A contemporary embroidery exhibition will be the first event to be held in the new gallery space at Quarry Bank Mill, giving a modern twist to the textile history of the 18th century Cotton Mill.
Following a 6 month international trip to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and India, Louise Gardiner has returned to establish her studio in her home village of Styal - where she is now developing her creative practice and promoting contemporary embroidery as an exciting and modern art form.
"I have known and visited Quarry Bank Mill all my life" says Louise. "It's textile heritage is amazing and I'm delighted to be able to link in with and continue the tradition in the new gallery space."
Louise's talent was recognised when she was commissioned by Liberty to produce a 2m quilt for their flagship store on Regent Street in London. She has also appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour' with Jenny Murray, and last year on Channel Four where she gave Kirstie Allsopp a master class in drawing with stitch in the series 'Kirstie's Homemade Home'.
"I believe everyone is bursting with creative potential – and I want to challenge people's traditional conception of embroidery as a 'safe and wholesome pastime' by using unusual thread and materials to make my designs" says Louise.
"I use materials such as leather and bike reflective fabrics which give fantastic textures and colours to my work. Embroidery is an exciting, rich and contemporary art-form, and I hope lots of people will come to 'Losing The Thread' to see for themselves what can be achieved.
"Returning home to work, and being able to exhibit at Quarry Bank Mill has made me want to produce something unique.
"I want to celebrate my own heritage and combine it with the experiences I gained whilst abroad, so I'm going to be experimenting with new techniques that challenge both the sewing machine and the use of thread to their limits".
Eleanor Underhill, Quarry Bank Mill's General Manager is looking forward to the new exhibition. "We're absolutely delighted to welcome Louise and her exhibition to the Mill" says Eleanor. "It's wonderful to host such a talented, local artist in our new gallery space here which will show off Louise's fantastic designs."
"Samuel Greg who founded Quarry Bank Mill was very much an entrepreneur of his day, pushing back the boundaries, challenging traditional concepts and looking for new ways to develop industrial practices. If he were to come back today I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see that the long tradition of creating textiles at his mill is continuing – albeit in a totally new and vibrant way!"
Louise will be giving a talk about the exhibition: 'Labour of Love' at the Mill on Wednesday 18th May at 7pm. For tickets at £9 call 01625 445845. She will also be holding embroidery workshops 16th – 18th May, 6th – 8th June and 22nd – 24th August. For details visit Louise's website.
'Losing the Thread' opens on 7th May and is open daily until 11th September at Quarry Bank Mill. For further information call the Infoline on 01625 445896. Louise Gardiner's work will be for sale.
