Aberdeen Weavers Competition - Matt Russell - Winner

To my shock and great honour I was awarded 1st place in the Guild of Aberdeen weavers corporation competition.

Aberdeen can look back on a long and interesting history, especially from 1124 when, as a growing centre of trade and commerce, it became a Royal burgh and therefore won special distinction with other principal burghs in Scotland.

Much of that history stems from the actions of its early Burgesses, those responsible citizens who, appointed as freemen, were charged with guarding the burgh's laws and customs as well as the burgh itself. Their loyalty to King and community brought its own rewards by way of trading privileges as well as the general esteem in which they were held. It was  a massive honour to be given a position in the weavers guild competition. For this we had to Create a woven collection of materials along with our research(seen below) which I gained from New Lanark Woolen mill as well as The tartan mill and exhibition in Edinburgh. This went along with the colour and texture research I gained from the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow. All textiles students were given the opportunity to enter the competition and there was entries from Second (my year), Third and Fourth year students as well as applicants from various external weavers from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Glasgow Botanic Gardens is an Arboretum and public park located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The gardens were created in 1817, and run by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow

Capturing the texture of the leaves with my macro lens...capturing the delicate nature of the plants.

I love the patten of the branches in this above photo and you can instantly imagine the printed or woven textile inspired by this photo.

Notice the ants in the above photo.

A fantastic image of the iconic Venus fly trap plant where 

the wonderful reds merge with the outer green.

In the 1920s a statue was added in the palace to "King Robert of Sicily" a figure from the works of Longfellow. This is by the Scottish sculptor George Henry Paulin a really beautiful feature I felt to the Glasgow Botanic Gadens.

Tartan Weaving Mill and Exhibition

I visited the Tartan weaving mill to as part of my research for the Aberdeen Weavers Competition.

The Tartan Weaving Mill occupies the building which used to be the Castle Hill reservoir, The main water supply for the occupants of the Royal Mile.

     

The mill is surprisingly large inside with five storeys to explore. Now run by Geoffrey Tailor Kiltmaker, the mill exhibition shows the whole process involved in tartan production from shearing sheep, to making a kilt.

There are working looms and the atmosphere of a busy factory which was extremely  interesting to see in comparison to the smaller (but just as mighty) machines we use at Gray's School of Art.