Contemporary Textile Fair 2021

In 2018, Ross was invited to create a site specific piece for the Contemporary Textile Fair at the the Landmark Art Centre, Teddington. The result was ‘Journey‘, 120m of naturally dyed and rusted recycled hotel sheets commenting on migration, refugees and the global imbalance of resources. We revisited ‘Journey‘ last year in our Open September at St Saviours (above) so it seems fitting that we return to Teddington, albeit this year in the digital realm.

This time, moderneccentrics will be staging a curated exhibition shop Don’t faint, but Ross has FINALLY decided to release some work for sale. He has created a new series of Mandalas specifically for the CTF21. Also available for purchase for the first time are some of Ross’s original Artefact Series. These intricately worked pieces will be present in box frames, ideal for a wall or shelf. Accompanying these are Jonny’s limited series of drypoint prints, created as a direct response to the original series.

As part of the online events that are happening, we are delivering a series of three online workshops – Botanical Inks, Mark Making & Handmade Experimental Brush  and Mark Making Art Books and Journals over the course of three morning.

On day one, join Ross and Jonny to discover how to create your own natural inks at home. Inks such as iron gall (used to write the magna carter), walnut and avocado have been used for millennia right up until the 19th century. They are more environmentally friendly than the chemical inks that replaced them, and interest in them is returning as they are a more sustainable alternative. We will look at some traditional recipes and then use our contemporary adaptations to create our own natural inks. We will also show you how to create lake pigments from your exhaust dye baths. An online tutorial video will be available for reference for all attendees.

On Wednesday, you’ll learn how to make experimental brushes from recycled materials, and explore their mark making potential. Creating your own handmade brushes frees you from traditional ways of drawing and creates tools that can produce random and unexpected results. We will be using natural and recycled materials to create these brushes – anything can be used from garden refuse, kitchen plastics to sea salvage. We would encourage you to collect a selection of materials to use during this workshop. This is a hands on experience rather than a demo and you will be creating your own brushes during the class. We will undertake series of mark making exercises to bring the session to a close.

On the final day, using your mark making examples (or other art work if you prefer), you will discover how to create small art books or journals. Using a variety of techniques, learn how to fold and cut your work to create accordion books. We will also show you how to do some simple stitching including double needle coptic binding. This is a taster of the sort of things you can create with your art work.

Each day can be booked individually and if you choose to book all three sessions, you will be invited to a free outdoor experience at our new expanded Dye Garden in the summer at the Florence Trust.

Alongside our online sessions, there is a large variety of other talk and experiences including an online talk by the wonderful Debbie Lydon describing how the natural world inspires her work.

‘My practice aims to evoke a multi-sensory interpretation of my surroundings to promote an awareness of the relationship between the visual, aural and tactile landscape. I make mixed media cloths, sculptures, installations and drawings which originate from thoughts and memories that are a consequence of experiencing place and paying attention.‘

This online Contemporary Textile Fair is a vital part of the Landmark Arts Centre‘s fight for survival in this difficult time. Help us support them by supporting the artists delivering content for them. we look forward to your booking and seeing you in our Zoom sessions.

The Contemporary Textiles Fair 2021 runs from the 19th of March 2021 for the week and as well as the events there is the opportunity to buy art, textiles and products from 30 artists and makers.

Text and images @ moderneccentrics