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
Saturday 10 May, 11am – 12.30pm
Opening Talk & Exhibition Tour with the Artists
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: Cut Out/Dress Up!
Come and collage an outfit on to your friends and family. Using a projector and a pair of scissors, you can create a new colourful, snippy set of clothes, considering national costumes, workwear identity, colour and shape. All materials provided. Suitable for ages 6+ , for parents/carers and children to enjoy together. Free, donations welcome, no need to book. For a copy of Jenny’s wonderful ‘Saved List’ family activity worksheet click here.
Saturday 24 May, 1pm – 4pm
Workshop for Adults 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.
Saturday 24 May, 1pm - 4pm (drop-in)
Family Workshop with Jenny Bowers: Dots & Stripes! Print & Pattern!
Using stencils and stamps, paint and pencils come and add your own patterned selvedge marks to a collaboratively made long length of Stroud red paper 'cloth'. Explore making a repeat pattern paper 'cloth' inspired by the rules and regularity and the collaborative work of the Prindsen workhouse in Oslo. All materials provided. Suitable for ages 6+
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, 11.30am (new date - changed from 1 June)
Talk with Morwena Stephens, Textile Conservator: Wool Tradecloth in Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum World Cultures Collection
This talk looks at the use of wool tradecloth in creations by indigenous makers from around the world, especially North America, Polynesia and Asia. The presentation identifies examples in the collection where the selvedge has been incorporated as part of the design of the garment, sacred, decorative and functional objects, found in the collection, as well as how the tradecloth is used. Free but booking recommended.
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.
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, 2pm
Talk with Chas Townley: Stroud Workhouse - A Danger to Sick People
Local historian Chas Townley explores the history of Stroud Workhouse, built in 1837 and closed in 1939. It’s story offers thought provoking similarities and differences to that of the Prindsen workshouse, Oslo, which inspired Franz Petter Schmidt’s textiles on display in the exhibition. Free but booking recommended.
Sunday 15 June, 4pm
Closing Drinks
Drop in and join us for drinks to mark the last day of the exhibition. All welcome.
With many thanks to freelance Curator Patricia Brien for organising this special programme of events. The exhibition ‘At the Margins’ and the related events/talks programme, is delivered through the wider project ‘Beyond Heritage: Material Making Meaning’, which is supported through the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme - funded by HKDiR (Directorate for Higher Education and Skills) - and the University of Bergen, Norway.
Three publications exploring themes behind Franz Petter Schmidt’s work are available to buy from Museum Reception (RRP £5 each) - contributions by Jessica Hemmings, Caroline Juterud and Franz Petter Schmidt. A selection of textile history books is also available to buy from the Museum Shop.
