A talk by Emily Harvey 'The Curious Printmaker' about Inkerwoven: An exhibition at Bradford's Dye House Gallery
There was much excitement at the beginning of our meeting today, planning our exhibition in two weeks on 22nd October, choosing menu options for our Christmas lunch (yes its nearly that time of year!) and after a slight technical delay (tea and biscuits being offered during the wait) we were delighted to hear Emily Harvey talk about her recent pieces of work being displayed at the Dye House Gallery at Bradford College. This is part of a creative collaboration between Inkers Printmakers, of which Emily is member, and Bradford College’s Textile Archive.
Inkers is a group of contemporary Yorkshire printmakers who
have been working together to collaborate, exhibit and design creative projects
since 2000. This current project has
enabled them to explore the hidden treasures of the Textile Archive and make
new works in print to celebrate and promote Bradford’s rich textile heritage. Funded by the Arts Council England, Inker’s
residency in Bradford will also enable them to run community groups and
workshops in West Yorkshire. The Textile
Archive dates back to the 1780’s right through to the 1950s. It includes apprentice workbooks of the young
men who forged their careers in the textile industry, industry pattern books of
fabric designs from the Georgian and Victorian eras and a commonwealth
collection in the textiles of India.
Inker’s exhibition ‘Inkerwoven’ includes a wide range of printing
techniques on paper and textiles including cyanotype prints, monoprinting and
embossing and Emily went onto explain the process behind some of her own work.
One of the tools Emily uses is a ‘rocker tool’ for making woodgrain patterns and can be used to create a Moiré effect which gives the prints movement. She also uses mesh printing, such as ‘enviromesh’ which can be pulled and manipulated as it is very pliable and will go through her printing press. Emily circulated the wood grain Moiré and mesh prints around the group so we could see them in detail. Some of her mesh prints were done in Turkey red dye, a colour that was used widely in the 18th and 19th centuries made using the root of the rubia plant. Different pressures in the printing press create light and dark effects.
Emily also made mobiles using squares of prints to create a
pattern. Each time the mobile’s squares
turn they make a unique design. These
were used to create a weaving draft. She
also used rattan in some of her prints
with different colours which made interesting marks depending on which side was
put through the printing press. She
explained that because the rattan is an organic material, she likes the
randomness of how the ink transfers onto the paper. Emily also used the rattan to make more Moiré
designs.
The use of jewel beetles in Indian textiles from the archive also inspired Emily to create further printworks. Jewel beetles have been used over the centuries in textiles traditionally in countries such as Thailand, China and India owed to their beautiful iridescent wings. She imagined the jewel beetles escaping from the fabric and created images showing layers of fabric using mesh prints and beautiful beetles flying out of them. The beetles are made using Chinese tissue paper and the iridescent wings from gold leaf and mica. The pieces were absolutely stunning.
Emily finished off by telling us more about Inker’s exhibition Inkerwoven open until March at the Dye House Gallery at Bradford College. She showed us some beautiful small boxes that will be on display containing some samples of her print works and experiments, reminiscent of the boxes in the Textile Archive and the secrets and surprises that are contained within! Thank you so much Emily for a really fabulous talk that was enjoyed by us all and we very much hope to visit the exhibition.
For more information about Emily’s work visit www.emilyharvey.co.uk for her printmaking courses and her blog is at www.thecuriousprintmaker.co.uk and Instagram @thecuriousprintmaker. Inkers are at www.inkers-printmakers.co.uk
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