REVIEW: The Future of Making
Saturday September 28th was the annual Threads Lecture. This year the title was "The Future of Making." Each year the threads lecture addresses the work of the Maiwa Foundation or issues of particular importance to artisans. This year Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin addressed the changing nature of artisan - designer relationships. The lecture began with an introduction to Anna Maria Garthwaite - a noted textile designer working in East London c. 1740. From here the lecture looked at the break between the fine arts and the decorative arts and the nature of industrial design. Examples of the tension between designer and artisan were discussed with the "Ajrakh Inspired Jacket" from the V&A Fabric of India exhibition providing a pivotal example.
The Evening was introduced by Liberty Erickson; Maiwa staff and host of the Maiwa Podcasts.
Good evening everyone and welcome to the Maiwa School of textiles lecture series.It is with great excitement that I introduce Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin for tonight’s lecture the Future of Making.
Charllotte is the owner and fearless captain of Maiwa Handprints.She is a writer, a teacher and a traveller, just to name a few things. Charllotte has won numerous awards for her extensive work in the textile arts and her drive to champion artisan communities. I've had the opportunity to be an assistant on the textile tours she leads in India, and to be honest, with this woman as navigator, I would follow her to the ends of the Earth.
Tim is an award winning photographer an author a teacher and so much more.Some of you here may have come to his lecture last week: "Artisan Ink and the New Calligraphers: Handmade Ink and the Return of Pen work" it was truly inspiring. A couple of years ago I took his ink making workshop and I am still inspired to write and create each day.
Independently both Charllotte and Tim are fiercely creative individuals.They represent the new renaissance with a foot (or in their case the flowing end of a shawl) in many different worlds. And when these two creative minds come together and collaborate they are a force to be reckoned with.
Tonight is our final lecture in our fall series. Thus far we have witnessed the traditions of the past and present come together; from the techniques that the 5 artisans visiting from India shared with us to the contemporary weaving of Anna Haywood-Jones.
For some of you, tonight maybe your first lecture, and to you, I say, welcome. For others (and you know who you are) these lectures have become a tradition in and of themselves and you attend the whole series.Either way, this is a moment in time where we gather and connect with this community of amazing people.
Year after year,
Under this very roof,
Worlds collide,
Ideas are shared,
And new inspirations are born.
In this rapidly changing world the cultures and traditions of craft and making are ever evolving.The question of what the future will look like is a topic to be revisited time and time again.Tonight I couldn’t think of two more inspiring people to help guide us into the future. Everyone please welcome Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin.
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| Silk design by Anna Maria Garthwaite dated October 23rd, 1747. Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. |
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| Weaver's Service Centre innovation for a supplemental weft. India 2018. |
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