Not currently on display at the V&A

Hanging

2002 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is the third in the series of hangings commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Weavers and on loan to the V&A. Driven by the craft of weaving, this wall hanging is a typical example of Laura Thomas' approach to her work: an ongoing passion and practical curiosity for woven structures and techniques. Thomas particularly enjoys exploring intricate hand weave processes that are not industrially viable, such as the block of double-cloth pleats employed in this piece. A combination of copper and nylon was selected as the weft yarn for the pleats, to give them stability and help to emphasise their contours, and for its reflective qualities, to allow a little sparkle under light. The offices of the Weavers' Company and its coat of arms influenced and inspired the colour, they were chosen to be sympathetic to the surroundings of the Company's office and a bold statement. The use of the highlight band of scarlett is a very characteristic feature of Laura's use of colour, she often works with neutral or understated base colours adding a shot of colour to draw the eye.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
woven silk, copper and nylon
Brief description
Hanging, woven silk, copper and nylon hanging designed and woven by Laura Thomas, British, 2002
Physical description
Woven wall hanging from 2/60s spun silk and copper/nylon. The effect is achieved by having two warps on separate beams. For the pleated block, one weaves approximately 1cm on the top warp, this warp is then taken off tension and the woven section is folded forwards and pinned in place. The top warp is brought back to a correct weaving tension and woven back into the base cloth, thus securing the pleat in place. This process is repeated many times to build up the concentration of pleats.
Dimensions
  • Height: 109cm
  • Width: 66cm
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by the Worshipful Company of Weavers
Object history
The Worshipful Company of Weavers commisions a modern wall hanging/piece of textile art for its offices in the City of London bi-annually and invites current and recent students of the School of Textiles at the Royal College of Art to submit their ideas and portfolios with a view to one of them being selected to undertake the submission. The designs are considered by representatives of the Company, the RCA and the V&A. Although initially the commissioned piece hangs in the Company's offices, or lent on exhibition, it is then given on long-term loan to the V&A, eventually to form a collection with other previous and subsequent commissions to build a representative collection of the work of newly graduated students.

On long term loan to the V&A 2005 - 2015 [2001/256]; given to the Museum in 2015 [2015/416].

Historical significance: The charter for the Worshipful Company of Weavers was granted by Henry II in 1155 making it the earliest Livery Company in the City of London. It was the first textile guild. Since then the Mercers, Drapers, Merchant Taylors, Haberdashers and Clothworkers have been set up.
Historical context
The Weavers' Company is the oldest of all the City of London Livery companies, and has a long history stretching back to the early 12th century. It continues to uphold the traditions of the Company of the City of London, whilst supporting and promoting the modern textile industry and craft
Production
Laura Thomas is a Fellow of the Ann Sutton Foundation. She has designed the interior textiles for the new Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff and this, the third commission from the Worshipful Company of Weavers

Reason For Production: Commission
Association
Summary
This is the third in the series of hangings commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Weavers and on loan to the V&A. Driven by the craft of weaving, this wall hanging is a typical example of Laura Thomas' approach to her work: an ongoing passion and practical curiosity for woven structures and techniques. Thomas particularly enjoys exploring intricate hand weave processes that are not industrially viable, such as the block of double-cloth pleats employed in this piece. A combination of copper and nylon was selected as the weft yarn for the pleats, to give them stability and help to emphasise their contours, and for its reflective qualities, to allow a little sparkle under light. The offices of the Weavers' Company and its coat of arms influenced and inspired the colour, they were chosen to be sympathetic to the surroundings of the Company's office and a bold statement. The use of the highlight band of scarlett is a very characteristic feature of Laura's use of colour, she often works with neutral or understated base colours adding a shot of colour to draw the eye.
Collection
Accession number
T.39-2015

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdApril 5, 2005
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest