Beyond Heritage: At The Margins - Tim Parry-Williams & Franz Petter Schmidt
Saturday 10 May to Sunday 15 June 2025
At the Margins emerges from the artistic research project Beyond Heritage: Material Making Meaning and focuses on the reading of established and speculative histories in two specific textile making contexts.
The first part draws on original research by Tim Parry-Williams, into the apparent use of English ‘saved list' cloths, in pre-1900 Norwegian folk dress, revealing sophisticated systems of transfer in textile materials, dyestuffs and minerals. The presented artefacts and textile works propose new stories behind the patterning and colouring of cloth, including the famous Stroud scarlet, as a part of broader global trade and exchange.
The second, Til Prinds Christian Augusts Minde, by Franz Petter Schmidt, explores the history of the weaving workshop at Prinds Christian Augusts Minde - a former penal institution in central Oslo - where there has been some form of textile production since 1833. Through a series of hand-woven fabrics, photographs and texts, Schmidt’s work addresses the history of the institution, the development of social care in Norway, and textile craft as part of forced labour and punishment.
These expositions offer artistic interpretation of the ‘immaterial’ concepts situated in the objects and sites of cloth making, questioning and materialising multiple perspectives of textiles as part of a wider ‘social fabric.’
Accompanying Events (please save the dates - booking links for talks will be posted soon)
Saturday 10 May, 11am – 12.30pm
Opening Talk & Exhibition Tour: Researching, Curating and Textile Praxis
Join textile artists Tim Parry-Williams and Franz Petter Schmidt for a talk about the new exhibition and how it emerged from the Norwegian research project ‘Beyond Heritage: Material Making Meaning’. Free but booking recommended.
Saturday 17 May, 1pm – 4pm (drop-in)
Family Workshop with Jenny Bower
Families with children aged 6+ are invited to explore exhibition themes in this colourful and creative workshop with local illustrator Jenny Bower. Free but donations welcome.
Saturday 24 May, 1pm – 4pm
Workshop with Ria Burns: Natural Yarn Dyeing with British Wool
Explore the world of natural dyes with textile designer and natural dyer Ria Burns. Learn how to dye a selection of British wool yarns a range of vibrant natural shades, using homegrown and foraged plants, and food waste. For adults and ages 16+, cost £50 (£40 concs/MIP Members), booking required.
Tuesday 27 May, 11am – 1pm (drop-in)
Woolly Wonders: Museum Inspired Drop-in Family Activity
Explore the Museum with our Woolly Wonders family trail and enjoy hands-on activities inspired by our textile heritage. For families with children aged 5+ to enjoy together. £1 per child, pay on the day.
Tuesday 27 May, 2pm – 3pm
Woolly Wonders: Museum Inspired Relaxed Family Session
Explore weaving, wool and our textile heritage through a variety of fun activities. This pre-booked session is for families with neurodivergent children aged 5 and over who need a more relaxed experience. £1 per child, booking required.
Wednesday 28 May, 11am – 3pm (drop-in)
Cloth Making in Stroud: Family Friendly Object Handling
A chance to look closely, touch and hold some amazing objects to find out about the different jobs that local people did including shearing sheep, weaving, and dyeing cloth. Free, donations welcome.
Thursday 29 May, 11am – 3pm (drop-in)
Weaving with Paper: Family Drop-in Workshop
Be inspired by the history of making cloth in Stroud and try weaving with paper. For families with children over 5 years old to join in together. £1 per child, pay on the day.
Friday 30 May, 11am – 2pm (drop-in)
Weaving & Spinning: Drop-in Family Activities
Try your hand at weaving, watch a spinning wheel in action, and plan your Open Mill Day visits to learn more about our local textile heritage. Free drop-in activities with Gaynor Veal from Stroudwater Textile Trust. All ages welcome.
Saturday 31 May, 2pm – 4.30pm
Talks & Discussion: Identities and Dress
Join Dr Lucy Gundry, Associate Lecturer, Historical & Critical Studies (Fashion), Bath Spa University and Dr Joanna Turney for an afternoon exploring dress, textiles and identity. Tea and coffee included. Free but booking recommended.
Sunday 1 June, 11am – 1pm
Exploring the Margins: Anglo-Norwegian Textiles and Dress
Talks and discussion with Tim Parry-Williams, Professor of Art: Textiles Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen and Kari-Anne Pedersen, Curator of Textiles and Dress (Retired), Norsk Folkemuseum. Discover the apparent use of imported British woollen cloth in pre-1900 Norwegian raudtrøyer folk dress. Unfolding tantalising links to the textile histories of Stroud, this session will reveal how local cloth making traditions and trade may have influenced the distinct visual language of this Scandinavian dress culture. Free but booking recommended. There will be a break for tea and coffee.
Sunday 1 June, 2pm
Talk with Morwena Stephens, Textile Conservator: Trade Routes and Early Industry
Free but booking recommended, tea and coffee included.
Saturday 14 June, 2pm – 4.30pm
Prison Work
Liz Taylor, Volunteer Facilitator and Embroiderer at Fine Cell Work, will give a talk at 2pm about the work of this ground-breaking UK charity which focuses on rehabilitation through stitch, creativity and craftsmanship. At 3pm, Jessica Hemmings, Professor, HDK-Valand, Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg, will give a talk entitled ‘Carceral Craft’, exploring colonial and contemporary examples such as needlework in South African prisons and batik production in Indonesia. Free but booking required.
Sunday 15 June, 11am – 1pm
Prison Work II
Session 1: The Norwegian Workhouse Prindsen: history from an inmate’s perspective
Illustrated talk with Caroline Juterud, Historian, Oslo City Archives
Session 2: Prindsen: Approaching a Workhouse History through Weaving
Illustrated Talk with Dr Franz Petter Schmidt, Oslo National Academy of the Arts
Caroline explore the complex and powerful history of the workhouse Prindsen, located in Oslo, Norway. Franz talks about his work and how it connects with the history of the workhouse and its weaving workshop. His entry point is a search for resonance between the workshop and aspects of his own story, as a weaver and tailor, but also in relation to mental health and queer perspectives. Free but booking recommended. There will be a tea and coffee break with drinks provided.
Sunday 15 June, 4pm
Closing Drinks
Drop in and join us for drinks to mark the last day of the exhibition. All welcome.
Banner image: Women’s folk dress (inside detail) © Norsk Folkemuseet
