Pickford’s House : Metamorphosis
In our project with Pickford’s House Museum, we explored how 18th C textiles in the collection trace a thread through the production of silk across Asia, to where silk production began. The silk moth – Bombyx Mori – is a cultivated moth, bred to produce silk for the textile industry.
The metamorphosis of the silk moth, from egg, to larvae, to pupa to moth echoes the metamorphosis of the industrial revolution which changed Derbyshire from a small rural town to an industrial city.
First steps
We set out to develop a ‘light-touch’ intervention for the bedroom at Pickford's House which gently brings attention to textile production on the 18th C.
Over several visits, more than thirty participants from our Make & Mend Creative group explored the house and the collection. We were also able to get a close look at beautiful but fragile Georgian textiles usually boxed carefully away in the stores. We examined silk moths and their lifecycle. Taking inspiration from this, participants stitched their own silk moths from recycled silk saris and vintage threads.
Participants told us :
This is fascinating - such a treat to see these things up close
Very inspiring - can’t wait to get sewing
So interesting to get close to all those 18th c textiles - I’ve learned loads.
What a lovely morning - meeting in this amazing house, looking at all the objects but also the little details like the fresh flower arrangements on the table and having tea in the beautiful vintage china - it’s all made for a very special day.
