Exhibition of archives, textiles and ephemera for 2024 to offer peek into the creative culture of 1980s Glasgow
Instant Whip: Fraser Taylor: Textiles & Papers 1977 – 1987
– Exhibition announced revealing the previously unseen archive of Scottish artist Fraser Taylor for the first time, alongside newly commissioned work at The Glasgow School of Art for spring 2024
– Instant Whip will showcase Taylor’s creative output as a founding member of 1980s collective The Cloth, as well as his individual work then and now
Instant Whip: revisiting the textiles and papers of Fraser Taylor, 1977–1987 will shine a light on the archive of Fraser Taylor, recently acquired by The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections. A public exhibition, publication and events programme, focused on textile design, will bring together this unique archive with newly commissioned work for the first time and it will explore, in Fraser Taylor’s individual work and as part of 1980s collective The Cloth, recurring links to Glasgow as a place of creativity during the period 1977–87. The exhibition will open at the Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art on 15 March 2024 and run until 20 April 2024.
The project will focus on work Taylor developed as an undergraduate student at GSA, during the period 1977–81, exploring how this period influenced his work as part of design collective The Cloth up to 1987 and beyond.
The title Instant Whip is sourced from the archive, borrowing the title of an independent magazine, published during the 1980s, focused on Scottish music, fashion and art. Exhibiting the newly acquired collection of Taylor’s archive, held at The Glasgow School of Art to public audiences, highlighting Glasgow’s legacy as an important centre of creativity during the 1970s and 1980s.
Uncovering narratives found in the collection, the exhibition will include printed textiles, garments, drawing and painting, photography and personal ephemera. Alongside the display of objects, digital technologies will be employed to present archival objects such as sketchbooks and photographs in fresh ways that can benefit from explorations into scale and animation. Newly commissioned work for the exhibition will respond and reflect upon the presented historic works. This new work will be in textiles, focusing upon its relationship to drawing – working across screen-print, woven and digital methods. A key part of the new work will be a film made in collaboration with Filmmaker Alex James-Aylin and MUA / stylist MV Brown. This will be screened alongside physical works including garments featured in the film.
‘In 2014 three unmarked boxes were delivered from my storage in London to my studio in Glasgow. Opening the boxes was astonishing and shocking. They contained work that I produced from 1977 – 1987. I thought this work had been lost during one of many moves from one studio to another. It was exhilarating to be confronted with the past and marked the start of a long period of reflection, resulting in grappling with the concept that this work could become the core of a future exhibition. Revisiting this archive allowed me to make connections between my earlier interests and where I am creatively today. At times this was an emotional rollercoaster but the rewards were stirring and led to many reconnections. Ten years later this imagined exhibition will become reality.’
Fraser Taylor, October 2023
The exhibition is being researched and co-curated by curatorial organisation Panel with Glasgow School of Art (GSA) textile historian Helena Britt and will be presented in partnership with GSA Exhibitions at The Reid Gallery and GSA Archives and Collections. An associated public programme will coincide with the exhibition, including a series of workshops developed in partnership with open access screen-printing studio Print Clan which will be announced in 2024. A publication, edited by Panel and Helena Britt is also planned, and the project will build upon Helena Britt’s Leverhulme Trust research fellowship: ‘The Cloth: Exploring Creative Collaboration and Interdisciplinarity, 1977–87’ undertaken during 2019–22.
Instant Whip: Fraser Taylor textiles and papers 1977-1981 is an exhibition, publication and events programme co-curated by Dr Helena Britt with Panel and presented in partnership with The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections, The Reid Gallery at The Glasgow School of Art and Print Clan.
Generously funded by Creative Scotland and The Hope Scott Trust.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
BIOGRAPHIES
Fraser Taylor
Fraser Taylor studied Printed Textiles at The Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He co-founded The Cloth, a creative studio focused on contemporary textile design and production. Since 1983 he has developed an interdisciplinary art practice and exhibited internationally, and his collaborative works includes projects with visual artists, designers, and contemporary dance.
As an educator he has lectured at leading fine art and design institutions, and from 2001 until 2017 was a Visiting Artist and Adjunct Full Professor in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Professorship from The Glasgow School of Art, University of Glasgow.
Fraser returned to live in Glasgow in 2017. In 2018 he established the collaborative art practice, Two-Step, with artist Beth Shapeero which explores their shared visual language of abstracted gesture. Also, in 2018 Fraser became an ambassador for Print Clan an open access textile studio and in 2019, he purchased a ten-metre textile print table which is installed in their premises on Glasgow’s historic High Street. In 2020 HAXTON was established which revisits methods of making that were prominent in Fraser’s practice in the 70s and 80s, silkscreen printing on fabric and garment construction. What differs now is the inclusion of digital printing.
Fraser is currently the Curator at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock, Scotland.
Panel
Panel is an independent curatorial practice led by Catriona Duffy and Lucy McEachan, based in Glasgow. Since 2010 Panel has collaborated with a network of artists and organisations, nationally and internationally, providing a unique and creative approach to curating and producing exhibitions, commissions, publications and events. Panel’s programme commissions designers, craft makers, visual artists, writers and other creative practitioners to make new work grounded in research and often in collaboration with manufacturing.
Helena Britt
Helena Britt is a printed textiles lecturer in the Department of Fashion & Textiles at Glasgow School of Art. Research interests include textile design history, archives and collections; printed textiles and digital technologies; art and design education. Helena holds an MA from the Royal College of Art, PhD and PGCert Supervision in Creative Practices from GSA. She has worked as a textile designer on a freelance and commission basis for a range of clients.
The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections includes records and artefacts, which relate to the School’s activities since its foundation in 1845. The archives comprise GSA’s institutional records, and a number of collections deposited by former staff, students and related organisations. The collections include examples of art, design and architectural work by GSA alumni and former staff, including a large number of items by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The papers, artworks and materials that form the Fraser Taylor donation represent a significant collection within the archive.
GSA Exhibitions curates an innovative year-round public programme of exhibitions, performance, seminars, talks, off-site projects, publishing initiatives and outreach, that aims to explore the creative, social and educational nature of contemporary practice. Their programme is free admission and offers the public a glimpse of the life and outputs of the art school as well as making exciting links to the rich heritage of The Glasgow School of Art and its collections. GSA Exhibitions is a key public facing part of the art school, working with and alongside the network of arts organisations in the city and beyond. GSA Exhibitions regularly contributes to key events in the city, including Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.
Print Clan
Print Clan is an inclusive screen printing studio based in the heart of Glasgow at 241 High Street. The studio nurtures creativity in people at any ability, and accommodates social, design and fine art- based projects by offering access to screen printing resources and training.
As the only open access textile printing studio in Glasgow, Print Clan provides specialist facilities for over 90 creative members, runs regular educational courses, and hosts events and workshops with community partners across the city.