Glina – Nadine Wilde

‘Glina’ is a bold, unconventional interpretation of traditional woven tapestry. A monochrome warp and weft, dyed with local red clay, unexpectedly unravels into orderly chaos, the raw wool bursting out of the boundaries of the weave.
Utilising only natural fibres, the piece was woven on a restored Douglas Andrew vertical tapestry loom. For the warp, an undyed mill-waste linen has been repurposed. The weft is a playful combination of fleece, wool top and spun yarn from a local sheep farm. Both warp and weft have been prepared with tannins before being dyed with red clay, dug locally by the maker. The same clay was used to create the ceramic header from which the weave is suspended. The presentation of unrefined sheep wool alongside spun yarn, with fired clay alongside the dyed textile, all encourage the viewer to consider the complex processing of materials which occur within craft practices.
Through the juxtaposition of raw and finished materials we are reminded of the huge amount of unseen labour involved in creating textiles, labour frequently relegated to the global south. The cost of processing wool frequently renders it a waste product in the UK, making this discarded fleece an ideal choice when choosing low-impact materials for this tapestry.