Exhibition: Through the eye of a Needle, Armagh County Museum, Armagh, until April 2012
“This
is a wonderful exhibition which examines how a tiny tool has played a
huge role in our history,” says Valerie Wilson, the curator behind this
celebration of the humble sewing needle and the impact it had on a city
production line with recipients included Marks and Spencer and Harrods.
“Essentially,
the exhibition takes the visitor on a journey which explains the
textile skills and products all made possible because of the needle.
It’s an exhibition which I’m sure will fill people with a new
appreciation for this staple household tool.”
The star
attractions on display might just be from the old factory of Mercer and
Brown, a Lurgan textile firm which spent more than 60 years
manufacturing Swiss embroidered handkerchiefs for retailers between 1899
and 1960.
As well as keeping well-to-do Londoners free of
sniffles, local workers also made hats, hat pins, beaded bags and pin
cushions, appearing here alongside hand-drawn designs and a perforating
machine which once transferred their designs onto cloth.
“It was
fascinating to discover just how many items could not have been made
without the invention of the needle,” admits fellow curator Greer
Ramsey.
“The Museum received a donation of hundreds of
beautifully hand drawn illustrations from Mercer and Brown which show
the work that went into their products.
“Workers were paid per
100 stitches and in the early 1930s a single pattern might have included
several thousand – it’s a world away from the paper hankies we use
today.”
An embroidered smoking cap for a Victorian gentleman and a
beautifully made silk corset, tightly laced to give the wearer a
miniscule 20-inch waist, are also on show.
“We begin with the
story of needle-making in the 19th century and examine the link with
industrial history, applied art and contemporary development of
traditional needlework skills,” adds Wilson.
“Our exhibits range from 1760 to 2009, from a single needle to a superbly beaded 1920s dress.”
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Encontrado em:
http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/craft/textiles/art364403
Site do museu onde estará a exposição:
http://www.nmni.com/uftm/Collections/Collection-Highlights/Through-The-Eye-of-a-Needle
