Peter Collingwood Woven:Unwoven
Peter Collingwood | Woven:Unwoven
Peter Collingwood Woven:Unwoven
Peter Collingwood | Woven:Unwoven 2 January – 30 June 2018 © Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS Exhibition Curator: Caroline Burvill Curatorial Support: Greta Bertram Graphic Design: David Hyde Photography: Caroline Burvill, Jasper Cresdee-Hyde, David Hyde Research Support: Shirley Dixon, Sarah Steele Technical Support: Peter Vacher, Nao Fukumoto, Loucia Manopoulou Administration: Margaret Madden, Ingrid Stocker
The Crafts Study Centre wishes to thank Signals Media for kindly granting permission to show excerpts from the film interview of Peter Collingwood by Linda Theophilus, made for Firstsite Gallery in Colchester in 1998, to accompany the touring retrospective exhibition ‘Peter Collingwood, Master Weaver’. www.signals.co.uk Signals is an award-winning arts and education charity, and centre for creative digital learning.
Foreword by Simon Olding
page 3
Woven:Unwoven 5 The exhibits
17
Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 1
‘Macrogauze 86’ This linen 2-D Macrogauze with stainless steel rods securing top and bottom was made at Nayland in 1986 from bleached and natural linen. (Ref. No. 9) 2 Crafts Study Centre
Foreword The Crafts Study Centre applied successfully
exhibition ‘Woven:Unwoven’, and it is the
to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant
first time that the Centre has presented a
in its imaginative programme ‘Collecting
single-focused exhibition that draws these
Cultures’ in 2007. This grant of £180,000
interlocking elements together. In doing
enabled the Centre to enrich and develop
so, we can see new relationships between
its collections in both strategic and reactive
creative thinking and writing, between
ways. That is, we focused our attention on
Collingwood’s extraordinary and diverse
three named collections and archives in the
research collection of world textiles and his
fields of textiles, lettering and furniture; and
own practice, as well as the reaction to his
we were able to bid for individual objects
work in the public domain. The exhibition
or archive materials that came up for sale,
becomes a way of looking at a major textile
following our collecting policy.
artist in the round.
The Crafts Study Centre was delighted
The exhibition also fulfils the Crafts
to acquire a very substantial body of work
Study Centre’s intentions, expressed in
from the great woven textile artist Peter
the original application form, to ‘tell the
Collingwood, including his creative work
rich but sparsely-told story of modern
as well as samples, a very large body of
crafts’ through an exemplary display of
ethnographic textiles and a paper archive.
connective materials: writing, thinking
This collection forms the basis of the
and making.
Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 3
Anglefell c. 1960 –1962 This delicate translucent ‘Anglefell’ wall hanging in black, white and natural linen, was made in the early 1960s, and purchased from The V&A Museum’s joint exhibition of Collingwood and potter Hans Coper’s work in 1969. (Ref. No. 8)
4 Crafts Study Centre
Woven:Unwoven “Behind my magnifying goggles, looking
form, with great potential for modern
closely, I feel I have made journeys into the
craft makers, as well as being a proud
minds of these skilled, anonymous makers;
tradition in the Northern parts of the
journeys which have greatly increased my
Indian subcontinent. Others are quirky,
respect for them.”
belying the skill required to make them,
1
like the ingenious mouse trap from Mali In writing about his fascination with the
(Ref. No. 62). While a few pieces are very
woven pieces gathered from around the
old, Collingwood bought some direct from
world, which form the Peter Collingwood
the maker, while others were gifts to
Ethnographic Collection, master weaver
him from students, friends and admiring
Collingwood reveals much about his innate
fellow weavers, like the beautiful ‘garlic
curiosity and quest to know everything
basket’ (Ref. No. 15) which weaver Linda
about the techniques of weaving, as well
Hendrickson made herself.
as the keen sense of natural fellowship
Despite his passion for collecting all these
with other makers, that compelled him to
items, nowhere does one see Collingwood
collect them.
attempting to copy any of them – his own
Some items, like the camel girths and
work has a very clear signature of its own,
neck adornments from Rajasthan, are
whether in the richly hand-woven rugs
works of great beauty, but are also fine
and wall hangings of his earlier years as a
examples of the traditional ply-split
weaver, or in the pared-back graphic works
braiding technique, which Collingwood
of his mature career.
saw as an exciting and innovative craft
‘Woven:Unwoven’ brings together these two aspects of Collingwood’s life.
Collingwood, P., The Maker’s Hand, London: B.T.
He donated the Ethnographic Collection,
Batsford (1987), p7.
many of his own works, and his letters and
1
Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 5
6 Crafts Study Centre
paper archive, to the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham, and we are delighted to bring some of these to the Tanner Gallery for people to discover. Beyond the woven works themselves, Peter Collingwood wrote some of the most important text books on weaving published in the second half of the 20th Century. The books on technique are comprehensively thorough and still used in teaching. Collingwood describes to us the process of gathering and organizing material for the books, the discipline of revisiting and refining notes in a quest for perfect clarity for the reader, and how this benefited himself, the author, cementing the information clearly in his own mind too. Collingwood wrote four books, each one a clear, complete reference on a Red double corduroy rug
particular aspect of weaving. The first, in
Made in 1964, and referred to by Peter
1968, was Techniques of Rug Weaving,
Collingwood as ‘Scarlet Runner’, this rug, hand-
followed by books on Sprang (1974),
woven using the double-corduroy technique
Tablet Weaving (1982), and his last book,
from wool on linen pile, in a mix of reds,
Textile and Weaving Structures, later
bright pink and orange, and hand-fringed, was
published as The Maker’s Hand, was a
originally part of a commission for the Assistant
collection of reflections on his favourite
High Commissioner’s office at New Zealand
pieces in the Ethnographic Collection,
House, London.
many of which are shown in the exhibition
(Ref. No. 78)
‘Woven:Unwoven’. Look for the small red labels showing Collingwood’s own Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 7
8 Crafts Study Centre
reference notes to an item’s place in the book. Collingwood was a great experimenter, and the large number of woven samples in the archive are evidence of this. “You have to be ‘hands-on’ and trying things for yourself, looking at what others have done, and trying to understand how they did it”. In his view the craftsman is nothing without a sure understanding of technique, and he would happily ‘unpick’ something, in order to see how it was made: “I can remember looking at my Harris Tweed jacket and trying to envisage how many shafts its 50/50 twill needed. I decided 3! When I tried it out and saw it needed 4, I’m sure this bit of information was of a different quality from the information received from a book.”
2
It was in 1950 that the young Dr Peter
Above: Catalogue cover From the 1969 V&A exhibition ‘Collingwood
Collingwood decided to abandon his
Coper’.
medical career and dedicate himself
(Ref. No. 40)
instead to becoming a weaver. At a friend’s
Left: Flattened vase form by Hans Coper
suggestion, he wrote to dyer, spinner and
This stoneware vase was given to gallery owner
weaver Ethel Mairet, who invited him to
Muriel Rose by Coper in 1966 and featured in
join her workshop in Ditchling, East Sussex,
the 1969 V&A exhibition.
to see what he could learn. Collingwood
(Ref. No. 39) 2
Firstsite, Peter Collingwood - Master Weaver, Colchester: Minories Art Gallery (1998), p44. Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 9
Commission for BP Britannic House Collingwood was asked in 1982 to submit a proposal for a commission for a wall hanging for the entrance to the BP head offices in London. (Ref. No. 3)
10 Crafts Study Centre
described Mairet as the grandmother of
things I have around the house, objects I’ve
the weaving revival in this country, and
collected: textiles, baskets, wooden pieces,
he acknowledged later that he did learn
pottery. Their shapes, colours, and textures
a lot from her, although she was cuttingly
are constantly teaching my eyes lessons in
scathing about his artistic talent, and
design.”
probably dented the creative confidence
3
The time had come in 1952 to set up his
of this non-art school trained student. The
own workshop in London, and, from 1954,
time in Ditchling was followed by a few
to help pay the rent, this keenest of learners
months with another weaver, Barbara
started teaching weaving to others part
Sawyer, and Collingwood spent his time
time, finding that he could earn enough
there executing her designs for floor
from one day’s teaching at one of the art
coverings, gaining speed and experience.
schools to last the week, a great help while
He then joined Alastair Morton, a successful
he was trying to persuade the buyers of
and creative weaver based in Croftfoot,
Heal’s, Liberty and Primavera to buy his
Hawkshead, and connected to Morton
rugs – he was only able to balance two of
Sundour Fabrics, Carlisle. Collingwood was
them on any one trip from his workshop
delighted to meet a fellow male, who was
in Archway into town on the handlebars of
both dedicated to weaving, and to making
his bicycle. At this time, he taught variously
his workshop an economic success. Morton
at Hammersmith, Camberwell and Central
was important to Collingwood in another
art schools.
way too: his home, where Collingwood
In 1957 Collingwood was invited to
stayed, was full of beautiful modern craft
become a resident craft maker at Digswell
pieces – an inspiring feast for the eyes –
Arts Trust in Hertfordshire, where he,
which Collingwood would later recreate in
along with other craftsmen, like the potter
his own environment, with woven and craft
Hans Coper, was given a very low-cost
items that inspired him. He explains:
studio and accommodation. It was here that
“I feel the only thing that can help you in designing is your own eyes – and your
3
Patrick, J. and Irwin, B. ‘An Interview with Peter
eyes need to be educated in some way.
Collingwood’ in Handwoven, September/October
Mine, I hope, have been educated by the
1988, p49. Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 11
Macrogauze panel for British Embassy in Brussels (detail) and overleaf (Ref. No. 10)
12 Crafts Study Centre
he met his future wife Elizabeth Brunston,
if it is able to keep abreast of contemporary
and worked on several large commissions,
movements in the world of architecture and
wall hangings for BP and Shell, for
fashion, if it can capture the spirit of the
example. Collingwood’s final workshop and
age in its textiles.”
home was at Nayland in Suffolk, where he
4
Collingwood’s formal art education was
had the opportunity in 1964, thanks to a
almost non-existent by the time he started
loan from an anonymous benefactor, to buy
his apprenticeship with Ethel Mairet,
and convert an old schoolhouse.
who, while acknowledging his technical
Collingwood clearly enjoyed technical
abilities, told him crushingly that he was no
mastery over his weaving equipment, and,
good at design. He also described feeling
while he was happy to tailor his creative
baffled by fellow makers who chatted
output to what the loom would permit
away about the great ideas and theories of
him to do, he pushed the equipment to
the art world, but despite these ‘outsider’
its limits, indeed taking the loom apart
feelings, Collingwood was building his
and redesigning it so it could do what
own language of weaving, and refining a
he wanted it to. Collingwood focussed on
style of work to become a leading voice in
mastering the techniques of the craft of the
the textile arts. From the richly colourful
loom, the business model of the successful
double corduroy rugs of his early years,
workshop, and weaving at economic speed,
like the ‘Scarlet Runner’ on display in
with the future ‘repeat’ potential and
‘Woven:Unwoven’ (Ref. No. 78), we see the
marketability of a design ever in mind.
refining and maturing of Collingwood’s
Collingwood felt very strongly that the work of talented craft creators merited its
work towards a more monochrome style, with a lighter, more contemporary feel.
place alongside ‘fine’ artists and sculptors
Through the propitious accident of
of the time, and indeed it was important
creating the first ‘Anglefell’, Collingwood
for practitioners who made things by hand
found himself on a path towards this
to find their place in the contemporary art scene. As he wrote in the Journal of
4
Collingwood, P., ‘Moving with the Times’, in:
Weavers, Spinners and Dyers in 1953:
Journal of the Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and
“Hand weaving is artistically justified only
Dyers, September 1953. Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 13
new, pared-back aesthetic, and started
Shuttlecraft Guild in 1962. With books
manipulating the lines of warp and
and lecture tours to his name, the leading
weft in a new graphic way, embracing
museums of the world began to ask for his
the geometric simplicity of the resulting
expert view on some of their own pieces –
shapes. From the ‘Anglefells’, which used an
Collingwood’s superb technical knowledge
angled weft, instead of the usual one lying
meant he could accurately determine how a
perpendicular to the warp, he moved on
historical woven item had been made, and
to the next innovation, the ‘Macrogauzes’,
what equipment might have been used. The
which he made by moving segments of
curiosity of the young Peter Collingwood,
a number of warp threads (secured in
who had recounted the tale of pretending
movable rigid heddles), crossing them
to retie his shoelaces in a store, as a foil
over so that, instead of following parallel
for getting a closer look at a floor rug
vertical straight lines, the warp threads
whose weave intrigued him, had led him to
now crossed each other at different
become the go-to analyst on woven museum
angles, creating new graphic shapes, later
pieces in his mature years.
even three-dimensional ones. As a mature craftsman, Collingwood had
His last major public work was a macrogauze in stainless steel yarn, a
now found his artistic voice. Preferring
material which his friend Junichi Arai had
an ordered, graphic style, reminiscent of
introduced him to. It was hung for the first
pencil-drawn lines to anything messily
time in Kiryu Performing Arts Centre in
expressionist, he produced works of great
Japan in 1997.
beauty, which hid their considerable
Peter Collingwood was awarded the
technical cleverness within their quiet,
Gold Medal at the Munich International
contemplative physicality.
Handicrafts Exhibition in 1963, and the OBE
Gaining recognition as both expert and
in 1974. In 1989 he won the Annual Medal
teacher, Collingwood was invited to give
from the Worshipful Company of Weavers,
lectures and lead weave workshops in the
and in 1994, the Annual Medal from the
US regularly – an important part of his
Society of Designer Craftsmen.
income – with his first trip to Michigan at the invitation of Harriet Tidball of the Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 15
Woven cotton jar By Pallavi Varia, using ply-split braiding technique. (Ref. No. 73)
16 Crafts Study Centre
The exhibits Note: In 1987, Collingwood’s book The
numbering plans for making the tapestry
Maker’s Hand was published, in which
lengths, and a page of instructions for the
Collingwood gives us many insights into
final sewing-up.
the Ethnographic Collection, and this
COL/8/19
exhibition includes many quotes from the book (Ref. No. 41). For simplicity, the
2. Commission for the Kuwait Embassy
source of these quotations featured in
in London, 1977
the exhibition will be: ‘Collingwood, in
Shown here is a letter dated 16th March
The Maker’s Hand, followed by the page
1977 from London architects Farmer and
number’.
Dark confirming the commission for four Macrogauzes to hang in the Kuwait Embassy
1. Commission for Liverpool University,
in London, and for a possible additional
Senate House, 1971
tapestry for the Ambassador’s office,
Coloured illustration, which Collingwood
although this eventually was confirmed
sent to The University of Liverpool as
as a fifth Macrogauze. Also shown are
part of his proposal for a tapestry wall
some of Collingwood’s rough sketches,
hanging to be displayed in Senate House,
measurements, calculations and pricing,
consisting of five panels, to be sewn
including linen thread samples.
together. Shown here also are sketches in
COL/8/25
biro on squared paper, and a letter from the University of Liverpool dated 18th
3. Commission for BP Britannic House,
December, 1970, confirming a design fee
1982
of £25, and that the final work should be
When asked to submit a proposal for this
based on the illustration they had received;
1982 commission for a wall hanging for
some of Collingwood’s own hand-written
the entrance to the BP head offices in Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 17
Camel neckpiece or ‘gorbandh’ In red cotton, decorated with buttons, mirrors and tufting. (Ref. No. 53)
18 Crafts Study Centre
London, Collingwood was at a loss as to
4. Retrospective Exhibition ‘Peter
how he would respond to this corporate
Collingwood Master Weaver’, 1998
brief. His young son, Jason, reminded
This important touring exhibition was a
him that BP petrol stations were themed
celebration of Peter Collingwood’s life in
in yellow and green, and so Collingwood
weaving, not just in this country, but also
proceeded to incorporate these two colours
overseas, where Colllingwood’s work was
into the warm red and pink base, using
very highly regarded. Organized by Firstsite
a folding technique to make the ‘back’
in Colchester, ‘Peter Collingwood Master
colour be shown at the front, creating this
Weaver’ premiered at the Minories Art
motif of triangles and diamond shapes.
Gallery in Colchester, and ran there from
The project was a successful collaboration
January 17th to March 14th 1998, before
between architects Fitch & Company
travelling to venues such as the Holburne
and Collingwood, facilitated by The
Museum and Crafts Study Centre in Bath,
Contemporary Art Society, based at the
the Textilmuseet, Boras, Sweden and the
Tate Gallery, now Tate Britain. Seen here
Textile Museum in Washington DC, USA,
are diagrams and sketches for the hanging,
in 1999. Collingwood was unfortunately
including a copy of the floor plan for the
not well enough to travel to Washington
building, which Collingwood was sent.
for the opening of the exhibition there, but
Collingwood used information from the
fellow weaver Linda Theophilus made a film
plan: how light might fall on the proposed
interview with him to show there instead
site for his woven piece, and from which
for Firstsite, extracts of which are shown as
viewpoint it would be seen by visitors – all
part of this exhibition.
of which would have made the most of each
Crafts Study Centre Library, COL/7/3/5
site, and reassured both client and architect that Collingwood would create something
5. International press recognition of
suitably spectacular.
Collingwood
COL/8/25
Collingwood’s impact on weaving was truly global. There are a great many articles, press clippings and features in publications of all languages, some of which appeared in Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 19
Cotton-covered sprung seat from a US Jeep vehicle With tri-axial linking to secure the springs. (Ref. No. 16)
20 Crafts Study Centre
the specialist press, but national newspapers
tangible visual, like the large blue sample
and magazines, from the UK to the Far East,
(Ref. No. 108), which provided the basis
via the US, Netherlands and Scandinavia
for a large hanging for Selwyn College,
and Japan, also recognized the contribution
Cambridge.
of Peter Collingwood to the Textile Arts throughout his life.
101. Group of four rug samples
COL/10/8
Top left: Double 2-tie Unit Weave – combining areas of twill block weave
6. The Journal for Weavers, Spinners
threading, controlled by shaft switching
and Dyers, ‘Peter Collingwood Special
(AAABAABBABBB).
Edition’, Summer 2009
PCSC.2011.9.144
Crafts Study Centre Library
Top middle: Warp-face – wefts of
“Start with what the technique gives
2 thicknesses.
willingly and from those elements
PCSC.2011.9.88
construct your design…The design must
Top right: Crossed weft technique using
so incorporate the technique’s peculiarities
4 wefts.
that the one could not be imagined to exist
PCSC.2011.9.21
without the other.” Peter Collingwood,
Bottom: A long sample for teaching.
writing in The Journal for Weavers,
PCSC.2011.9.140
Spinners and Dyers, No.35, September 1960. 102. Group of three rug samples The Crafts Study Centre holds a number of
Top: 4-end Blockweave – goat and horse
woven samples which Collingwood made,
hair.
some he used for teaching, like the long red
PCSC.2011.9.73
and white sample shown here (Ref. No. 101),
Middle: 4-end Blockweave plus plain weave
where the small labels bear Collingwood’s
– goat and horse hair.
own explanatory notes. Others were made
PCSC.2011.9.72
to test the theories and warps in his book
Bottom: 4-end Blockweave – goat and horse
The Techniques of Rug Weaving (1968), and
hair.
others to provide prospective clients with a
PCSC.2011.9.74 Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 21
103. Large sample
sample. Warp: 6 ends per inch (‘epi’). Weft:
In blue and black: test swatch for Selwyn
ground in 2x2 ply carpet wool, pile in 6x2
College hanging.
ply carpet wool.
PCSC.2011.9.151
PCSC.2011.9.183.3
104. Group of four rug samples
106. Group of four rug samples
Top left: goat and horse hair, plain weave.
Top left: matting sample using a linen warp,
PCSC.2011.9.165.3
and plaited rush and seagrass weft.
Middle: large sample in goat and horse
PCSC.2011.9.8
hair, plain weave.
Bottom left: wedge weave sample using a
PCSC.2011.9.165.6
natural white weft and ‘belting’ warp, ‘rug
Bottom left: goat and horse hair, plain
sample with eccentric weft’.
weave.
PCSC.2011.9.19
PCSC.2011.9.165.8
These two rug samples demonstrate ‘shaft
Right: goat and horse hair, plain weave.
switching’ – a method whereby levers would
PCSC.2011.9.165.10
bring a second set of warps forward, and then back again, opening up new design
105. Group of three rug samples
possibilities, but without loss of weaving
Top: matting experiment. Warp: hemp
speed – considered by Collingwood to be a
8 ends per inch, bleached & natural,
critical consideration in a successful craft
threaded 12341432, repeat. 1: yellow sisal
workshop.
put in with this end. Weft: yellow and black
Top right: shaft switching.
wool, and yellow sisal.
PCSC.2011.9.184.3
PCSC.2011.9.13
Bottom right: shaft switching.
Middle: matting sample. Warp: 8 single warp
PCSC.2011.9.184.2
ends per inch, threaded 1212,3434, 16 ends white, 16 ends natural. Weft: green and
107. Demonstration sample of ‘sprang ’
black wool, hemp and cotton cords.
With making sticks in situ.
PCSC.2011.9.14
PCSC.2011.9.200
Bottom: double corduroy colour rug 22 Crafts Study Centre
108. Braided pieces, from left to right
to waste weaving time in having to correct
Two samples of ply-split braiding in
mistakes, but always looking to experiment,
geometric designs.
he decided to see what would happen if he
PCSC.2011.9.219.1, PCSC.2011.9.219.2
repeated the process, on the other side, and
Ply-split braiding in wool on a metal stick.
continued with the new pattern. In this way,
PCSC.2011.9.228.8
the Anglefells came about. A new, light, graphic touch was seen in
8. Anglefell c. 1960 –1962
Collingwood’s artistic output at this time,
This delicate translucent ‘Anglefell’ wall
but the Anglefells were soon eclipsed by
hanging in black, white and natural linen,
the Macrogauzes, which, though they
was made in the early 1960s, and purchased
share a visual style with the Anglefells,
from The V&A Museum’s joint exhibition
used a completely different technique of
of Collingwood and potter Hans Coper’s
repositioning sections of warp threads held
work in 1969. This was a time which saw an
in rigid heddles.
important shift in the style of Collingwood’s
The Textiles Collection: University for the
work. He described in his interview with
Creative Arts at Farnham, vads ref 3483
Linda Theophilus in 1998, his passion as a young man for a rich juxtaposition of
9. ‘Macrogauze 86’
bright, warm colours in his woven rugs,
This linen 2-D Macrogauze with stainless
perhaps inspired by his travels to India
steel rods securing top and bottom was
and Indonesia, but then, over the years, his
made at Nayland in 1986 from bleached and
transition towards using muted colours,
natural linen. It was previously exhibited
closer to monochrome, and his emerging
in the 2004 Crafts Study Centre exhibition
preference for simple, understated graphic
in Farnham entitled ‘20th Century Crafts:
forms.
A Review of the First Crafts Study Centre
The first ‘Anglefell’ wall hanging came about from a chance oversight, when
Exhibition 1972’. 2002.12
Collingwood forgot to ‘beat down’ both sides of a piece he was weaving, leaving the weft threads skewed at an angle. Never pleased Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 23
10. Macrogauze panel for British
14. Woven Cherokee basket
Embassy in Brussels
Made from river cane, interlaced in a 3/3
This large 3-D Macrogauze woven in
twill structure.
linen uses a strong but subtle range of
PCEC.2009.22.89
colours from yellow/orange, brown/olive green to brown and red. Consisting of
15. Circular open-work basket with
three panels, each 85cm wide, it was one
handle
of a pair commissioned by the British and
Described as a ‘garlic basket’ by maker
Commonwealth Office to hang in the British
Linda Hendrickson.
Embassy in Brussels in the 1990s.
PCEC.2009.22.710
2009.27.1-2 16. Cotton-covered sprung seat from a US 11. Bag from Mexico
Jeep vehicle
With a leather strap, made of undyed yarn
With tri-axial linking to secure the springs.
using a linking structure.
PCEC.2009.22.112
PCEC.2009.22.23
Of the Jeep seat, Collingwood writes: “For someone interested in structures,
12. Miniature basket of dyed pine
it is galling to discover that a probably
needles
unrecorded one has been lying about in
Made by a woman of the Yurok tribe from
the workshop, unnoticed for twenty-five
Oregon.
years. But it was only when I was mending
PCEC.2009.22.330
its canvas cover that I found triaxial interlinking in my old Jeep seat.” Sensing
13. Hat band of horse hair braid with
the analytical mind of a fellow maker, he
tassels
continues: “I would like to know both who
From Arizona.
thought of this structure and how it was
PCEC.2009.22.218
assembled.” Collingwood, in The Maker’s Hand, p138.
24 Crafts Study Centre
17. Basket
22. Pair of men’s shoes with curled toes
With lid and carrying handle.
Purchased in Yugoslavia, made of woven
PCEC.2009.22.68
brown leather. PCEC.2009.22.168.1-2
18. Small Greek basket Made from vertical grass stems, using a
23. Bilum bag
weft twining technique.
From Papua New Guinea. Made using
PCEC.2009.22.332
double looping, sometimes called ‘figure of eight’ or ‘hour-glass’ looping.
19. Fishing floats
PCEC.2009.22.33
From Norway, with floats inserted. PCEC.2009.22.252/253
24. Small round lidded basket
Collingwood writes of these floats: “The
Of dark colour, from Lombok.
incidental beauty of an object designed
PCEC.2009.22.404.1-2
solely for use is especially pleasing, because the beholder discovers it for himself.”
25. Arch-shaped small brush
Collingwood, in The Maker’s Hand, p57.
From Tegaman in Bali, made from plant fibre and cane.
20. Floor brush
PCEC.2009.22.177
Made from vertical grass stems, with seed heads still attached, taken in pairs and
26. Sword belt
doubled over a long core made of twisted
From Sulawesi, beginning with a large,
grass, using a weft twining technique.
padded woven loop, and becoming a flat
PCEC.2009.22.323
tube with delicate patterning at one end, and ending in a long minutely braided, ikat-dyed
21. Tablet-woven belt
fringe.
Purchased in Athens in the 1960s, with
PCEC.2009.22.122
Greek script and evangeli in colours of tan, natural, palest green, red, yellow and brown. PCEC.2009.22.126 Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 25
Bag From Burundi made of plant fibre, with decorative hanging threads and a long strap. (Ref. No. 60)
26 Crafts Study Centre
27. Japanese ‘peasant rain hat’
31. Small Japanese basket
Made from plant material, to cover head
Possibly a hatchet sheath, made of split
and face, with a viewing window, using a
wood in a 2/2 twill weave.
twining technique.
PCEC.2009.22.719
PCEC.2009.22.343 32. Woollen braided slingshot 28. A group of four strainers
With a pouch of interlacing from China,
Made of interlinked metal wire, purchased
a gift from Suzi Dunmore
by Collingwood in a kitchenware shop in
PCEC.2009.22.222
Japan: Strainer with a circular bowl.
33. Yemen sling
PCEC.2009.22.70
Woollen braided slingshot with a patterned
Strainer with a circular bowl using linking
loop at one end, and a tail of four cords
brass wire.
stitched together.
PCEC.2009.22.71
PCEC.2009.22.226
Strainer with a shovel shaped bowl. PCEC.2009.22.72
34. Woollen braided slingshot
Strainer with a deeply cupped bowl.
With a loop at one end and tapered braid at
PCEC.2009.22.718
the other. PCEC.2009.22.225
29. A group of four pot scourers Made of plant materials and tightly wrapped
35. Shawl
copper wire.
Produced by the people of the
PCEC.2009.22.176.1-4
Sankhuwasabha District of Eastern Nepal from very fine bleached yarn, from the
30. Thin double-sided woven belt
fibres of the Himalayan Giant Nettle or ‘Allo’
From Japan, obi tie, featuring plain and
plant.
striped sections.
PCEC.2009.22.301.1
PCEC.2009.22.87
Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 27
36. Yarn balls
37. Blouse front, or ‘mola’
One ball of very fine spun one-ply black goat
Made by the Kuna women from the Sanblas
hair, and another of fine spun one-ply white
Islands in Panama, using two or three layers
goat hair.
of hand-stitched appliqué. Collingwood
PCEC.2009.22.570-571
collected a number of embroidered items for
Collingwood experimented with materials
his Ethnographic Collection, admiring the
as diverse as raffia and leather throughout
close needlework, an integral visual feature
his life, and he was fascinated by the
of the finished piece.
different materials favoured by different
PCEC.2009.22.217
cultures around the world, for example the traditional use in Nepal of fibres from the
38. Tall vase by Hans Coper
nettle plant ‘Allo’ to create fine, soft weaves
This tall-neck stoneware vase by Hans Coper
such as can be found in this shawl.
with a wide, flattened rim has an unglazed
Collingwood’s favoured thread for his
brown/black manganese exterior, with rings
Anglefells and Macrogauzes was linen,
scored around the lower half of the pot body.
which gave him clean lines for the light,
It was bought from Coper’s studio in Albion
graphic forms he was creating. For rugs
Mews, London, and dates from the 1950s.
he liked the robust strength of goat hair,
Crafts Study Centre Collection, P.74.104
but was very happy, where appropriate, to use good, durable commercial carpet wool,
39. Flattened vase form by Hans Coper
to keep the price of the finished item at a
This stoneware vase by Hans Coper was
commercial level.
given to gallery owner Muriel Rose by Coper
For his last large public commission,
in 1966. It has a flattened oval ‘spade’ form on
in 1997, he would create a magnificent
a cylindrical stem, with a recessed foot. The
Macrogauze for the Kiryu Performing Arts
textured surface is a pinkish cream to grey
Centre in Japan from stainless steel yarn,
over manganese on the exterior, with incised
a sample of which had been sent to him by
lines on the back and around the stem, and
his Japanese friend and fellow weaving
concentric rings incised on the foot. The
expert, Junichi Arai.
interior features a darker manganese. Crafts Study Centre Collection, P.74.28
28 Crafts Study Centre
Peter Collingwood and fellow craftsman,
show, called ‘The Crafts of 1957’), and the
potter Hans Coper, were invited to exhibit
Museum acquired a number of works from
together at the Victoria & Albert Museum in
him, both rugs and ‘Macrogauzes’.
1969. The two men had been friends when
After visiting the 1969 exhibition, artist
they each had a studio at Digswell House,
and friend Ann Sutton, commented: “Is it a
Hertfordshire, a decade earlier, and we know
coincidence that neither Collingwood nor
that Collingwood was a great admirer of
Coper has had a conventional art school
Coper’s work. He describes in The Maker’s
training? They both learnt their craft after
Hand a universal state of mind of the craft
another professional education; medicine
maker, and cites the potter as one whose
and engineering respectively.”
work embodies: “an indefinable quality,
(From Peter Collingwood Master Weaver,
which I think of as inevitability; a quality
the Firstsite book accompanying the 1988
which I, as a maker, am always striving for,
retrospective exhibition of the same name,
and which I can detect in the work of others,
where Collingwood is interviewed by Linda
for instance in the pots of Hans Coper.”
Theophilus, p.24.)
Collingwood, in The Maker’s Hand, Introduction.
41. Book by Peter Collingwood Textile and Weaving Structures, published
40. Letters referring to the 1969 V&A
by B.T. Batsford, London, in 1987, and later
Exhibition ‘Collingwood Coper’
as The Maker’s Hand in 1988.
Catalogue of the exhibition ‘Collingwood
Crafts Study Centre Library
Coper’, which opened at the V&A on
This book, which Collingwood wrote
January 29th, 1969, before travelling to
about a selection of his favourite pieces
Southampton Art Gallery, City and Art
from his Ethnographic Collection, many of
Gallery, Birmingham and the City Art
which feature in this exhibition, describes
Gallery, Manchester.
the processes by which they were made, and
COL/4/4/1
celebrates the great technical ingenuity of
Crafts Study Centre Library
skilled craftspeople everywhere.
Collingwood had been the first weaver to exhibit at the V&A in his lifetime (in a group Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 29
Top: Hat band of horse hair braid
Below: Mouse trap
From Arizona.
From Mali.
(Ref. No. 13)
(Ref. No. 62)
30 Crafts Study Centre
42. Woman’s belt
successfully selling through Primavera,
From Guatemala, with a decorative section in
Heal’s and Liberty in London, as well as
multicoloured silk, using a tapestry technique.
working on commissions for Shell, B.P.
PCEC.2009.22.57
and others. He claimed that gathering and organizing the material for the books helped
43. Four combs
him in his own work, and through the
Made from split bamboo, probably from India:
discipline of revisiting and organizing notes,
Two sided comb of split bamboo and figure-
and creating meticulous diagrams and
of-eight binding.
illustrations, he gained greater clarity in his
PCEC.2009.22.336
own mind. “It took a whole year to write
Comb of split bamboo with two cross bars
the rug book, I devoted mornings to the
and woven pattern.
book, and wove in the afternoons… I began
PCEC.2009.22.337
putting it together, and found huge gaps in
Two sided comb with very fine teeth of
my knowledge. So I wove lots of samples,
bamboo, nettle fibre and cotton.
that are used in photographs in the book,
PCEC.2009.22.338
often of things I would never use, in ways
Curved comb of wood with handle, figure-of-
that I thought hadn’t been done before,
eight binding.
applying cloth structure to rugs.”
PCEC.2009.22.339
(Peter Collingwood, interviewed by Linda Theophilus, for the retrospective exhibition
44. The first book by Peter Collingwood
‘Peter Collingwood Master Weaver’ in 1998.)
The Techniques of Rug Weaving, published by Faber & Faber in 1968, with pages from
45. Peter Collingwood’s book
the hand-written draft, Collingwood’s
The Techniques of Sprang, published in
sketched explanatory illustrations, and a
1974 by Faber & Faber, London, as well
letter from the publishers Faber & Faber.
as Collingwood’s sketch of his own hands
Crafts Study Centre Library
holding threads for an illustration for the
COL/12/1/3
book, other explanatory diagrams and hand-
Collingwood had by the mid 1960s established his name as a weaver of rugs,
written draft pages. Crafts Study Centre Library, COL/12/2/2 Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 31
46. Five samples of ‘sprang’ in different
48. Cotton belt
materials
From Guatemala, finely woven in
Vertical stripes of ‘S&Z’ twist – interlinking
multicoloured cotton, with geometric and
‘sprang’ in raffia.
figurative designs, and fringing at both ends.
PSC.2011.9.195.4
PCEC.2009.22.290
Sample of double intertwined ‘sprang’. PSC.2011.9.195.15
49. Wide belt
‘Sprang’ in black and white commercial wool.
From Bolivia, made in double cloth plain
PSC.2011.9.195.18
weave dyed cotton, using warp-faced
Two halves of double interlinked ‘sprang’ in
interlacing.
olive green and beige cotton.
PCEC.2009.22.54
PSC.2011.9.195.16 Sample of ‘sprang’ in cream coloured
50. Multicoloured belt
commercial wool.
Of geometric design, with a blue and white
PSC.2011.9.195.19
check border, made using a warp-face pick-
‘Sprang’ is a centuries-old technique for creating ‘springy’ weaves, by using
up, in doublecloth plain weave. PCEC.2009.22.51
tensioned threads, with one sample, probably the world’s oldest, discovered in
51. Multicoloured belt
a bog in Denmark, dating from 1400 BC.
With repeating floral motifs, and added
The ‘stretchy’ quality of ‘sprang’ weaves
braid ends, made using a warp-face pick-up,
means that they can be made into three-
double cloth plain weave.
dimensional pieces, like the brightly
PCEC.2009.22.48
coloured raffia sample shown here. 52. Narrow belt 47. ‘Mechita’ bag
From Bolivia in three colours, with sections
From Columbia, made from flat warp
of finely woven motifs, with added two
interlaced sprang, on a portable frame, from
colour ties, made using a warp-face pick-up,
singles agave fibre yarn.
double cloth plain weave.
PCEC.2009.22.18
PCEC.2009.22.47
32 Crafts Study Centre
53. Camel neckpiece or ‘gorbandh’
58. A pair of men’s shoes of Eastern style
In red cotton, decorated with buttons,
Made from dyed red leather with cotton
mirrors and tufting. The ends feature bound
chain stitch and metallic thread embroidery.
sections, finished with bunches of red
PCEC.2009.22.165.1-2
bobbles. PCEC.2009.22.693
59. Indian tools Used in ply-split braiding techniques, from
54. Camel neckpiece or ‘gorbandh’
left to right:
Decorated with tufts and shells, with braided
Large-holed ply-splitting needle, or ‘khali’,
ends finished with egg-shaped bobbles.
featuring a carved design with plastic yarn
PCEC.2009.22.536
decoration. PCEC.2009.22.563
55. Shoe with curved toe
Simple large-holed ply-splitting wooden
Made of twisted hemp and stiff grass
needle, or ‘gunthani’.
bundles, using both wrapping and
PCEC.2009.22.559
interlacing techniques.
Wooden needle used in the making of a
PCEC.2009.22.355
camel ‘tang’. PCEC.2009.22.575
56. Goat hair bag
Needle made from horn used in the making
In black, brown and natural, with a chevron
of a camel ‘tang’.
design, and black handle, from the Kutch
PCEC.2009.22.561
region of India.
Hooked ply-splitting wooden needle, or
PCEC.2009.22.13
‘gunthani’. PCEC.2009.22.562
57. Camel girth
A tang is the strap tied to one side of the
In brown and natural goat’s hair, with
camel’s wooden saddle, which passes around
geometric and figurative design motifs,
the animal’s neck, and then tail, to be tied to
cotton tufting, and ending in over-twisted
the saddle again on the other side.
bobbles. PCEC.2009.22.466 Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 33
60. Bag
66. Bag
From Burundi made of plant fibre, with
From Uganda, with integral handle, made
decorative hanging threads and a long strap.
from thick yarn in three colours, using a
PCEC.2009.22.43.1-2
loose, looped construction. PCEC.2009.22.27.1-3
61. ‘Irukere’ or Nigerian chief’s fly whisk ‘Superbly made’ from horse hair, loose and
67. Winnowing basket
springy when unworked, but strong and
From Ethiopia, whose complicated structure
firm when tightly woven to make a handle.
is made from a tube of canes, held fast
PCEC.2009.22.65
by spiralling rows of twined, interlacing elements.
62. Mouse trap
PCEC.2009.22.88
From Mali, made from split cane, using 2/2 diagonal interlacing.
68. Bag
PCEC.2009.22.78
From Uganda, with a long strap in three colours, using a dense weft-twined structure.
63. Fan-shaped African comb
PCEC.2009.22.42
Of bamboo, wrapped with cord. PCEC.2009.22.340
69. Camel girth In brown and white, with a belt featuring
64. African fish trap
leather reinforcement, geometric designs,
Made of split bamboo.
and braided bobbled ends.
PCEC.2009.22.77
PCEC.2009.22.479
65. Tuareg hat
70. Wide camel ‘lhoum’
In leather and plant fibre. It features densely
With a zigzag stripe design, made from
packed rows of twining, with decorative
rarely seen dyed goat hair, with braided
leatherwork.
ends ending in multiple red and orange
PCEC.2009.22.349
bobbles. PCEC.2009.22.670
34 Crafts Study Centre
71. Pair of camel girths
also excited to see how a growing number
With red base, and black geometric and
of weavers, particularly in America and
figurative design.
India, were using ply-split braiding to create
PCEC.2009.22.517.1-2
sculptural forms. Woven round jar
72. Long camel tang
In natural cotton using ply-split braiding
Described by Collingwood as ‘very splendid’,
technique, made by contemporary Indian
with two buckles, tassels and geometric
maker, Pallavi Varia.
‘SLOT’ and ‘POT’ 2/2 patterning.
PCEC.2009.22.709
PCEC.2009.22.623
‘Silent Bell’ in blue and green yarns, made by Ann
73. Book
Sutton, and given to Collingwood on the
The Techniques of Ply-Split Braiding by
occasion of ‘Spliterati-01’.
Peter Collingwood, published by Bellew
PCEC.2011.9.224.2
Publishing Co Ltd in 1998. Also shown here are pamphlets and publicity material from
74. Camel tang
‘Spliterati-01’, a gathering of weavers in
From Rajasthan in brown and natural with
Bampton in 2001 to promote this evolving
iron buckle, stripe zigzag design, braided
craft. Collingwood himself gave a series of
ends with yellow bound tufts, woven by
talks called ‘Expanding Girths’ to add his
traditional maker Aatam Ram using the ply-
voice to what the group decided to call a
split braiding technique.
‘celebration’ of ply-split braiding.
PCEC.2009.22.669
Crafts Study Centre Library, COL/13/2 Collingwood was enthused by this method
75. Book
of creating woven pieces by passing one
The Techniques of Tablet Weaving by Peter
set of threads through the separated plies
Collingwood, published by Faber & Faber,
of another. He collected a great number of
London, 1982.
traditional Indian camel girths made using
Crafts Study Centre Library
this technique, which produced bands of great beauty as well as strength, but he was Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 35
Group of four rug samples (Ref. No. 101)
36 Crafts Study Centre
76. Long multi-coloured tablet woven band From Anatolia, Turkey, the double-faced
where the transitions are – true mastery. “The central pattern is only twelve tablets
design having a black and white central motif.
wide, but every one of the ten, double-faced
PCEC.2009.22.120
weave designs uses all the tablets and uses
Tablet weaving is a technique by which
them very skilfully... Many features in the
belts, bands and straps can be made creating
design result from the weaver’s obvious
rich patterns, using flat cards or ‘tablets’, with
understanding of the rules involved.”
holes in the corners through which the warp
Collingwood, in The Maker’s Hand p92.
threads pass. As the tablets are turned, the opening in the warp, through which the weft
77. Original hand-written draft text and
threads are to run, and known as the ‘shed’,
drawings
changes, bringing a different colour or set of
By Peter Collingwood for the book The
threads to the fore. To demonstrate their skill,
Techniques of Tablet Weaving and
traditional weavers, such as the Anatolian
diagrams on squared paper.
who created this long narrow strap, would
COL/11/2
see just how many complex pattern sets they could seamlessly sequence in one piece. This band, as well as beautiful, was surely
78. Red double corduroy rug Made in 1964, and referred to by Peter
very strong, designed perhaps to strap
Collingwood as ‘Scarlet Runner’, this rug,
packs to a mule – but it conveys a special
hand-woven using the double-corduroy
message from its maker to a fellow weaver
technique from wool on linen pile, in a mix
such as Collingwood, in a coded language of
of reds, bright pink and orange, and hand-
threads, using complex formulae of turning
fringed, was originally part of a commission
tablets, adroitly calculated to give these
for the Assistant High Commissioner’s office
beautifully balanced motifs. Collingwood
at New Zealand House, London. The rug
was enchanted by this particular weaver’s
or runner was originally woven as one of
ability to transition the pattern flow from
ten which would be sewn together to make
one pattern to the next in sequence. So
the complete carpet, but it was found to be
smoothly is this achieved that one has to
two inches short, so another strip had to be
examine the band very closely just to see
woven. The commissioned carpet was the Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 37
Sieve
‘Irukere’ or chief’s fly whisk
Bought in a kitchenware shop in Japan.
From Nigeria.
(Ref. No. 81)
(Ref. No. 80)
38 Crafts Study Centre
largest Collingwood made in the double-
Desk cabinet:
corduroy technique, and featured in his
Collingwood’s notebook from his medical
retrospective exhibition ‘Peter Collingwood
school studies.
Master Weaver’.
COL/1/1
Collingwood gave this spare piece to his friend and fellow weaver, Ann Sutton
mbe
in 1964, swapping it for a piece of her own
Books by Ethel Mairet. Crafts Study Centre Library
work. It was never used by Ann Sutton as
Illustrated proposals for a commission for
a floor rug but covered a long seat, and
the Kuwait Embassy in London, 1977 (see
when it was sold at auction by Dreweatts
no. 2).
(Newbury) in 2009, it was purchased by the
COL/8/25
Crafts Study Centre. 2009.21 79. ‘Gorbandh’ or camel neck decoration From India. PCEC.2009.22.693
Notes and correspondence with museums about techniques by which some of their pieces were made, with diagrams and illustrations. COL/11/1 Brush with seed heads, origin unknown.
80. A ‘superbly made’ Nigerian ‘Irukere’ or chief’s fly whisk PCEC.2009.22.66
PCEC.2009.22.322 Small brush of bamboo strands. PCEC.2009.22.179
81. Sieve
Tightly woven small lidded basket made of
Bought in a kitchenware shop in Japan.
cane.
PCEC.2009.22.73
PCEC.2009.22.405
82. Hat
For reference numbers 101 to 108 for wall-
From China in interlaced split bamboo
mounted woven samples, please go to
strands.
pages 21 to 23.
PCEC.2009.22.349 Peter Collingwood | Woven : Unwoven 39
Woman’s belt From Guatemala. (Ref. No. 42)
40 Crafts Study Centre