'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers', Ruthin Craft Centre

Some more photographs of my work at the 'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers' exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre. The show is now winging its way to Edinburgh, where it will open at The Dovecot Studios gallery on the 25th February, showing until the 26th March.

Weave education project at Ruthin Craft Centre

Stripy weaving exploring colour mixing, texture and proportion



Weaving on a 4 shaft Ashford loom

 

Exploring colour mixing with multiple wefts




View through the loom



  

Mixing different textured yarns and exploring colour mixing through plain weave



The final collection of samples before I cut them up ready to mount



The final piles of samples ready to be mounted and sent to the schools

 I've rather neglected my blogging recently as I've been SOOOOO busy! But over the next day or two there will be a couple of posts updating you on what I've been up to and what exciting projects and events are in the pipeline.

Firstly, to coincide with the Anni Albers and Inspired By: The Legacy of Anni Albers exhibitions at Ruthin Craft Centre, I was invited to contribute to a very exciting 'START' education project funded by the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts. Between December and February I undertook 8 days of teaching of about 250-300 primary school age children to learn to weave! They came from various schools around the Ruthin locality, and most hadn't visited the Centre before. They spent an hour with Elen Bonner the RCC Education Officer in the gallery looking at the exhibition and doing some drawing, before spending an hour with me in the studio. I talked to them about my job as a weaver, and they were invited to touch, feel and play with my textile samples (unlike the 'do not touch' policy in the gallery space). Then, working in pairs they then had a go of weaving on 4 shaft table looms.  Taking it in turns to weave a stripe in plain weave, they were encouraged to think about colour mixing and texture. Without exception they all loved it. It was brilliant to watch them start off rather nervously, then build in confidence and excitement. Once the hour was up the were all reluctant to leave, asking if they could return, where they could buy a loom etc. The best comment I had was that 'weaving was better than playtime'! Job done methinks! Am hoping that there may well be an influx on North Walian weavers in about 15 years time......

Inspired by the legacy of Anni Albers, Ruthin Craft Centre

Just thought I would share a few photographs of the exhibition currently on at Ruthin Craft Centre which includes two new pieces of work of mine.  Alongside the rare treat to see some of the woven and printed works by the legendary Anni Albers, there is an exhibition entitled Inspired by the Legacy of Anni Albers.  I was deeply honoured to be invited to exhibit in this show, as Albers is such icon in the world of textiles, who has been a major source of inspiration to me over the years.

The exhibition continues until the 6th February 2011.  Many thanks to Elen Bonner the Ruthin Craft Centre Education Officer who sent me these pictures after I forgot to take my own!

'Three x Five' (on wall), Horizon I-V (on plinth)

'Three x Five' hand woven strips, rewoven in a triaxial structure (the yellow is a brighter acid-yellow colour than that in this image)

Dorte Behn's work in foreground

Anni Albers exhibition

Ptolemy Mann to left, Wallace Sewell on back wall

Anni Albers rug produced by Christopher Farr, Ptolemy Mann to right

Fiona Mathison

Latest news....

Just thought I’d let you know about some forthcoming events and other bits of news.

Firstly, you can find me from this Friday to Sunday at Wales’ first major contemporary craft fair: Made by Hand at Tredegar House in Newport. I’ll be exhibiting my Resonate sculptures and a number of framed ‘Jacquard Sketches’. I will also have a small table loom on the stand so you can get a glimpse of the weaving process. My stand number is P66 which is in the Pavilion. The opening hours are as follows:

Friday 11-7pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 10-5pm

Adult Day Ticket £5
Accompanied children under 14 FREE
Concessions (aged 15-18, students, unwaged & OAPS) £4
Family Day Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children aged 15-18) £15
3 Day Weekend Ticket £9/£7 concession.

This Saturday, a major exhibition of Anni Albers work opens at Ruthin Craft Centre. For those of you that are unfamiliar with her, Albers was one of the most influential weave designers and artists of the last century. A graduate of the famous Bauhaus, this is a rare treat to see some of her graphic pattern design and woven samples in the UK, thanks to The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in the USA. Alongside this exhibition, there is a complimentary show entitled Inspired By: The Legacy of Anni Albers, which I am honoured to have two significant new pieces of work in. Ruthin Craft Centre is open 7 days a week and entry is free. The show continues to the 6th Feb 2011.

Alongside these events I have been busy finalising the design for the Museumaker commission to create a triptych window for The Beaney Museum and Art Gallery in Canterbury. The Museum is currently closed for renovation and for the building of an exciting new extension designed by SidellGibson Architects The commission will see the translation of my characteristic Loose Threads resin sculptures into laminated glass. Pictures of the final design and making process will soon be published on my blog: www.laurathomaswoventextiles.blogspot.com (please subscribe!)

The warp+weft exhibition I curated for Oriel Myrddin will be touring to Craft in the Bay, Cardiff in the New Year. It will be open to the public from: 7th January – 20th February. I will be giving a free gallery talk at 2pm on the 22nd January. To compliment the exhibition there will be a number of weave workshops and talks from other practitioners. Please visit the Craft in the Bay website for further details. The exhibition will then tour along with the warp+weft: from handloom to production exhibition (currently on at the National Wool Museum until the 8th Jan 2011) to Smith’s Row in Bury St Edmund's, who will also be planning a series of complimentary events. The exhibition will be open to the public from 12th March – 30th April.

I am also busily planning for my next curation project for Llantarnam Grange. The exhibition will feature a new body of work from myself, alongside the work of 5 artist-makers that I have selected. The exhibition is entitled ‘Resonant Colour’ with the connecting thread between the makers and their work being an inherent vibrant and intelligent approach to colour. I am delighted that Sara Moorhouse, Ann Sutton, Nicholas Rena, Heike Brachlow and Kate Blee have all agreed to contribute work. The exhibition will also have publication featuring essays from Sara Moorhouse and Dr Royden Hunt. The exhibition will be open to the public from 19.03.11 - 07.05.11.

Lastly, I shall be moving to a new studio at Model House Craft and Design Centre in Llantrisant, just outside of Cardiff in the New Year. The move-in date has yet to be confirmed, but I shall keep you posted! The Centre has a lovely shop and gallery space downstairs, with around 20 studios upstairs which is open to visitors to have a look around.