Author: Alice Fox

Happy new year from the Textile Study Group.

We’re delighted to announce a new exhibition:

UNmaking : An Exploration of Process and Practice

Why UNmaking?

We build our skills through experience, and as a result, our material knowledge and understanding become embodied in the work itself. There is a deep connection here: materiality explored over time through repetitive action builds tacit knowledge—an embodied understanding that textile artists can often take for granted.

UNmaking challenges this. It is not simply about taking something apart; it is a deliberate act of deconstruction that can become a powerful journey of discovery. It asks us to question our assumptions and explore new directions by embracing the processes of unravelling, cutting, and unpicking. UNmaking invites us to consider whether a work poised on the verge of disintegration or collapse can be accepted as complete, and what it means to an audience when a piece exists somewhere between made and unmade.

UNmaking is a thinking process. It is an act of revealing and understanding. Through unmaking, we can unravel the history of a technique or fibre, explore where a process originated, and question whether an essential part of our practice lies in the act of cutting up or unpicking. By engaging with unmaking, we can learn when something is truly finished and how to push our creative boundaries. As a community of curious, inquisitive makers, we believe in sharing ideas about process with intention. UNmaking offers an opportunity to review, reflect, and refine our work, allowing us to pause and interrogate why we create.

Constance Howard Gallery, Goldsmiths, London SE14 6NW
16 February – 27 March 2026

Museum in the Park, Stroud GL5 4AF
12 September – 8 November 2026

The second of our two new members who recently joined the Textile Study Group is Gillian Cooper. Gillian is based near Glasgow and joins us with a practice based across patchwork, quilting and sketchbooks.

Gillian explains:

“One step, one mark, one stitch.  On their own, they are fairly meaningless, but repeated and gathered together, these ordinary everyday gestures become part of a rhythm that connects body, place, and process, forming the foundation of my creative practice.   

My work investigates the shifting rhythms that emerge as I move between these media. Each transition generates a new iteration, a new way of seeing and interpreting place and experience.  

Many of my pieces are constructed from fabrics with history and often coloured or altered by the environment which inspires them. These materials carry memory, grounding the work whilst they are transformed with new narratives.

Teaching runs alongside my art practice and it informs much of what I do. Both rely on experimentation, and the willingness to explore new techniques and ideas — an ongoing dialogue between process, material and discovery.”

And what it means to Gillian to join the Textile Study Group:

“I am delighted to be joining the TSG.  For many years I have been inspired by the work of its members –   their art practices and their generous approaches to sharing with others.  The group’s commitment to maintaining an active art practice alongside teaching deeply resonates with me, and I’m thrilled to become part of such a like-minded and creative community.”

Images:

2,512

2020, Botanical-contact-printed and rust stained fabrics.

A Walk in the Woods

2023, 72 x 110cm. Cotton, linen, flax, hemp and silk. All botanical-contact-printed. Cyanotyped. Hand and machine stitch.