Run of the Mill: the thread that binds us

Date: Saturday 13 January 2024, 17:00 – 22:00
Location: Off-campus
Cost: Free
Download: Outlook, iCal

An exhibition at Hyde Park Book Club, showcasing work by four final year undergraduate fine art students from the University of Leeds.

Throughout history, people have always shared in two things; healing and textiles. Whether they are young or old, feeling their pain, or reaching out to someone else, the urge to heal through the meditative process of textile art seems to be an innate trait that transcends circumstance and culture.

Working with thread is something that fills the brain with plans and decisions, speaking to both the future and present, and generating an introspective state of concentration that one can sit in for hours. And then there is an outcome; something soft, something that comes from love.

These creations can be kept and adored, they can be gifted or worn, but they will be instantly recognisable to someone who shares in this love of tex-tile art. When we identify this love in each other a connection is made, and we feel less lonely. An army of survivors is born, adorned in yarn and fabrics, each understanding something about the other.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to surface this urge to create community through textiles. Friends reached out over the internet, taught each other skills, and crafts such as crochet and quilting were trending across the internet. The world turned to the traditionally feminine realms of creativity and domesticity to heal themselves from this collective trauma.

This showcase will focus on four modern female artists and follow them through their journey of healing through the ancient practices of creativity, craft and poetry, and reveal the birth of a sisterhood.

With live poetry, creative demonstrations and film screenings from 7 to 9pm.