Presenters
Our workshop leaders are experienced professionals and practitioners. These workshops are mainly intended for more experienced or ambitious tapestry weavers. For more information on a presenter, click a photo or a highlighted name to visit the presenter's website.
Pop-up Shop
Weaversbazaar will have one of its famous pop-up shops at Cromford Mills throughout Fabric of the North. You can find it in the Mill Shop - a great place to see, handle and buy top-quality yarns and other tapestry-related goodies.
Our workshop leaders are experienced professionals and practitioners. These workshops are mainly intended for more experienced or ambitious tapestry weavers. For more information on a presenter, click a photo or a highlighted name to visit the presenter's website.
Pop-up Shop
Weaversbazaar will have one of its famous pop-up shops at Cromford Mills throughout Fabric of the North. You can find it in the Mill Shop - a great place to see, handle and buy top-quality yarns and other tapestry-related goodies.
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Michael Crompton now lives near Morecambe, but grew up in the smoke and steam of industrial Lancashire. Though his grandmother warned him off a career in the mills, he was fascinated by them, and they became his playground. Discovering the Arts and Crafts tradition as he left school, he was drawn into other ways of weaving, and is now one of Britain’s best known tapestry artists. This is his story. |
Come and build a 'brick' in our wall! A great chance for children, families and other visitors to help make a tapestry. A big loom is provided, together with colourful yarns, glittery beads, and labels so each weaver can immortalise their name in the work. Volunteer stewards are on hand to offer advice and help. Spend a minute on the Wacky Wall, or an hour, or come back again and again! (The beautiful yarns in the Wacky Wall have been generously supplied by Airedale Yarns of Shipley, West Yorkshire.)
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Ibukun Baldwin runs the ethical fashion and textile company Bucky Baldwin, based in Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery. Children of all ages are invited to join her in the fun of making colourful braided ribbons. You can take the braids home or weave them into our 'Wacky Wall' Do-It-Yourself tapestry. All materials are provided. |
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Dr Tan Draig OBE has over 40 years experience of working with community groups. He was a Buddhist monk for 20 years, during which time he studied textile production and surface decoration techniques in Europe, India and Thailand. Drop in and help him make mini-tapestries which will become part of book covers in a project celebrating the uniqueness of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. This free workshop is enabled by Fleet Arts of Belper, and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. No ticket required. |
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In this illustrated talk, Leeds-based weaver Ruth Bell describes her working methods and her tapestries. These include Biblical images and themes as illuminated by kabbalistic thought. Weaving samples will be available for handling. |
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Weaving and sound have a shared vocabulary: we speak of colour, texture, pattern, shape, form, rhythm... The starting point for this workshop by Alastair Duncan is a ‘sound walk’ around the locality, listening to and recording the ambient sound. Back in the gallery, we will use the recordings as a starting point for the selection of materials and the design of a simple woven tapestry. There is no requirement to complete a piece of weaving during this workshop, but there will be a charge if participants want to keep equipment and materials; alternatively they can bring their own warped looms. |
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Using three-dimensional hand-cast Jesmonite (an eco-friendly, acrylic polymer), participants in this workshop by Leeds-based Jane Walkley will create colourful linear structures on a tapestry frame. These small tapestries, once cut from the loom, come into their own as as their 3D qualities are realised, allowing their tactility to be fully appreciated. The finished works take on a sculptural quality that melds traditional techniques with new material technology. |
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Looking into the future is one of the most exciting challenges for an artist. In this illustrated talk, the prominent weaver Alastair Duncan first looks backwards to see how his work has evolved, then forwards to new developments in tapestry - particularly the integration of sound and the possibilities of sensory interactivity. |
