CONTENTS
INDULGE textiles to buy, collect or simply admire 11 ENERGY BOARD Inspired by eclectic pattern and print Selvedge founder Polly Leonard picks bold pieces for your home and wardrobe
CONCEPT textiles in fine art 34 THAT’S ALL FOLK Martin Myrone argues that British Folk art at Tate Britain shows the many faces of creative practice and will broaden our ideas of art 46 MARK MAKING James Russell examines the career and influence of Peggy Angus This summer the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne will host the first major exhibition devoted to her life and work
INDUSTRY from craft to commerce 16 ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE Circus life in Bangladesh Photographer Probal Rashid was welcomed into the big top but discovered a way of life under threat 26 WALKING ON SUNSHINE Summer sandals made from ‘the cloth of the sun’ Ptolemy Mann seeks out the fabric company behind the classic espadrille
GLOBAL textiles from around the world 20 KING OF THE SWINGERS Hammocks woven in Cabo de la Vela Images by Nelson Sepulveda and Paris based photographer Mark Eden Schooley. Written by Jessica Hemmings 51 FACING THE PAST Arianna E. Funk unwraps the folk inspired work of Danish photographer Trine Søndergaard and finds more layers than she expected 69 COLOUR WHEEL Hilary Simon takes us on a whirlwind tour of Mexican textiles See MADE IN MEXICO The Rebozo in Art, Culture & Fashion until 31 August at the Fashion and Textile Museum
COHABIT stunning interiors beautifully photographed 57 CHIP OFF THE OLD Writer, curator and design historian Lesley Jackson looks at block printed wallpaper – and the designers determined to keep the technique alive 64 HOLD YOUR HORSES The alternative universe of Parisienne artist Frédérique Morrel is populated by needlework creatures and products of her vivid imagination Photographed by Joanna Maclennan
ANECDOTE textiles that touch our lives 38 MISS RACHEL’S LEGACY Gawthorpe Textile Collection The woman behind this internationally renowned collection of textiles located in the heart of Pennine Lancashire 40 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER We profile three women committed to global change through crafts and textiles The Ricefield Collective, Threads of Life and Nest 75 GUIDING HAND Karima Cammell’s captivating collection of vintage paper toys and theatres give her (and customers at her boutique, Castle in the Air) the chance to be child-like once more 77 CANVAS With the cost of higher education climbing ever higher Selvedge Editor Beth Smith wonders exactly what your money can buy...
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A L L THE WORLD’S A S TAGE
Circus life in Bangladesh
SELVEDGE 4
Art historians can be quite protective of the ‘Western canon’ and according to them it definitely doesn’t include the kind you fire a man out of. But there have always been those who see the beauty in everyday activities and decoration. Associate Scholar at The Courtauld Institute of Art, Thomas Balfe, explains that although it “requires a stretch of the imagination for most”, folk art also encompasses “contextspecific performances (morris-dancing, story-telling) and activities so ephemeral or routine –– traditional jam making, for example”.
Photographer Probal Rashid, who is fascinated by the long history of traditional circus in Bangladesh, would probably agree with Balfe and has spent months capturing this enduring way of life. Eight large circus troupes perform around the country and most troupe members followed their family into the profession hereditarily or have worked in the circus since childhood. One, “The Bulbul Circus” from Bagura district of Bangladesh, allowed Rashid to follow daily life in the big top.
Bright stripes, sequined costumes and spectacular acts make the circus a perennial source 4