Textile design is one of the broadest and often most innovative sections within the design sphere. Nigh on impossible to define as a singular discipline, it is in fact made up of an array of constituent parts including knit, weave, print, constructed textiles and surface design.
The intrinsic link to the garments we wear and the soft furnishings of our interior worlds are ancient. And whilst numerous designers with textile sensibilities - an eye for colour, texture, pattern, materials and trends – appropriately employ modern computer aided technology to create their wares, there is still plenty of room for handmade processes.
Rochester Art Gallery and the Huguenot Museum have partnered for the first time to celebrate the hand-woven work of internationally renowned textile artist and designer Margo Selby.
The exhibition showcases her beautiful hand-woven framed textiles, including new pieces made especially for this show, along with an archive of her design work and the processes behind them.
Modernist in feel, her geometric work is actually created using a historical woven technique called Lampas, which was developed in the 17th Century by French weavers to create decorative brocade fabrics, and brought to England by Huguenot refugees.
Having trained in textile design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and The Royal College of Art, Margo initially worked as a woven textile designer for industrial mills. Since setting up her own commercial practice, her brand has become synonymous with beautifully crafted three-dimensional woven surfaces.
In recent years Margo has been focusing on her art practice, creating hand-woven framed works exploring how colour and structure unite. As she explains, "When designing a cloth for commercial use there are often so many boundaries; I wanted to remove these boundaries and begin creating cloth as artwork simply for the sake of exploring colour and construction."
The exhibition runs until 24 February 2018.
Rochester Art Gallery & the Huguenot Museum share space in the Visitor Information Centre on Rochester High Street, along with Nancy’s Cafe. The Art Gallery is on the ground floor, and the Huguenot Museum is on the first floor.
