Tailored

HUB, Sleaford

2024 marks 62 years of the 62 Group, which was founded in 1962 with the aims of ‘championing the role of textiles in art’. The group will be celebrating their 62nd birthday year with their upcoming exhibition, Making as Learning, set to take place in the iconic Salts Mill in Bradford. This exhibition will celebrate the enduring legacy of former 62 Group member Audrey Walker, both an educator and artist, whose influence continues to inspire the textile arts community..

Several artists take their lead from the fundamentals of the tailoring process; pattern making, cutting, tacking and construction. For other artists, specialist stitches themselves, tailor tacking, padding stitches, etc., once isolated from garment construction, become a new language of mark or construction. Wool and other suiting materials also feature strongly in the selected works, but often constructed or configured in unexpected ways.

Whilst making and material-led responses figure strongly, so do more graphic and narrat-ive approaches. Highly personal, compelling and thought provoking themes lie behind many of the works in the show. The life of cloth and clothing, as well as its connection through time and place demonstrates the unique roll of textiles in our lives. Clothing as a second skin becomes a metaphor for the body and also provides a vehicle to explore identity and self image. 2024 marks 62 years of the 62 Group, which was founded in 1962 with the aims of ‘championing the role of textiles in art’. The group will be celebrating their 62nd birthday year with two exhibitions as well as activities and educational events, which will be announced later in the year.