COORIE CREATIVE MAKE V&A DUNDEE HISTORY
V&A visitors get hands on with the loom with some help from service user Chris Moxley.
A Stirling based charity has made history this summer by becoming the first not-for-profit to have a residency within Scotland’s design museum, V&A Dundee. Coorie Creative, which runs therapeutic crafting and fashion workshops for trauma survivors and those at risk of social isolation, has taken over the museum’s Designer in Residence Studio until 13 August.
The Charity’s Director Mairi Breslin.
The residency includes an interactive public exhibit and community weaving workshops inspired by the museum’s current Tartan exhibition.
The charity’s Director Mairi Breslin said: “To be offered a residency at V&A Dundee is a huge honour for our charity.
“Our residency, A Warp on the Wild Side, pushes the boundaries of tartan beyond the traditional, incorporating non-woollen yarn.
“We’ll be designing using recycled materials, organic cottons, metals, rubber and anything else we can find. Repurposing waste material into new cloth using a fusion of Japanese and traditional Scottish techniques, with a nod to the DIY spirit of punk.”
Joan Thomson, who is registered blind, was taught how to weave by Coorie Creative.
The residency workspace has been set up as a working handweaving studio, bringing to life the possibilities of this sustainable and unusual weaving technique. Mairi added: “It’s easy enough to use these “yarns” in the weft, but the warp is a whole new challenge. We’re excited to see what we can do with our slow fashion hand weaving looms.”
The full design process is on show to the public. From an initial brief, through the process of planning the handwoven piece, to the final construction of the garment.
A loom with a view.
Mairi said: “V&A Dundee have given us the most incredible opportunity to showcase what we do to a wider audience.
“We’re looking forward to giving every visitor to the museum the chance to get hands-on and be a part of this once in a lifetime experience.
“Perhaps it’ll inspire someone who’s never tried weaving before, to go on to study design at one of our world-renowned Scottish universities or join one of the world-class textile design companies. Who knows, the next McQueen or Westwood might be right there, just waiting to be discovered!”
Coorie Creative will also run community workshops.
The residency also includes a series of inclusive and accessible community workshops.
V&A Dundee Communities Producer Peter Nurick said: “Coorie Creative are the very first not-for-profit organisation to hold a residency within the museum. We were hugely impressed by the work they do to support socially isolated people, from veterans to the visually impaired, to re-engage through their programme of creative hand weaving and fashion workshops.
“The studio is open seven days a week, so drop-in and try your hand at some of the techniques and learn more about the charity’s approach to sustainable and socially responsible weaving.”
For further information on the residency and how to get involved see A Warp on the Wild Side.