Claire Barber
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Claire Barber has pursued a peripatetic career since her graduation from the Fine Art department of the Royal College of Art in 1994 exhibiting widely and completing over twenty artist-in-residencies and commissioning models in the UK and across Eastern Europe, Australia and Japan. Claire is currently a Senior Lecturer in at the University of Huddersfield with an interest in the interconnection between place and the way people are connected to their surrounding environment.
The investigation of cultural traditions and vocabularies for textiles is a fundamental component of the creative practice using site-responsive methods of research. Incorporating a broad approach to creating in diverse forms including installation, photography, social engagement, collage and inflatable sculpture the artwork is not limited to a production using textile materials. Rather, it is her perception of textiles, and weave in particular, that directs how ideas are put together as an integral approach to an enquiry combining elements of industrial and historical studies and clothing design. A large-scale commission for Hull City of Culture presented at Hull Paragon Station called The Train Track and the Basket (2017) commemorates the historical route of transmigration from Eastern Europe to America, and the woven baskets carried by migrants passing through Hull. Woven textiles enabled her to think about patterns of motion overlaid with one another each time someone enters or exits the station building.
Alongside her solo practice, Claire often seeks out ways of creating new work with others, exemplified by current co-produced research with sound artist Gavin Osborn. Claire’s first experience of Osborn’s work was at the exhibition they both participated in called Unravelled Wetlands presented at the London Wetland Centre in 2021 and since then they have been testing the versatility of sound and embroidery to inspire an intricate interplay between graphic form and tactile language of embroidery with the acoustic structures of sound-based work. This included a collaborative exhibition A Stitch for Every Sound & talk at the Festival of Quilts (FoQ), NEC Birmingham in August 2022.
Claire shares her practice with broad audiences, engaging with local communities to contest inequalities in cultural access. This exposure to community contexts has led to a number of journal articles, papers, books and conference organisation. For example, the book co-edited with Penny Macbeth Outside: Activating Cloth to Enhance the Way We Live (CSP 2014), explored the complex and multifaceted relationship humans have with cloth, and examined the constantly evolving fields of expression outside traditional gallery, institutional or campus settings. This is the context for the Arts Council funded socially engaged artwork Blue Plaques of Intangible Experiences developed in 2019 with June Hill which involves processes of interaction designed to facilitate the empathetic imagination through stitched-based practice and communal making at a community centre and pay-as-you-can café in Bradford. A further commissioned essay, ‘Stitch as a compassionate action: The War Widows’ Quilt’ presented in the Insights book published by The Textile Study Group in 2020 presents an investigation into the art duo Arthur & Martha, discussing the terms used to describe their community-responsive work.
In the summer of 2022, Claire was the appointed artist in residence with Patricia Mackinnon Day to develop initial proposals for interventions as part of the future developments planned for Barlby Road. Events and happenings as part of their public engagement activities included a dance experiment with choreographer Gemma Fisher on the industrial Forfarmers site Gemma Fisher - Dust (2 June 2022), a critical reflection by international choreographer Dawn Shultz, and a participatory dance re-enactment on Selby Park called The Last Dance (16 July 2022). The event was centred around the Selby Park bandstand and involved music and dancing, an outdoor bar run by the Jolly Sailor brewery and an invitation to contribute oral histories and reminiscences. Posters, bunting, cups and even beer tap labels were all specially designed to transform a corner of the Park into The Last Dance. They are currently working with development teams to realise their proposals for the new construction and development projects planned for Barlby Road.
In 2016 Claire received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Publication in recognition of a programme of work entitled Cloth in Action: The Transformative Power of Cloth in Communities as evidence of the significance of textiles as an aesthetic experience within a socially engaged form of practice, some of which involves other people.
Education
2016 Doctor of Philosophy by Publication (PhD), University of Huddersfield.
2000-01 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Art and Design (secondary), University of Brighton.
1992-94 MA Tapestry, Royal College of Art, London.
1989-92 BA (hons) Textiles (First class), West Surrey College of Art & Design, Farnham.
Teaching
2009-present Senior Lecturer Fashion & Textiles and Contemporary Arts, University of Huddersfield.
2001-09 Lecturer BA (hons) Textiles, Fashion and Fibre and MA Textiles, University of Southampton.
Selected Exhibitions
2026 Touchlines, 1912 Mill, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, West Yorkshire. Organised by the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
2026 Neither Natural, The Hub, Sleaford (with sound by Monty Adkins) [solo exhibition].
2025 Changing the Narrative, The Mezzanine Gallery, University of Huddersfield.
2025 Still Making, Still Learning, Richard Steinitz Building, University of Huddersfield, collaboration with musician Gavin Osborn and the 62 Group. Organised by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF).
2025 Tipping Point, Huddersfield Town Hall, in collaboration with musician Monty Adkins. Organised by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF).
2025 Joy in the Detail, Crafts Study Centre. Organised by the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
2025 Bien 2025, Textile Art Biennial, Kranj, Slovenia.
2025 Open Call Contemporary Textiles, Fox Yard Studio, Old Fox Yard, Stowmarket.
2025 XI World Textile Art Biennial, Museum of Fine Art, Miami, USA. Organised by the World Textile Art Association.
2024 Making as Learning, Salts Mill, Saltaire, Bradford. Organised by the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
2024 VIII International Triennial of Textile Arts, Szombathely Gallery, Szombathely, Hungary.
2024 Tailored, The Hub, Sleaford. Organised by the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
2023 Woven Expressions: Narrating Stories through Patterns, Chelsea Space, Chelsea College of Art, London.
2023 Tailored, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Pudsey. Organised by the 62 Group of Textile Artists.
2022 A Stitch for Every Sound: NEC, Festival of the Quilts, NEC, Birmingham, in collaboration with musician Gavin Osborn.
2022 Textiles: Made in Huddersfield as part of Cultures of Place organised by University of Huddersfield.
2022 Conversations: People, Places, Materials, Objects, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington, Hampshire.
2021 A stitch for every sound, Wetlands Unravelled, London Wetland Centre, London.
2019 VIII Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art, Photography Textile Image Salon, Museo Del Traje, Madrid, Spain.
2019 Peterloo: Bolton Textile Works and the Fight for Democracy, Up Close Gallery, Bolton Museum, Bolton.
2018 Contextile 2018, Contemporary Textile Art Biennale, Palácio Vila Flor CCVF, Guimarães, Portugal.
2016 Migrations, Huddersfield Art Gallery, West Yorkshire, curated by Jessica Hemmings.
2016 Contextile 2016, Contemporary Textile Art Biennale, Palácio Vila Flor CCVF, Guimarães, Portugal.
2016 Da Vinci Engineered: From Renaissance Mechanics to Contemporary Art, Zebedee’s Yard, Whitefriargate, Hull.
2015 Repetition Variation, Frameless Gallery, London, curated by Joanna Byrant and Julian Page.
2015 Pinpoint 2, One Church Street Gallery, Great Missenden curated by Joanna Bryant and Lyndsey Keeling.
2013 Pinpoint 1, One Church Street Gallery, Great Missenden, curated by Polly Binns and Linda Brassington.
2012 Hidden Voices: The Sleeping Bag Project, The Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate International Centre.
2012 Mining Couture, Huddersfield Art Gallery, West Yorkshire and Snibston Discovery Museum, Leicestershire.
2012 One to Twenty, The Glove Factory, Yeovil, Somerset (collaboration with Steve Swindells).
2011-12 Bite-Size, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Gallery Gallery, Kyoto, Nagoya University of the Arts, Tokyo.
2011 VI International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art, The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum, Mexico City.
2008 Art Vaults: Season 4, King John’s Palace, Southampton, Hampshire, curated by Daniel Crow.
2006 Quiet Sound, Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, Northamptonshire, curated by Kate Stoddart.
2005 Artsway Open 05, Artsway, Sway, Hampshire curated by Mark Segal.
2004-5 Through the Surface, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan tour to Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts; Piece Hall Art Gallery, Halifax; Nottingham Castle; The James Hockey Gallery, Farnham.
2004 Sharing Rose Bud Tea Across Continents, Fabrica, Brighton; Square Chapel Centre for the Arts, Halifax & the Yard Gallery, Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, curated by Lesley Millar.
1999 Tears to Wake the Flowers, Watch This Space Gallery, Alice Springs; Northern Territories University Gallery, Darwin, Australia.
1999 The Red Gown, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, Western Australia [solo show].
1996-98 Objects of Our Time, Crafts Council Gallery, London tour including American Craft Museum, New York.
1996 Objects of Our Time, Crafts Council Gallery, London tour to Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast; Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh; Lynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea; Manchester City Art Gallery; American Craft Museum, New York, curated by Martina Margetts.
1994 New Discoveries, Boundary Gallery, London.
1992 Seventh Annual International Textile Contest, The Fashion Foundation, Minato-Ku, Tokyo.
Commissions
2021 A stitch for every sound, a series of five embroideries located in and around the London Wetland Centre exploring the sensory qualities of stitch and presented as part of Wetlands Unravelled.
2017 The Train Track and the Basket, An installation in the main entrance/exit vestibule of Hull Paragon Station and presented as part of a major programme of temporary art commissions for Hull UK City of Culture 2017.
2012 One to Twenty, a 13-foot inflatable sculpture inspired by Yeovil’s gloving industry commissioned by Somerset Art Work and supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England (ACE) (with Steve Swindells).
2011 Mining Couture: A Manifesto for Common Wear, a collaborative project with Leicestershire’s County Council’s Snibston Discovery Museum supported by ACE and Leicestershire County Council (with Steve Swindells).
2009 Littlemoor Wishes, a temporary installation created with the residents of Littlemoor during the building of the Weymouth Relief Road in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. Supported by ACE and Public Art South West.
2008-9 You Are the Journey: North Staffordshire, a series of 367,000 interactive bus tickets presented as part of ‘Place Space & Identity 2’ project by B Arts and funded by ACE, Renew N.Staffordshire & Stoke County Council.
2005-6 You Are the Journey, a redesign of the Hythe Ferry Ten-Journey Ticket supported by Arts Council England and SEEDA Award Scheme for Art in Public Places (collaboration with R.A.Webb).
2004 Stepping Lightly on 88 Pillows, presented as part of Westonbirt Arboretum International Festival of the Gardens Art Programme, curated by Sam Wilkinson and Sarah von Holstein.
2002 Hammocks, a collaborative project with The Samling Foundation as part of the ‘Land and the Samling’ at Kielder Forest in Northumberland including workshops with ‘A’ level students from across Tyne and Wear.
1998 Untitled installation at The Ark building in Hammersmith, West London created as part of ‘Art in the Ark’ contemporary art collection presented by Contemporary Art Society Projects & commissioned by Seagram plc.
1996 Untitled, four window screens created for Belsay Hall, Northumberland as part of the ‘Living at Belsay’ exhibition developed in partnership with English Heritage and supported by the Crafts Council.
1995 Untitled, an installation created from industrial knitted fibres for ‘FAST’ at the Exhibition Hall, Verona, Italy and presented by Susan Minter Design Consultancy & commissioned by Continental Fibre S.p.A
1994 Untitled, temporary 20-foot-long installation located at Habitat Kings Road flagship store in Central London.
Selected Residencies, Fellowship & Community Activities
2026 RuptureXIBIT, Invitational Artist-in-Residence, Hampton Wick, London.
2023 Submerged, Artist-in-Residence with Gavin Osborn at Sovereign Design House, Huddersfield.
2022 Research residency in collaboration with Patricia Mackinnon Day, leading to creation of designs for the future developments planned around Barlby Road area, Selby and commissioned by Selby District Council (SDC).
2019 Artist-in-Residence with Bolton Museum Archives as part of the ArtivistGM programme supported by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, GM Libraries & Archives, and Manchester Histories.
2019 Blue Plaques of Intangible Experiences, a socially engaged artwork involving 2 x community centres in Inner City Bradford and supported by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant (with June Hill).
2006 Artist-in-Residence for the Conwy Estuary Strategic Route development project, supported Conwy Council Borough Council.
2004 Artist-in-Residence at Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Wales.
2003 Through the Surface Textile Artist exchange to Kyoto, Japan and directed by Lesley Millar.
2001 Artist-in-Residence at Bardsey Island in association with Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno, Wales.
1999 Artist-in-Residence at Northern Territories University, Darwin, Australia.
1999 Workshops, Karulundi Aboriginal Educational Centre, Meekatharra, Australia.
1999 Artist-in-Residence at Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, Western Australia.
1999 Artist-in-Residence at The Tasmanian School of Art at Launceston, University of Tasmania, Australia.
1998 Visual Arts Fellowship, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University, Australia.
1998-9 Artist-in-Residence at Marlborough College, Wiltshire.
1996-7 Pépinières Européenes Pours Jeunes Artistes residency at Academy of Fine Arts & Design, Bratislava, Slovakia.
1997 Artist-in-Residence at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Kent.
1996 Member of the Artists’ convoy to Bosnia to join Tuzla’s first annual festival of multi ethnic arts.
1996 Artist in Residence at Acoomb First School, Northumberland.
1996 Norbury Park Sculpture Weekend coordinated by Roman Vasseur and commissioned by Surrey County Council.
1995 Artist in Residence at Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School, West Glamorgan, Wales.
Published Books
2025 Barber, C., Gill, R., Dampier, H., & Taithe, B (Eds.). (2024). Humanitarian Handicraft: History, materiality and trade, c. 1840-1980, published by Manchester University Press, 304 pages, ISBN 9781526188021
2014 Barber, C., & Macbeth, P. (Eds.). (2014). Outside: Activating Cloth to Enhance the Way We Live, published by Cambridge Scholars, 131 pages, ISBN 978-1-4438-5695-9.
2012 Barber, C., & Swindells, S. (Eds.). (2012). Mining Couture: A Manifesto for Common Wear, published by Black Dog Publishing, London, Sept 2012, 160 pages, ISBN 978 1 907317 92 7.
2010 Barber, C. (2010.) Littlemoor Wishes, University of Huddersfield Press, UK, ISBN 978-1-86218-082-6.
2007 Barber, C. (2007). Residency: Quilting the Estuary, published by Public Art Wales and Conwy County Borough Council, ISBN 978-0-9508201-3-2.
2005 Barber, C., & Morag, C. (2005). Severn River Project, published by Oriel Davies Gallery, Wales.
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