At the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) you can now visit a physical exhibition dedicated to celebrating Lancashire’s mill heritage. Developed by Preston Threads, a local textile group, the Synergy exhibition is the first physical exhibition to be held at UCLan since the beginning of the pandemic. The stunning textile display showcases the industrial chimneys of the area, with ten pieces of work inspired by a different mill and it’s history.
Pam Eccles, UCLan interior design lecturer and member of Preston Threads said:
“Through Synergy, we want to reflect the legacy of the cotton mills and how the industry impacted the landscape and the people of the time.The exhibition honours the hardworking children, woman and men who worked in Lancashire’s mills, as well as the buildings themselves and how they have been transformed over time.”
As part of the research process, the artists discovered inspirational characters and societal issues, including supporting cotton slave workers in the United States, as well as the push for documenting the many accidents caused by poor working conditions.
Chris Cannon, a founding member of Preston Threads, said:
“We’re really proud of what we as a group have achieved in Synergy. It is a truly collaborative project and we are delighted that at last we are able to show our work in situ in the PR1 Gallery, particularly as textiles are tactile and these particular pieces are large and need to be viewed from a distance.”
This free exhibition is open to the public on weekdays between 10am and 5pm, in UCLan’s PR1 Gallery, until Friday, August 20.
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