ireland, she celebrates her affinity with the textiles industry and continues her family’s story with her contemporary yet classic designs.
kindredofireland.com
Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson was born in Belfast and lives and works in London. She is interested in how history is carried and evolved through everyday materials, trades and craftsmanship, working with specialists to develop sculptural and performative works that amplify the relationship between materiality, memory and tacit knowledge. Her recent solo exhibition SEAMS at the Centre for Contemporary Art Derry~Londonderry (March – June 2023) included a significant new body of work Winding, then Winding (2023), informed by Laura’s research into her family history, the production and export of linen through the Derry~Londonderry ports and the history of Linenopolis, the name given to her hometown of Belfast in the 19th Century, when it was at the centre of the world’s linen industry. Laura develops research-led projects, working with specialists and experts to communicate relationships between materiality, memory and tacit knowledge, explored through sculpture, performance, drawings and video.
Discussion Host – Jill Phillips
Jill Phillips is a textile artist, facilitator and designer who works across the arts, academia and design industry. She has exhibited locally and internationally including at the National Craft Museum of Ireland, and has facilitated workshops with different groups. She has also worked/works as a designer and design consultant for several companies and Queen’s University. An industrial textile designer for almost ten years, Jill Phillips’s passion for fabric, texture and pattern is evident throughout her portfolio. Much of her current work has evolved from concepts intrinsically linked to her, and is often incorporated into her work in delightfully surprising ways.
