Some of the dresses on display
Joining in
On Wednesday 3 February, fifteen AS and A-level Art/Textiles students equipped with cameras and notebooks visited this exciting exhibition of war time textiles, held at the Museum at the Park in Stroud. The entrance to the show was like going down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole as students walked through the vents of a giant red coat.
Inside the students were confronted with a giant dress made from a parachute and other pieces of art-textiles made from recycled clothes and materials. Students were encouraged to enjoy using the equipment available: some tried their hand at weaving, others tried to operate a spinning wheel and others made soft heart-shaped brooches to go on a large hanging.
This exhibition introduced the concept of recycling, repairing and renewing an item, quite unnatural in the ‘throw-away’ attitude which developed in the twentieth century.
A great visit, which has proved very useful in preparation for the examination the students are now doing.