Dovecot Studios
Follow the Thread - Fleece to Fibre: The Making of the Large Tree Group Tapestry
2 August – 14 September 2013
Victoria Crowe, Jenny in the Large Tree Group, courtesy Dovecot Studios
Follow the Thread is a celebration of weaving and wool, presenting three distinct exhibitions which celebrate the diversity, skill and ingenuity of artists, designers and makers who choose to work with yarn and textiles.
Victoria Crowe’s celebrated painting, Large Tree Group (1975), was chosen by Dovecot Studios in 2012 to be transposed into a large tapestry as part of its centenary celebrations. Finally complete after hundreds of hours of careful work by Dovecot's master weavers using only un-dyed wool sourced from around the country, the tapestry is presented at the heart of this exhibition.
Fleece to Fibre: The Making of the Large Tree Group Tapestry explores the process behind the project, tracing the journey from sheep through to yarn and into the completed to tapestry. Some 70 producers across Great Britain, from small-scale crofters to large estates, provided wool from a wide range of sheep breeds and the yarn has been spun by a range of specialists – again from individual spinners and small groups to commercial operations on a semi-industrial scale. The un-dyed wool produced by this remarkable range of breeds has created the entire natural colour palette which has been used in the creation of this unique collaborative tapestry.
Accompanying this story are a series of commissioned photographic portraits which celebrate the diversity of those people who have contributed behind the scenes to this complex project.
Mon–Sun, 10.30am–6.30pm
2–14 September: Mon–Sat, 10.30am–5.30pm
Free admission
Dovecot Studios
Follow the Thread - Artist Rugs: Dovecot's Contemporary Rug Collection
2 August – 14 September 2013
Nicholas Party, Landscape, 2012
Pioneers in tapestry and rug making for over a 100 years, Dovecot Studios presents an exhibition of hand-tufted rugs created in collaboration with well known contemporary artists.
These graphic and vibrant works uniquely showcase the colour blending and design skills of Dovecot’s artist weavers and rug-tufters working in tandem with the ideas and concerns of artists as diverse as John Byrne, William Crozier, Alan Davie, Nick Evans, Ruth Ewan and Alasdair Gray.
Mon–Sun, 10.30am–6.30pm
2–14 September: Mon–Sat, 10.30am–5.30pm
Free admission
Dovecot Studios
Follow the Thread - Dazzle@Dovecot
2 – 26 August 2013
H. Woof, Windswept Brooch, courtesy Dazzle
Dazzle@Dovecot returns for a second consecutive year with an exhibition of over 50 contemporary jewellery designers and silversmiths. For the first time in Edinburgh, Dazzle will also be presenting work from a number of international printmakers including Emiko Aida from Japan.
Included in the exhibition will be an exclusive Follow the Thread range by designers whose work celebrates the use of textiles, yarns and fabrics within contemporary jewellery.
Mon–Sun, 10.30am–6.30pm
Free admission