Goldsmiths Textile Collection Workshop One: What Can Textiles Teach Us?

Organised with textile curator Grant Watson and GTC curator Jane Cameron.

The Goldsmiths Textile Collection was set up as a teaching collection, hence the question - what can textiles teach us? This workshop addressed textiles as pedagogic tools, conceptual prompts and as the repository of information about technology, culture, labour, trade, craft and aesthetics, or as ‘orphaned matter’ where the information is missing. It pursued this question through the examination and group discussion of specific textiles from the collection, selected by participants who came from a wide range of different textile backgrounds.

Works chosen online in advance were brought out of storage. The Goldsmiths Textile Collection is a ‘touching’ collection so being able to handle the materials was key. Participants discussed their textile choice in whatever terms they wished, and as this was an informal opportunity to get to know the collection, no extensive preparation is needed. The collection curator then related additional information known about each selected piece. Participants were also encouraged to bring a textual reference in relation to their textile, which could then be added to the collections’ interpretative materials. The workshop was recorded and documented, providing raw data for further analysis.