ATELIER 
Weftfaced.

Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers Award

Katharine Swailes has been awarded a grant to help her establish a new series of work titled, 'Glyphs and Loops'. This project follows on from her exhibition in Arundel in June 2015, called Manhattan. The initial series drew on the Manhattan Museum collections of ancient and medieval tapestry and the streets and buildings these collections inhabit.

Swailes is developing a weaving system that floats across the surface of the work, optimising the delicate random nature of the tapes and yarns. The drawn line started investigations of Manhattan as sketches, turning into drawings of weavings. The tapestries reference the streets and avenues that were the starting inspiration, this development is seen in the blocks of lyrical marks that read as glyphs of the weaving process, the loops referencing the repetitive cycle. 

Swailes is delighted to have been offered an award, this will enable me to concentrate on this new series of work, an opportunity that is so important to me.

The Theo Moorman Trust was established in 1985 by weaver Theo Moorman to help both young and expereinced weavers to maintain the high standard of work . The Trustees beleive that often a small grant can make all the difference at a key stage of development, by allowing time to think through ideas, train in a particular technique, or through the provision of a physical space or equipment. During Moorman's career she was given the opportunity to to spend a year experimenting in the production of richly textured fabrics and brocades.