Revival

A renewing of interest in a theory, practice, etc., of the past an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.

The arts and crafts movements of the late nineteenth century, of which British artist and designer William Morris (1834-1896) was the key proponent, introduced an important aesthetic and practice-based change to art in the Western world. Arising in Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century, the British Arts and Crafts Movement represented a reaction to the poor working conditions of the time; namely, intensive mechanised and assembly-line manufacturing – a direct consequence of the Industrial Revolution.

Underpinned by the socialist views of Morris, the movement was inspired by a belief that historical craft practices could produce consumer goods of a higher quality and, in the process, create better conditions for the workers. Manufacturing carpets, textiles, stained-glass windows and furniture that used traditional, handmade techniques, Morris, through his company Morris & Co., resurrected medieval craftsmanship. He firmly believed that art should be both beautiful and functional and that it should be experienced by everyone in the domestic space and not solely remain in the domain of the wealthy. His revolution in decorative arts was aesthetic as much as it was social.

A contemporary renaissance in tapestry is partly attributable to the rise of tapestry workshops that appreciate collaborating with contemporary artists, with the help of a studio, such as Factum Arte in Madrid, or Magnolia Editions in Oakland, California. Flanders Tapestries, for example, has worked with a significant number of artists, including – apart from Grayson Perry – Kiki Smith, David Noonan and Chuck Close, for whom weaving was not necessarily a part of their practice; however, these new technologies have become a significant wellspring of inspiration to them, as well as a driver for the resurgence of the tapestry medium in contemporary art in the twenty-first century.

Closer to home, the legacy of the South Australian arts and crafts movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as well as the craft revival of the 1960s and 1970s loom large in the practices of the late Pru La Motte (1928-2020) and Professor Kay Lawrence (b.1947). Both artist’s have used the traditions of tapestry weaving to explore contemporary issues of feminism and politics.

Words by Rebecca Evans and Leigh Robb