This thesis investigates embroidery / textile art in Ireland from the 1960s to the present day. It does so by drawing on the knowledge and experience of practitioners, educators and related professionals as a source of primary data, collected through interviews. The thesis questions how textile art emerged in Ireland, what structures and influences shaped its development and in what ways it is still relevant. It also questions if textile art in Ireland reflects specific cultural and regional identities and examines the relationship between contemporary textile art and the continuum of textile history. The project interrogates issues such as art and craft; specialist and generic skills; regional identity; ways of being a practitioner; circumstances of making; placement and curatorship of work and the role that textile practices play in society. The inclusivity of the project is broad, encompassing amateur and professional practices, the use of textiles in art, textiles as an art practice and textile arts and crafts in the community. The focus is on embroidery / stitched textiles although textile work using other materials and processes is included where relevant. The project is based on a Social Constructivist paradigm, with the artists and makers as active participants in the research. Their voices fashion the emerging themes; which are understood in relation to substantive and formal theories from interdisciplinary research areas such as women's studies, material studies and new craft theory. The research contributes to knowledge by constructing a contextual analysis for the understanding of textile arts in Ireland. This can be used to develop contemporary models for the transference of knowledge and skills, and to explore the possibilities of textile arts in society and art in a textile culture. It establishes a body of knowledge that can be used as an entry point and resource for future researchers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:626854 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Nickell, Karen |
| Publisher | Ulster University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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