Andy Goldsworthy Fifty Years - Edinburgh

Andy Goldsworthy - Wool Runner

 

Andy Goldsworthy Fifty Years is currently showing at the National Gallery (Royal Scottish Academy) in Edinburgh.  Goldsworthy is a land artist, known for working with natural materials.  Much of his work that you may be familiar with takes the form of outdoor installations. The exhibits made especially for this exhibition are in response to the Royal Scottish Academy building.  Overall there's lots to see - 3D installations, 2D & 3D artwork, photos, film and it's all fascinating.  I'd say it's a "must see" if you can make it.  Of everything, it was the large scale installations that I liked best.  Here's a flavour... 

When you arrive you are greeted by Wool Runner (see above) which is a series of fleeces showing the farmers' colour coded markings, that are attached to sheep netting with thorns.

Andy Goldsworthy - Fence

At the top of the stairs is Fence, made of rusty barbed wire, stretched between two of the buildings columns. The columns are protected by a layer of rope that is wrapped round them. Goldsworthy comments about the fences/barriers/obstacles that he encounters in his work, and how he hopes to find a way through.

Andy Goldsworthy - Fence (detail)

In this area are two sheep paintings.  A mineral block (sheep food) was placed in a field of sheep on a canvas. The weather, number of sheep and how often they visited the food source all affected the outcome.  The white central circle is where the mineral block was placed and later removed...

Andy Goldsworthy - Sheep Painting

Andy Goldsworthy - Sheep Painting (detail)

In an adjacent room is Skylight, made from bullrushes, collected from Dumfries and Galloway where Goldsworthy is based, and also from Angus. The seed heads have been removed and the thinner end of one is inserted into the thicker end of another to make this floor to ceiling installation around a central skylight.

Andy Goldsworthy - Skylight

Andy Goldsworthy - Skylight

Gravestones is seen as a partner piece to Skylight.  Gravestones being from the earth and Skylight reaching for the light.  The stones are collected from graveyards across Dumfries and Galloway and are those that are displaced when graves are dug.  A larger Gravestones project is planned and there are maps showing where all the stones have come from.... 

Andy Goldsworthy - Gravestones

Blank flags were dyed with the reddest earth from each of the 50 American states, originally for an installation at the Rockefeller Centre in New York. You can see them displayed here. We are told that Goldsworthy hoped that the connection of flag and land would offer connection rather than division and a different sort of defence of the land (environmetal rather than fighting).

Andy Goldsworthy - Flags

Oak Passage has been constructed from fallen branches and serves as a reminder that the oak floor was once a tree.  At the far end is Dock Drawing and at the other end a swirl of ferns pinned on with thorns...

Andy Goldsworthy - Oak Passage
(Dock Drawing on the far wall)

Andy Goldsworthy - Ferns and Thorns

Red Wall was made by plastering sieved, dried, crushed, clay rich earth, dug from the Lowther Hills in Dumfriesshire, mixed with water onto a backing that fits the wall space.  As it dried it has cracked and as the exhibition progresses chunks may fall off.  Its redness comes from its high iron content.  Goldsworthy reminds us that our blood also has a high iron content and suggests that this commonality binds us to the earth...

Andy Goldsworthy - Red Wall

Andy Goldsworthy - Red Wall (detail)

I found the Hare Blood Snow paintings(?) rather gruesome.  Goldsworthy hit a hare, while driving and took it home, disemboweled it, filled it with snow, hung it up and then as the snow melted it dripped blood onto paper below.

Andy Goldsworthy - Hare Blood Snow (detail)

Keep your eyes peeled as you wander round so you don't miss anything...

Andy Goldsworthy - Barbed Wire Ball

There are also lots of varied photographs...

Andy Goldsworthy - Black Sand, Morecambe Bay, Lancashire (detail) 

Andy Goldsworthy - Iron. Rising out of the ground in the valley below. Collected and painted onto a dead hawthorn tree.

And don't miss this one as you're leaving...

Andy Goldsworthy - Work Gloves

On until 2 November 2025, this exhibition is well worth a visit.  The Royal Scottish Academy has a cafe and is a short walk from Waverley station.

The Welsh Quilt Centre, Lampeter

Flannel Patchwork, Four Bow Ties
Ceredigion, circa 1880

On a recent holiday to Tenby, I took a side trip to Lampeter to see The Welsh Quilt Centre.  The exhibition, entitled "As Time Goes By", showcases the ingenuity of Welsh quiltmakers.  These women worked in a cottage industry that lasted almost one and a half centuries and, at the Welsh Quilt Centre, are finally getting recognition for their art.

Treorchy Quilt (on bed) - Late 19th/Early 20th Century, Red Crosses Quilt (above bed) - Rhayader, Powys, circa 1890

The Welsh Quilt Centre opened in 2009 and was the brainchild of Jen Jones who has collected Welsh Quilts and textiles for over 40 years. It has been integral to the saving and preservation of this element of Welsh heritage. Housed in Lampeter's former town hall, with a cafe next door, the Centre aims to promote and celebrate the art of the Welsh Quilt, alongside the contemporary works of local and international artists.

Log Cabin Quilt (on bed) - late 19th Century, Butterfly Quilt (above bed) - circa 1880, Victorian Patchwork (far wall)

Log Cabin Quilt - detail

Here are some that caught my eye and I liked the room mock ups.

Country Patchwork Quilt
Llangain, Llansteffan - Victorian

There is also a gallery shop stocking vintage and modern textiles and if this doesn't provide what you're looking for you can head out to Llanybydder to Jen Jones Welsh Quilts and Blankets Cottage Shop. Here you can find a vast array of Welsh quilts, blankets, shawls, antiques and more.

Pink Satin Cotton Quilt, flounced (on bed) - Carmarthenshire, early 20th Century, Llandeilo Fans Satin Cotton Quilt (on wall to left) - early 20th Century, Pale Pink Wholecloth Quilt (on wall to right) - Welsh Valleys, circa 1930

Pale Pink Wholecloth Quilt - detail

Whilst I prefer patchwork to wholecloth quilts, I couldn't help but admire the skill and workmanship that had gone into hand quilting all these pieces and there were many more on show than I have pictured.

Cefyn Burgess - Thomas Jones Presbyterian Chapel Nongsawlia  

In Gallery 2, Cefyn Burgess was exhibiting his machine embroidered pieces "In The Khasi Hills" which looks at the history of the Welsh in the Khasi Hills in north east India and also the Khasi people.

Cefyn Burgess - Townscape Shillong (354)

If you're in the area go take a look.  On until 22 Saturday November 2025.

Textures & Patterns - Part 1

Metal covering

It's amazing how many different textures & patterns surround us.  Here are some examples from just one day. I wonder where this inspiration will lead me...

Messy Floor

Lorry Deck

Lorry Roofs

Metal Cables

Seat Slats

Wall

Stairs

Table Top

Floor Covering

Ash Tray

Creatures of the Deep - Old Parcels Office Artspace, Scarborough - July 2025

Julie Bailey, Wendy Galloway & Nikki White &  Blueberry Academy

 

I didn't have time to write about this exhibition at the Old Parcels Office Artspace when it was on but it was such a colourful, joyful exhibition I thought you might like a look even though you can't go and see it.  Creatures of the Deep was created by six community groups paired with local artists.  Many were inspired by a visit to SEA LIFE Scarborough.

Inspired by the seabed and coral reefs, and a trip to Sea Life Scarborough, Julie Bailey, Wendy Galloway & Nikki White & Blueberry Academy made an undersea landscape full of texture and colour using recycled materials (see above).  The Blueberry Academy provides support for young people and adults with learming differences. 

Caroline (Bobby) Hick & SPARKS PROJECT 

Caroline Hick worked with 3 groups (Eastfield Crafters, Barrowcliff Social & SAGE) from the SPARK (Solving Problems And Real Kickstart Solutions) PROJECT inspired by the lifecycle of jellyfish...

Caroline (Bobby) Hick & SPARKS PROJECT 

Charlotte Hill & Cross Lane Hospital

Charlotte Hill worked with staff and patients at Cross Lane Hospital to create creatures of the deep using waste materials.  Cross Lane Hospital provides mental health care...

Charlotte Hill & Cross Lane Hospital

Simon Doughty worked with people at the Rainbow Centre which provides support to people who are homeless, vulnerable or in crisis. They chose to create an octopus which doesn't show up on radar and is thus "invisible" which is how the people at the centre think they are perceived by others...

Simon Doughty & the Rainbow Centre

Carol Eves worked with the refugee community to create a shoal of fish from textile waste.  Some participants were very accomplished at sewing and others were novices.  Participants were encouraged to design their own fish, some incorporated symbols or techniques from their homeland...

Carol Eves & SHOAL

Dan Parker worked with the Gallows Close Youth Group.  After a trip to SEA LIFE Scarborough they decided to work in small groups to create their favourite sea creatures...

Dan Parker & Gallows Close Youth Group

There's often something interesting going on at the Old Parcels Office Scarborough.  Check it out!

Textiles: The Art of Mankind at the Fashion & Textile Museum, London

Wodaabe Artisans - Young Woman's Wrapped Skirt (detail) 

The main exhibition on at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London is Textiles: The Art of Mankind. This exhibition celebrates the ancient relationship between textiles, people and the environment. Amazing textile techniques that have been developed across the world are illustrated.  It shows skills handed down through generations, and illustrates people's thoughts and histories.  It is organised through themes of materials, identity, collaboration, and sustainability.  Here is just a flavour of the items on display.

The Wodaabe skirt above is embroidered in chain stitch in patterns meaningful to these migratory people.

Tuvalu - Pandanus Skirt for the traditional Te Fatele song/dance

This skirt from Tuvalu, a pacific Polynesian island, is coloured using natural dyes including bark juice, burnt nut soot and turmeric root. 

Grace "Molly" Crowfoot - Peruvian Backstrap Loom Model

The above piece of double weave cloth was made by Crowfoot in the 1920s to understand ancient textile techniques.  Crowfoot could be described as a English textile archeologist.

French Basketmaker - Nest Basket

Inspired by birds' nests, this basket by a French basketmaker, uses twigs, branches, wire and nails. 

Chinese Artisans - Baby's Tiger Hat

Made in the early 1900s, this tiger hat has moveable tassels that would move with the baby's head.

Sara Impey - Why Stitch?

Sara Impey's piece Why Stitch makes an argument for the importance of textiles. One of the quotes stitched on this, which resonates with me - "Anyone who loves textiles, touches them. It is an instinct" - Jessica Hemmings 2012. That's just so true - they are so tactile.  Sara's artwork is made from calico fabric with free-motion machine-stitching and machine-quilting with polyester thread.

Bogolanfini Cloth

Bogolanfini cloths are worn by hunters as camouflage, for status and as ritual protection or by women as they reach adulthood or after childbirth.  Traditionally these cloths were woven by men on narrow looms and dyed by women.

Tadek Beutlich - Figures in Cocoons 2

Made from PVA soaked cotton wool, modelled over a woven structure of esparto grass, this piece features helpless people, and is supposed to reflect the trauma of war.

Jo Ann C Stabb - Swan Song - My last academic plan ever

This wearable art coat is made from appliqued recycled industrial silk scraps with dollar signs hand embroidered round the bottom to signify "the bottom line".  The inside is stamped with the different stages of the academic planning process.

English Artisan - Sweet Bag

This drawstring bag is an example of goldwork from the mid 16th Century and has intertwined hearts on the front, a symbol of love and devotion.

Rajasthan Dyer - Just dyed cotton cloth

This cloth from India is an example of tie dyeing from the 1980s, that has been dipped several times.  The patterns are supposed to evoke the waves formed by winds blowing across the desert sands. 

Lynne Setterington - Been Shopping

Reflecting on our preoccupation with retail therapy, Setterington has created this piece from Suffolk puffs made from plastic carrier bags that reflect her own retail preferences.  More of Lynn Setterington's work is on display in the Connecting Threads exhibition in the Museum's Fashion Studio and is really interesting.  For more on that click here.

Both exhibitions are on until Sunday 7 September 2025. There is no cafe in the Fashion and Textile Museum but there are plenty close by and the Museum does have a shop.  London Bridge station is a short walk away.