Cloth and Memory 2

Today was my final day at college for this trip and we had a jolly field trip to Salts Mill to see the Cloth and Memory 2 exhibition.
We got to go on the curators tour, which was a great way to see it all as you got the story behind the pieces and why the artists were chosen.
The array of work taken from the same starting point of what cloth and memory meant to them was amazing. Some of the artists used the mill and the amazing space it was held as the basis of the work, whilst others had a more personal background to them.
The space itself is an artwork in its own right. It was the original spinning room at the top of the mill and is 186m long. The paint is still peeling from the walls and the steelwork, and the original cubby holes in the wall were still there, still containing fluff and other items which the artists then used.
Some of my favourite pieces were the embroidery works, especially one that involved researching the women that were listed as working at the mill in the 1891 census. The details were added onto bobbin reels and silk ribbons and it was a moving piece of work.
Another visually striking piece was of silk strands with rice draping down from the steelworks and joining onto mirror pools in the floor. The way it caught the light was simply beautiful.
This image is of a patchwork quilt inspired by the flagstones of the room, and of tissues and fabric dyed to match. I like how the shadows of the people of the tour add in new memories to the piece.
If you're in the area do go, its on until the beginning of November. I'll be putting some more pics from today on my other blog in the next day or so.
I can also vouch for the lovely fish pie in the cafe.
Thankfully my train journey home was relatively painless, and it's fab to be back home with my boys again.