British Textile Biennial 2019 - 3/10/19 - 3/11/19

British Textile Biennial 2019 - 3/10/19 - 3/11/19

Jun, 28 2019


~We’re all familiar with two national biennial events broadcast on radio and television. Comic Relief has succeeded in reaching third world countries and providing support to those that need it. Sport Relief has also accomplished much over recent years using physical activity to spread a positive message.

On a more local level The British Textile Biennial may not go abroad but what it does do is promote the nation’s creation, innovation and expression in textiles against the backdrop of the impressive infrastructure of the cotton industry in Pennine Lancashire.

The setting is picturesque. As you walk in you experience epic mills, grandiose civic architecture running through the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. The landscape tells the story of textiles.

British Textile Biennial is inviting artists, designers and makers to present performances, artworks and events across Pennine Lancashire to  the following four venues:-

  1. Blackburn Cotton Exchange
  2. Brierfield Mill in Pendle
  3. Mr. Gatty’s Experimental Dye Shed in Accrington
  4. The world-class textile collection at Gawthorpe Hall in Burnley

This year fabric will be used as a means of expression. As Comic Relief targets underprivileged areas and hones in on unique personas, textiles will be used as a vehicle for protest and cultural identity in slogan-emblazoned T-shirts. As Sport Relief promotes healthy living imagery and political demonstrations, textiles will be used for football fashion and traditional union and demo banners.

In addition to the above it will also take into consideration performances and new works that take a dynamic look at our relationship with that most basic and ancient of human creations, cloth.

The month is expected to run from Thursday 3rd October - Sunday 3rd November 2019.  It is supported by local design heroes and manufacturers with national and international reputations. The month will include exciting new product launches and industry panels.

This biennial festival celebrates the story of textiles while showcasing its contemporary expression with the community that has textiles in its DNA.

  • British Textile Biennial 2019
  • Various Venues, Pennine Lancashire
  • Thursday 3rd October - Sunday 3rd November

^Alex Ashworth