An exhibition of contemporary textile practice in two parts, co-curated by Professor Freddie Robins and The Art Station.
Taking place at The Art Station, Saxmundham, The Old Bank, Saxmundham, and The Old Theatre, Framlingham, Thread Count includes artworks by: Rosie Edwards, Woo Jin Joo, Sophie Giller, Feifan Hu, Daisy Collingridge, Andrew Omoding, Jevan Watkins Jones, Freddie Robins, Peter Collingwood, Rebecca Riess, Emily Cannell, Mikey Cuddihy, Julie Cockburn, Abigail Lane, Srinivas Surti, Annabel Elgar, John Craske, William Wallace.
Part One launching on Saturday 8th June, open Monday – Saturday, 12-4pm – Closed on Bank Holiday Mon, 26th Aug 2024.
Part Two launching on Saturday 6th July, open Wednesday – Sunday, 12-4pm
To find out more about each part, please follow the links below.
An exhibition of contemporary textile practice in two parts, co-curated by Professor Freddie Robins and The Art Station.
Exhibiting artists: Rosie Edwards, Woo Jin Joo, Sophie Giller, Feifan Hu, Daisy Collingridge, Andrew Omoding, Jevan Watkins Jones, Freddie Robins, Peter Collingwood, Rebecca Riess, Emily Cannell, Mikey Cuddihy, Julie Cockburn, Abigail Lane, Srinivas Surti, Annabel Elgar, John Craske, William Wallace.
Launching at The Art Station and The Old Bank on Sat 8th June at Sax Arts Fest.
Open: Saturday 8th June – Saturday 31st August 2024.
Mon – Sat, 12 – 4 pm, or by appointment. Closed on Bank Holiday Mon, 26th Aug 2024.
Image: Andrew Omoding, Lomee, Big Goat, photo by Doug Atfield.
Find out moreAn exhibition of contemporary textile practice in two parts, co-curated by Professor Freddie Robins and The Art Station.
Exhibiting Artists: Sophie Giller, Annabel Elgar, Andrew Omoding, Daisy Collingridge, Freddie Robins, Rebecca Riess, Rosie Edwards, and Woo Jin Joo.
Launching at The Old Theatre, Framlingham on Sat 6th July, 12 – 4 pm.
Open: Saturday 6th July – Sunday 21st July 2024.
Weds – Sun, 12 – 4 pm, or by appointment any other time.
Image: Sophie Giller, How Things Look, 2024. Photo by Doug Atfield.
Find out more
Thread Count is an eclectic exhibition of artists working with textiles, artists from a broad range of cultural and educational backgrounds who employ the medium for its diverse creative possibilities. The exhibition takes a non-hierarchical stance; some of the artists have a practice dedicated to the medium, committed to their discipline they continuously hone their skill, and others use textiles within a broader practice embracing a range of materials and skills. Some artists are self-taught, disregarding or unaware of accepted rules or construction methods; some are highly trained, using their skills to subvert expectations. A large number of the artists were born or now live and work in East Anglia adding to the rich history of textiles in the region. Although this is often overshadowed by the more visible textile history and industry found in the midlands and north of England.
Thread Count presents textiles as a medium for self-expression and communication. Here, the role of textiles is not about its decorative and functional qualities, although these qualities are not to be disregarded. Materials and processes carry meaning, and the presence of skill does not indicate the absence of concept. The artists in Thread Count work with thread, fibre and cloth for many reasons, but there is a strong undercurrent of a desire for creative and physical freedom. This freedom is expressed through the choice of materials, processes and imagery. Working in textiles can give you the freedom to work wherever you want. For the most part, the work is light; it can be folded or rolled up and easily stored or transported. The materials are readily available and can be cheap or even free if you reuse fabric items from around the home. Textiles and textile practitioners still find themselves and their practice undervalued or dismissed because of the medium’s enduring associations with gender and the domestic environment. This exhibition tramples over those preconceptions, evidencing the hard resolve of the soft discipline. Threads count.
– Professor Freddie Robins, April 2024.
Image: William Wallace, custom made bridle and metal stand, 2024. Photo by Doug Atfield.
Read Thread Count Part 1: Material Afterlives, a critical response by Laura Moseley, Assistant Curator of the Women’s Art Collection and founder of Common Threads Press.
Image: Freddie Robins, D-ANGER, 2023. Photo by Doug Atfield.