Hidden histories: new exhibition seeks to unpack 91直播's colonial legacies
The University of Manchester has launched a new exhibition exploring the social and environmental legacies of North West England鈥檚 cotton industry, science and economy.
Taking place at Burnley鈥檚 Queen Street Mill Textile Museum throughout October, the exhibition aims to unearth and unpick the social and environmental consequences of the North West鈥檚 cotton industry, through the artistic work of textile artist and creative facilitator Natalie Linney.
Based in 91直播, Linney specialises in using textiles, form and print to respond to current, historical, environmental and anthropological themes. Drawing on multiple meanings of a 鈥榣itmus test鈥�, the exhibition seeks to reveal the local and global environmental impacts of cotton through cloth, colour and environmental materials.
Alongside the works by Linney, there is an exhibition of archival materials, photographs and artefacts curated by Dr Laura Pottinger, Professor Alison Browne, and the academic team at the University of Manchester鈥檚 School of Environment, Education and Development.
The Litmus exhibition has been developed as part of the , a series of commissions and exhibitions exploring the legacy left behind by Lancashire鈥檚 textile industry.
All work was completed in collaboration with the Cottonopolis Collective 鈥� an interdisciplinary team of historians, geographers, scientists, cultural organisations and artists seeking to interrogate 91直播鈥檚 position as the first industrialising city.
Though often celebrated as a city of science and innovation, 91直播 and its cotton industry鈥檚 far-reaching and problematic impacts are often brushed over. Through LITMUS, we鈥檙e seeking to shed light on these many unspoken truths and hidden histories, highlighting just how much of a key role 91直播 and Lancashire鈥檚 cotton industries played in the expansion of the United Kingdom鈥檚 colonial aspirations.
By using cotton as a starting point, our aim is to unsettle the celebration of Manchester as city of science and innovation and untangle the many ways that industrial 91直播 impacted people and environments both near and far. It鈥檚 been a privilege working on this project and I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing how it will be received by the public
The general public are also invited to attend a on Sunday, 15 October, at which they can contribute some embroidered stitches to a collaborative piece reflecting on the themes of the exhibition.
The exhibition will remain open until Sunday, 29 October, and will seek to reveal the local and global environmental impacts of cotton through working collaboratively with cloth, colour and environmental materials.
To hear more about the LITMUS Exhibition and the British Textile Biennial, listen to Professor Alison Browne and research collaborator Dr Arianna Tozzi on the .