Threads, War and Conflict: Textile resistance

Textiles, which tell stories of violence and resistance during conflict, form a programme of events hosted by the University of St Andrews this month.

Centred on a main exhibition at the Byre Theatre in the town Threads, War and Conflict explores issues of gendered violence, killing and disappearance, as well as displacement and migration, touching on key themes addressed within the School of International Relations.

The main exhibition features textiles from the Conflict Textiles collection, while a satellite exhibition in the University Library features a range of materials held in the University’s own collection.

Throughout April, there will be a programme of events to complement the exhibition including textile workshops, a creative evening involving film, poetry and art as well as an academic conference.

Events will explore the intersections of political art and textile, war and violence and community resistance and are actively linked to research and teaching activities at the University of St Andrews and beyond.

Coordinated by Dr Lydia Cole, with Dr Faye Donnelly, Dr Laura Mills and Dr Natasha Saunders, the exhibition and associated programme is hosted by the School of International Relations in cooperation with The Byre Theatre.

Dr Cole said: “Textile is a powerful medium through which to tell stories about life in situations of war and conflict. Through fabric and stitch, the makers evoke loss, fear, despair, as well as love and hope for the future, often in the same visual frame.

“The exhibition and its associated events seek to do justice to these textile testimonies, weaving together and responding to the challenges posed by violence and injustice across the globe.”

The associated events programme is supported by the School of International Relations, Contemporary Voices in International Relations (CVIR), Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), International Security Studies (ISS), International Political Theory (IPT), Centre for Global Constitutionalism (CGC), and the Centre for Art and Politics and the Teaching Enhancement Fund, University of St Andrews.

The event was launched this week (3 April) by University Principal Professor Sally Mapstone at the Byre.

For more information about the exhibition and its associated events visit the exhibition’s archive page, Facebook, or Twitter.