What artistic products might be created through an A/r/tographic engagement with the Gleneden Post-War Design Archive?

Research Poster, Exhibition and Workshop Activity for "Weavers Work" at the Tolson Museum, Huddersfield.

Great Britain has a long and rich heritage in the design, production and manufacture of textiles. During a company’s commercial lifetime, many accumulate substantial design archives which are often used to inspire new collections based on the re-activated artwork of the past. A design archive acquired by or gifted to a University, for example, awaits activation. It now functions outside of the context of where it was created and can consequently be read in innovative ways that were not initially intended. This research examines potential readings of one such archive, The Gleneden Post-War Design Archive which is a collection of uncatalogued paintings and designs that were originally produced for commercial purposes. The designs were created to be manufactured as woven textiles and have now been selected over and above comparable resources as the artworks have not yet been documented or developed through practice academically. The Gleneden Post-War Design Archive has the potential to be fundamentally re-imagined through ‘making’. This research documents the design process utilising an A/R/Tographic methodology in order to develop creative responses from the archival imagery and it’s overlooked marginalia in order to answer the proposed question. Working independently and in collaboration, as an Artist, Researcher and Teacher this research documents attempts to re-activate this untapped design resource.