FRI 29th

Creative Lancashire presents a series of informal panel conversations with artists who work with textiles and professionals from the textile industry. Providing an insight into the ways the textiles industry, skills and materials remain part of our lives and connect us to the rest of the world. Followed by an exclusive performance of World Factory at Brierfield Mill at 3pm.

Fabrications Themes:

• Skills: We will consider the impact and influence of the specialist and established skills pertinent to the textile heritage of Lancashire in traditional and current day industries and applications, as well as through the arts.
• Migration: We look at the global influence of Lancashire through those who came to the area to work with the textiles trade and examine what the dynamic and relationship looks like today. We will look at migration in its broadest sense, including from other areas of the UK, Asia, population movement and all migration.
• Heritage: In what ways the textiles industry have become part of the DNA of local people, how does it shape their identity, how does it manifest itself now, what are the traces left from the past?

Fabrications Panels

A panel of leading industrialists, academics and textiles designers will address the themes and provide an insight into the ways textiles industry, skills and material still remain parts of our lives and its role/influence on global markets.

Speakers include:

• Sarah Lloyd – Panaz
• Simon Brindle – UCLan Fashion
• Steve Kay – NW Texnet

full line-up to be confirmed

Booking essential via www.creativelancashire.org

SAT 30th

Drop into the Fabrications Exchange throughout the day to join in conversations and activities exploring the textiles DNA of East Lancashire. Taking skills, heritage and migration as our themes we invite you to meander and observe, or chat and take part as you wish…

• Learn hand stitches using locally dyed madder red thread with artist Claire Wellesley-Smith
• Swap notes about your memories and objects from Lancashire’s textile past with our heritage and fashion experts – pirns, shuttles, tacklers’ tools, fabric samples and your other treasured possessions are all welcome!
• Help us map where families came from throughout Britain and the world to work in the textile industries
• Watch Harriet Riddell whip up some seriously speedy stitches portraits on her trusty sewing machine
• Meet and chat with other fabric, textile and millworking locals around the Talkeoke booth
• Take part in hands-on wrapping, weaving, stitching and quilt making activities in our makers’ mini-studio
• Kick back and enjoy a medley of local textile related short films, from current day artists and treasures from national archives
• And enjoy the ambience through our displays

FREE and all welcome.