Dalmarnock

• DALMARNOCK   -

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Madder dyed wool blanket, Blue silk organza, Red wool and silk satin, Orange silk organza, Madder dyed silk organza, Starch glue, Madder dyed yarn, Silk thread, Cotton thread, Forget-Me-Nots. Alis Le May, 2023

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Building studied : Barrowfield Weaving Factory (Strangefield) 

Architect: M.S. Gibson

Completed: 1899

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Dalmarnock has a rich textile history, and Barrowfield Weaving Factory is one of the few remaining historic buildings which provides a link with the area’s industrial past. French Street, where the building is situated, was at first called Papillon Street after Pierre Jacques Papillon, a Frenchman from Rouen who understood the much sought after ‘Turkey Red’ dyeing process. He was brought to Dalmarnock to oversee the establishment of a Turkey Red works in the East End. This has been represented in the piece through the red ‘dyers hands’ gloves and the coat lining. The top layer of the gloves has been dyed with Madder - one of the ingredients of the Turkey Red process. 

The Barrowfield Weaving Factory features polychromatic brickwork, in shades of blue, green and black. In the garment, blue is introduced with hundreds of pressed forget-me-nots, in an alternating weave that references the outside of the building and the weaving process that once took place inside. 

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Dyeing - Julia Billings

Studio Assistants - Abby Gray and Magnea Birgisdóttir

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