AIM

A sculpture to recognise

CONCEPT

Fabrics From five continents. Once Rochdale sent textiles out across the world; today they come from across the world to Rochdale. An echo of the past and a nod to Rochdale’s multi-cultural present.

MAKING

Our small team enjoyed working at Darwen Terracotta’s workshops - being present for the full process of making and especially enjoying the light from the large windows.

Each circular bench is made up of nine individual seats, all bearing textile patterns from a particular continent. In total, there are 45 individual patterns. We have rendered these as arrangements of lines and dots pressed into wet clay. When the clay is fired, titanium glaze collects in the recesses and the patterns become two-tone, iridescent faience.

The patterns themselves are of several different kinds. Some are drawn from designs simply painted or printed onto fabric, others from designs created in the weave. Some describe a certain technique such as tie-dye, appliqué or embroidery. Still others show in close-up the structure of a particular type of fabric itself. All represent textiles that have come to be identified, whether over thousands of years or just a few decades, with a certain part of the world.

A continent contains many countries located in a fewer number of zones. So for each bench we have chosen patterns from as wide a spread of cultures as possible, but composed them into three groups. Our hope is to build up a mosaic of patterns which is at once diverse and harmonious - recognisable as the cultural mosaic of a continent.

A NEW TECHNIQUE

We worked with the wet clay before it was fired - creating new tools in order to press the different forms and shapes into the clay, changing the amount of pressure or depth needed. There was definitely a state of flow as we worked steadily and slowly to recreate the patterns. Working with Tamzin from Darwen on testing and comparing the different glaze combinations.

https://www.gillespies.co.uk/news/rochdale-town-square-progress

“Warren Chapman, associate partner at landscape architecture Gillespies, said: “We are delighted to see the progress on bringing new life into the heart of Rochdale town centre.

“The completed project will transform a sea of car parking into a people-friendly civic space for generations of Rochdale residents to enjoy and cherish.”

Darwen Terracotta owner Jon Wilson said: “While we work worldwide, it is always heart-warming to be involved with work on our doorstep.

“We were delighted to collaborate with Broadbent on this project, and look forward to seeing the final installation of the benches. We hope the people of Rochdale greatly enjoy this exciting new town square.”

The town hall and square are expected to be reopened to the public later this year.”

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/150302/new-benches-under-construction-for-town-hall-square

THE LIVING DRESS

The Living Dress is a beautiful large-scale art installation made from naturally dyed textiles using plants and flowers, presented on a stunning 5m tall sculpture representing Mother Earth.

The dress showcases ancient dyeing methods that predate synthetic chemicals, and was made by over 150 women from different communities in Greater Manchester. It invites visitors to consider the possibilities of working with nature in the clothes we wear, and the art we create, by seeing fabrics made with climate-kind processes.

We’ve also incorporated the madder plant and flowers in which this dress was inspired by. The images are of us creating the fabrics using batik and overdyeing, as well as images of the beautiful ceramic benches the designs have come from.

https://cabasacarnivalarts.com/the-living-dress/