Unravelling the fabricofthecity

Assistant archivist at Dundee University, offers a glimpse in to the creative history of the city

Art and design lie at the heart of the creative industries in Dundee, industries which have often been inspired by the leisure pursuits and interests of the city’s population. These interconnections are clearly shown in the archives of Dundee University, where art and design weaves through many of the collections.

The archives feature a vast diversity of design-related material that reflect upon the city’s history.

Dundee Art Society started out as the Graphic Arts Association in 1890, changing its name in 1904. From the outset the group welcomed both professional and amateur artists as well as art patrons and lovers.

As the art college in Dundee expanded, many of the staff joined the society and used its platform to exhibit their art and network with other artists.

The striking design for the cover of the centennial exhibition catalogue produced in 1990 echoes to the artistic trends of the early 20th Century.

Many of these artists had connections with the Dundee Institute of Art and Technology which was dissolved in 1975 to create Dundee College of Technology and Duncan of Jordanstone. The art college remained independent until 1994 when it became a full part of the Dundee University.

All of these bodies are represented in the exhibition material, posters, photographs and student guides in the archives. Many alumni of the college have contributed to our ongoing oral history project in which former textile students were interviewed to capture the personal stories of their time at the college, their career paths and interests.

Hann and Mortlock were founding members of Embryo (Dundee Creative Embroiderers), formed in 1980, which developed from the frustration felt by numerous students at the lack of opportunities to exhibit contemporary embroidery in Scotland.

The remit of the group was to promote the highest standards of workmanship, achieving this by restricting membership to graduates and undergraduates of Duncan of Jordanstone.

Embryo actively promoted its work through various exhibitions not only in Scotland but across the UK, eventually joining forces with two other textile groups to form Edge (textile artists). Edge is still going strong and attracting new members. The archive’s Embryo collection includes exhibition publicity material, photographs and correspondence.

Textile samples can be found elsewhere such as in the Wilson Bros Ltd collection, which was taken over by Pringle of Inverness. The pattern books of the woollen and cloth products the firm manufactured from 1927 to 1967 are fascinating. They show the changing trends in pattern and colour combinations and how design comes in and out of fashion over the decades.

Other samples in the archives show how design blended with the mass production of durable textiles, as seen in the printed designs on linen which form part of the DJ MacDonald collection.

Using only two colours, the rising sun motif for the MacDonald company is bold and graphic whereas the design for Louise, a seller of lingerie and hosiery has a more delicate touch with the name of the brand printed in signature style picked out in red.

Textile design in the city is still thriving. Local fashion designer Hayley Scanlan studied textile design at DJCAD.

Her oral history recording for the archives tells of her desire to remain rooted in the city despite her burgeoning international career. Proud of her Dundonian heritage, Hayley’s designs are influenced by the changing city. Records held in the archives are accessible to everyone. For further information about the archives and its collections visit: www. dundee.ac.uk/archives