Linda Brassington
My work explores textiles as a surface for drawing and print. Each piece is a response to changing materials, density and texture. Image and composition are generated through spontaneous mark-making and photography, and translated as layers of densely pigmented and printed surfaces. Through museum research, deep 'black' cloths originating from different cultures are being surveyed. Investigations are focusing particularly on the plainer cloths that result in a pure darkness made of many-coloured blacks, which, through their making, become 'living' cloths that evolve in response to organic material, climatic change, minerals, and human interaction - that is, transient cloths that change over time. Often, the work references the repetitive motion associated with their making - the rhythm of coating, beating, burnishing and polishing. In parallel, other works are a response to the material qualities left behind in the aftermath of fire on the heathland of southern England - a moment in time between destruction and regeneration, when burnt structures reveal traces of dormant plants above and below the surface. The density of earth and ash is expressed through multiple layers of drawing and print on cloth. Ideas are expressed in abstract form, sometimes imagined as a dark void, sometimes as dense matter, a tensioned line or punctured space.
Professional and academic qualifications
2021 - Doctor of Philosophy, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK
2009 - Fellow, Royal Society of Arts, UK
2006 - Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK
2004 - MA Museums and Galleries in Education, Institute of Education, University of London, UK
1978 - Postgraduate Art Teacher's Certificate, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK
1976 - BA (Hons) Textiles, First Class, West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey, UK
Professional membership
2020 - Chair, Textile Society, UK
Awards
2019 Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
2019 Dyers Company Award
2019 Society of Dyers and Colourists Award
2014 - Research Award, University for the Creative Arts2013 - Research Award, Pasold Research Fund, UK
2009 - Professional Development Award, Textile Society, UK
2006 - Museum, Archive and Repository Award, Textile Society, UK
1987 - Research Award, British Council, UK
1986 - Research Award, British Council, UK
1985 - Churchill Fellowship to research resist-printed and indigo-dyed textiles in Czechoslovakia, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, London, UK
1983 - Bursary, Southern Arts, UK
1983 - Crafts Council Index, UK
Collections:
2017 Textile works selected for the collection of Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, Japan
2002 Textile works purchased for the collection of the Crafts Study Centre, UK https://www.vads.ac.uk/digital/collection/CSC/id/1079/rec/5 https://www.vads.ac.uk/digital/collection/CSC/id/2786/rec/4
Exhibitions
2022 Tansa: Japanese Threads of Influence, Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK https://www.csc.uca.ac.uk/programme/31/5/2021/tansa-anglo-japenese-textile-exhibition
2018 im.material, St Michael’s Gate Dome, Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria
2017 Linda Brassington: exhibition of works, Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, Japan
2016 - Face to Face, International Miniature Textiles, Slovak Textile Artists Association, Bratislava, Slovakia
April - May 2014 - Shadow and Line, Select 2014, Stroud International Textiles, Museum in the Park, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK
2013 - Hand/Hand made/Made in, International Miniature Textiles, Slovak Textile Artists Association, Bratislava, Slovakia
2013 - International Baltic Minitextile Triennial, Museum of the City of Gdynia, Poland
2013 - International Mini Textile Art, Scythia Textiles, Kherson, Ukraine
2012 - Banality and Grace, University Library Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
2012 - Energy Nexus, Foshan Zumiao Ancestral Temple Museum, China
2012 - Journeys through the Light, Hungate Contemporary Art, Norwich, UK
2012 - Small Expressions, Long Beach Museum and Art Gallery, California, US
2011 - Art in a Box, One Church Street, Missenden, Bucks, UK
2011 - Energy Nexus: International Shibori Exhibition, Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong
2010 - Fabric of the Land: Origin of Colour, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
2010 - Open Drawing Exhibition, One Church Street, Missenden, Bucks, UK
2010 - Tomorrow, Centre de Recherche et de Design en Impression Textile, Montreal, Canada
2005 - Transformations, Crafts Study Centre, Farnham, Surrey, UK
1990 - Patterns in Print: modern textile printing from Omega to now, Hove Museum and Art Gallery, Sussex, UK
1988 - British Designer Craftsmen 1888-1988, Centennial Exhibition of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, Knapp Gallery, Regents Park, London, UK
1988 - Texstyles, Smith's Galleries, Covent Garden, London, UK
1986 - Interior Context, Kensington Olympia, London, UK
1986 - New Faces, V&A, London, UK
1985 - Designer Craftsmen '85, Smith's Galleries, Covent Garden, London, UK
1984 - Black and White, British Crafts Centre, Covent Garden, London, UK
1984 - Designer Craftsmen '84, Smith's Galleries, Covent Garden, London, UK
1984 - Makers, British Crafts Centre, Covent Garden, London, UK
1983 - Printed and Painted Textiles, British Crafts Centre, Covent Garden, London
Publications
2018 The ‘Higeta Aizome Kobo’: indigo dyeing in a theatre of making: a personal account of an art residency in Japan In: TEXT for the study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol. 45
2017 Exhibition review: Art Textiles: Marian Clayden, Part of the Festival of Textiles, Fashion and Textile Museum, London In: TEXT for the study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol. 44
2016 Pigment: the surface and substance of cloth In: Remeslo, Umenie, Dizajn, 3, 49- 50. Bratislava: ULUV
2015 - Brassington, L. 'Immersed in Indigo - A test of faith: shibori and the work of Jane Callender' In: Selvedge, Vol. 62
2014 - Brassington, L. ‘A collection of ‘blue print’: a microcosm in the story of English crafts’ In: RUD 2014 (3) pp. 30-33. ISSN 1335-5457
http://www.uluv.sk/en/web/magazine/archive/year-2014/rud-032014/a-collection-of-e2809eblue-printe2809c-a-microcosm-in-the-story-of-english-crafts/
2014 - Brassington, L. Book review: Textiles; the Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser In: TEXT for the study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol. 41
2010 - Brassington, L. 'If all the earth were paper white...' In: TEXT for the study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol. 38: pp.61-64
2007 - Brassington, L. 'The Textiles Collection: a teaching and learning resource'. In: TEXT for the study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol. 35: pp.63-65
2006 - Brassington, L. 'The Muriel Rose Bequest'. In: Vacher, J (Ed) Muriel Rose: a modern crafts legacy, Farnham: Crafts Study Centre ISBN 0-9554374-0-7
1995 - Brassington, L. Factfile: Printed, Painted and Dyed Textiles. London: Crafts Council ISBN 1- 870145-31-3
1994 - Brassington, L. 'Sharon Ting'. In: Crafts Council and authors (Eds), Colour into Cloth. London: Crafts Council ISBN 1-870145-30-5
1994 - Brassington, L. Techniques in Printed, Painted and Resist-Patterned Textiles. London: Crafts Council ISBN 1-870145-31-3
1992 - 'New Printed Textiles from India'. In: The Textile Society Magazine, Vol. 17: pp.17-20
1987 - Brassington, L. Modrotlac: Indigo Country Cloths and Artefacts from Czechoslovakia. Farnham: West Surrey College of Art and Design
1986 - 'Resist Printing and Indigo Dyeing in Czechoslovakia'. In: The Textile Society Magazine, Vol. 5: pp.12-16
Conferences
2019 Exploring metaphorical and performance meanings in indigo and resist dyeing In: ‘Research Strategies V’, Textile Society Research Symposium, Wellcome Collection, 4th May. London: Textile Society
2017 Theatres of making: space and place in the context of craft In: ‘Craft connecting Architecture, Architecture connecting Craft’, Crafts Study Centre and International Textile Research Centre conference proceedings 2017, Building Centre 24th November 2017. London: University for the Creative Arts
2017 Indigo: challenging perceptions In: ‘Craft: What is critical?’, Textile Society conference proceedings 2017, The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral 4th November 2017. Norwich: Textile Society
2016 Influences on practice: People, Places, Projects. 23rd November 2016. Mashiko: Museum of Ceramic Art
2016 Gesture in cloth: the transformation of substance In: ‘The International Symposium of Weaving’ conference, Kulturpark, Kosice, Slovakia, 30th June 2016. Bratislava: ULUV
2016 Making a new history: the reconfiguration and reinterpretation of blueprint In: ‘Workshop for Blueprinters’, 2nd May 2016. Gutau: UNESCO Austria
2016 Indigo as material: ‘colour as stuff’ (Kapoor, 2012) In: ‘Immateriality: Possibilities and Experiences’, UCA Research Student Conference, 6th April 2016. Canterbury: University for the Creative Arts
2014 - Brassington, L. Artists and designers: custodians of knowledge or agents of change? at 'The Story of Blueprint in the 20th and 21st Centuries', ÚL’UV conference, Technical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
2013 - Brassington, L. Source collections of women textile artists in the 20th century: ‘my favourite things’ or an embodiment of creative reflection? at ‘Enid Marx and her Contemporaries: Women Designers and the Popularisation of ‘Folk Arts’ 1920-1960’, Manchester School of Art, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, UK
2007 - Brassington, L. Unwrapping the Senses: textiles as a digital resource at 'Beautiful and Useful? Supporting the Arts and Crafts in the 21st Century'. Art Librarians Society (ARLIS), Cheltenham, Glos.UK
2006 - Brassington L. Subjects and Objects: archives and collections as narratives in the crafts at 'Re-thinking the Past: Experimental Histories in the Arts'. UTS, Sydney, AU
Consultancy
2021 British Council/UCA ‘Crafting Futures’ project https://www.csc.uca.ac.uk/crafting-futures
2016 Contributor to the five-nation nomination Blueprint: resist block printing and indigo dyeing in Europe to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for inscription in 2018
2016 Artist in Residence, Higeta Indigo Dye Workshop, Mashiko Museum Residency Programme, Japan
September 2014 - Design workshop: Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
http://www.uluv.sk/sk/web/kam-v-uluve/muzeum-luv/rok-modrotlace/dizajn-workshop/
2004 - JISC-funded digitisation project to develop an online teaching and learning resource, The Textiles Collection, University for the Creative Arts at Farnham, UK
1997 - Workshop, Making in Design and Technology at Key Stages 3 and 4: professional development for teachers, Crafts Council and Northamptonshire Inspection and Advisory Service, UK
1994 - Technical researcher and adviser to the exhibition, Colour into Cloth: Britain's finest hand-coloured textiles 1900-1994, Crafts Council, UK
1994 - Workshop, Exploring the 3rd Dimension: resourcing crafts activity Post-16, Crafts Council and the V&A, UK
1990 - Commission to produce a limited edition of hand-printed linen by Enid Marx using the artist's original printing blocks for the exhibition, Eric Ravilious, Decorative Arts Group, London, UK
1989 - Design consultant in block-printed textiles , Jaipur, India, commissioned by the Indian Trade Mission to the EU, Brussels
1987 - Open College of the Arts pilot project for distance learning course in Textiles, West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey, UK
Curatorship
2017 Co-selector, Nearby Faraway, 19th International Miniature Textiles Competition, Slovak Textile Artists Association TXT, Bratislava, Slovakia
2016 Curator, Gesture in Cloth In: ‘Art Textiles’, 10th March – 18th April 2016, Fashion and Textile Museum, UK
2016 Co-selector, Face to Face, 18th International Miniature Textiles Competition, Slovak Textile Artists Association TXT, Bratislava, Slovakia
2014 - 2015 - Contributor of historical and contemporary textiles from the UK to the exhibition, Dyed Blue: indigo print in tradition and fashion, ÚL’UV Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
http://www.uluv.sk/en/web/where-in-uluv/uluv-galleries/uluv-gallery-bratislava/exhibitions-in-2014/e2809edyed-bluee2809c/
2014 - Co-selector, Textiles over Gold, 16th International Miniature Textiles Competition, Slovak Textile Artists Association TXT, Bratislava, Slovakia
2013 - Co-selector, Pinpoint, exhibition of small scale textile works, One Church Street Gallery, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, UK
http://www.onechurchstreet.com/pinpoint/
2013 - Co-curator, Studies in Form and Substance, exhibition of textiles and ceramics from the university collections, Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey UK
http://csc.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=40650
1990 - Czech Patterns, exhibition in association with 'The Charleston Festival: Bloomsbury Looks East', Charleston House, Sussex, UK
1987 - Modrotlac: Indigo Country Cloths and Artefacts from Czechoslovakia, exhibition at the James Hockey Gallery, Farnham, Surrey and the Glyn Vivian Gallery, Swansea, UK
Academic employment
2021 - PhD Supervisor, Textiles, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey, UK
2009 - 2020 Associate Lecturer, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey, UK
2013 - 2014 Associate Lecturer, BA (Hons) Surface Pattern and Printed Textiles, University of Northampton, UK
2012 - 2013 Visiting Tutor, BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery, Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace, UK
2010 - 2012 Visiting Tutor, BA (Hons) Visual Studies, Norwich University College of the Arts, UK
1985 - 2009, Senior Lecturer, Printed Textiles, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey, UK
1994 - 2004, Programme Leader, BA (Hons) Textiles, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey, UK
1997 - 2000 External Examiner, BA (Hons) Fine Art, Chichester Institute of Higher Education, UK
1996 - 1998 Crafts Adviser, South East Arts, UK
1987 - 1990 External Assessor of Textile Design Studies, Diploma in Higher Education, Bath College of Higher Education, UK
1987 - Assistant Examiner, GCE 'O' level Art and Design, Associated Examining Board, UK
1985 - Lecturer, BA (Hons) Textiles, West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey, UK
1984 - Teacher of Art, Oaklands Community School, Southampton, UK
1981 - Teacher of Textiles, Oak Park Community School, Havant, Hampshire