A Postcard from the British Textile Biennial

British Textile Biennial, Pennine Lancashire
29 September - 29 October 2023

The rural region of East Lancashire is known for its lush green hills, beautiful landscapes, and historical significance during the Wars of the Roses. In the 19th century, the area played a vital role in England's economy, driven by coal mining, fishing, and textile production. Drawing inspiration from this local context and historical background, the Biennial weaves together a series of thematic 'threads' that explore the legacy of the textile industry here. It expands its reach, addressing contemporary concerns such as the politics of raw materials, the lingering effects of the Industrial Revolution in the global present, the relationship between organic and inorganic matter, the environmental crisis, issues surrounding labour and exploitation, the echoes of the transatlantic slave trade in the global economy, as well as the imbalances in wealth distribution under the neoliberal system.

These series of discursive ‘threads’ materialise at the Textile Biennial in the form of new commissions, exhibitions, performances, and installations across various unconventional spaces—including galleries, museums, former mills, churches, barns, and even a ballroom. The Biennial presents an array of multimedia textile art encompassing video, sculpture, sound art, poetry, participatory art, architecture, and more. By ignoring the boundaries between 'fine art' and 'craft', the Biennial challenges the conventional notions of textiles as a craft medium.

Our first stop was the Pendle Heritage Centre, where we encountered Christine Borland's installation Projection Cloth, 2023. Set within a restored medieval cruck barn, Borland's work consisted of four films projected onto a woven surface made of fustian, a typical Lancashire fabric comprising a blend of linen warp and cotton weft. Accompanying the visual display was a soundscape encompassing conversations, excerpts from mythology and folklore, religious and philosophical references, as well as natural history. Borland's installation delved into the intertwined relationship between plants, textile lore, and the artistic process. It also paid homage to the women who were unjustly persecuted as witches during the 17th century, highlighting their connection to these materials and processes.

Next on our itinerary was the Nelson Technology Centre, which showcased Eva Sajovic's interactive installation End of Empire. By harnessing the movement and touch of visitors, the artwork addressed themes of colonialism, the ecological crisis, power dynamics, gender roles, mythology, and the artist's role in envisioning alternative futures. Sajovic combined sewing machine hacking, knitted photographs, sensors, and an AI-generated musical score, incorporating manual, analogue, and digital processes. It was lovely to hear from the artist herself, who provided insights into the conceptual, formal, and processual layers embedded within her intervention.

We arrived at Queen St Mill at lunchtime, where we encountered pieces created by Cottonopolis Collective and Madhu Mani. Exploring the collections of chintz and Kalamkari textiles housed in UK museums. The venue, with its historic mill machines and imposing industrial space, evoked thoughts of exploitation, long working hours, and the stress on the human body caused by heavy labour. However, director Laurie Peake shared her personal connection to this site, as her mother and grandmother had worked in this very mill. By contrast, they found camaraderie, enterprise, and even playfulness in their work, where they were mistresses of the machines rather than being dominated by them. This anecdote served as a testament to the resilience of individuals and the transformative power of art in strengthening human agency.

A standout moment in our tour was the Goodshaw Chapel, a nonconformist Baptist chapel established in 1760 by textile workers and farm labourers. Here, we were captivated by the collaborative film installation Larksong by Nick Jordan and Jacob Cartwright. The piece combines moving images, sound, smell, fire, print and textiles to create a poetic expression of space. Displaying footage of the surrounding landscape and the chapel itself, the installation explores themes of social, industrial, and ecological significance. The soundtrack incorporates sounds inspired by 18th-century manuscripts from the choir known as the Larks of Dean, intertwining lyrics derived from gravestone inscriptions discovered in the chapel's burial grounds.

At The Whitaker we saw the exhibition Fragments of Our Time, curated by Uthra Rajgopal. This display showcased contemporary textile artworks by 17 South Asian artists. The artworks were intricately woven with concepts related to the environment, economies, and societies. The location is a house built for a textile mill owner during Britain's colonial expansion in India, including cabinets of curiosities, stuffed animals and other unusual nineteenth-century items. This historical backdrop added another layer of significance to the artworks displayed throughout the uncanny Victorian space.

At the end of the afternoon, we made our way to Blackburn, where we visited other venues and attended the launch event. At the Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, we saw an exhibition inspired by a small piece of cloth, known as The Penistone Cloth, a sample of fabric produced in Lancashire in the 18th century and exported to plantations for clothing enslaved people. In many ways the whole Biennial pivots conceptually around this fragment of cloth and the history it reveals.

Finally, at Tony’s Ballroom we saw the work of Jeremy Hutchison. In a playful yet uncomfortable way, his project explores the global trade in second-hand clothes, particularly the garments sent from the Global North to Africa, commonly known as 'Dead White Man's' clothes. Jeremy used these as materials to create ‘monsters’ who are in search of their own identity: wearable sculptures made from second-hand clothes and performing in them. He aims to comment on the social, economic, and cultural implications of this global trade.

Our day had begun on the concourse of Euston station, watching trains get cancelled one after another, and as it came to an end, we were taken back to Preston station, where we faced yet another delayed train back to London. However, nothing could dent the experience of this dynamic and ambitious Textile Biennial. We returned home with the acknowledgement of textiles not only as art but also as materials that fabricate our identities, dress and protect us, embody history, and energies from the environment as well as local and global politics.

Paula Zambrano
Curator of Programmes

British Textile Biennial
Pennine Lancashire
Biennial open until 29 October 2023