Clothes, Cloth & Culture Group: Cultural Threads Dr Jessica Hemmings, Dr Christine Checinska

Audio Recordings of event at the bottom of the page

Cultural Threads considers contemporary artists and designers who work at the intersection of cultures and use textiles as their vehicle. Ideas about belonging to multiple cultures, which can result in a sense of connection to everywhere and nowhere, are more pertinent to society today than ever. So too are the layers of history – often overlooked – behind the objects that make up our material world.

The publication closely mirrors many of the aims and interests of the Clothes, Cloth and Culture Group. For example, in seeking to demystify postcolonial theory and show how it is embodied and articulated through textiles. The emphasis on textiles as a record of lived experience also recalls the ‘conversationals’ or items of clothing or cloth that our presenters have used to introduce themselves and which exemplify their interest in and human connection to the subject.

The panel will consist of contributors to the book and featured artists and designers.

Dr Jessica Hemmings is Professor of Visual Culture and Head of the Faculty of Visual Culture at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin, Ireland. Jessica is editor of The Textile Reader (Berg, 2012), In the Loop: Knitting Now (2010) and Warp and Weft: Woven Textiles in Fashion, Art and Interiors (Bloomsbury, 2012).

Dr Christine Checinska writes about the relationship between cloth, culture and race. The cultural exchanges that result from movement and migration, creating creolised cultural forms, are recurring themes. She is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Art and Design at the University of East London and is a Research Associate in the University of Johannesburg’s Research Centre Visual Identities in Art and Design’. Christine is the 2nd Stuart Hall Library Animateur.

Sarah Rhodes Based in Southern Africa for many years, Sarah’s practice-based PhD re-frames the nature of collaboration between designers and African craft groups, illustrating how co-creational agency, through creative exchange can engender successful outcomes. Sarah’s jewellery has been exhibited internationally and her consultancy work includes developing the curriculum for Botswana’s first jewellery design and manufacture course.

Jasleen Kaur is a Scottish Indian designer based in London. She is fascinated by the malleability of culture – the adaptations in how people interact with things and the ways in which the designer can participate in these evolutions. Jasleen is a visiting lecturer at The Royal College of Art and devises workshops and programmes for the Victoria & Albert Museum and Crafts Council. She has exhibited worldwide and her work is in the collection of the Royal College of Art and Crafts Council.

Dr Jenny Doussan is Curator of Goldsmiths Art & Textile Collections and Lecturer in Visual Cultures. Jenny will be responding to the publication as an external voice. Her research focuses on classificatory systems in museological and curatorial contexts.