Bring your own heartbeat: The Lowry’s Edit.02 bio-textile exhibition by Thread

The Lowry’s Edit series of art projects and collaborations is back in The Andrew and Zoe Law Galleries with mash-up of textiles and tech by acclaimed artists’ collective > thread {} (Thread). And you’re invited to get involved and make your own bio-art. Islington Mill-based artists bring their unique combination of analogue and digital craft and printing techniques to produce innovative textile and fashion-based artworks. For Edit.02 > thread {}, the three members of the collective have used specialist computer coding to digitise human biodata from which digital imagery has been generated and then re-interpreted through print to develop a surface pattern incorporated into a huge hand-stitched quilt. This complex undertaking is fascinating, connecting textile heritage with futuristic processes through socially engaged practice. The exhibition has been informed by the week-long residency at Islington Mill of a group of young people from Salford linked up with > thread {} through The Lowry’s learning and engagement department. The Salfordians contributed their own biodata to create the initial body of abstract pieces, then had a hand in producing the show and helped transfer the work to The Lowry’s gallery spaces. These provide the perfect backdrop for the quilt itself along with all its foundations of visuals and fabrics, sounds and projections, building up a completely immersive installation.

Bring your own biodata

To make the experience even more hands-on, there’s the chance to feed your own biodata into the project via a heart-rate monitor, following the guidance provided by the lead artists. Each of the three has brought a different set of skills and expertise to Edit.02 > thread {}, Stockport’s Vicky Clarke is a sound artist and electronic musician, interested in human-machine interaction; Old Trafford-based Sally Gilford (pictured) is an artist and screen print specialist, and co-founder of One69A and Salford Makers, and Cheryl O’Meara, also of Old Trafford, is a print designer, artist and owner of The Archive, an extensive library of over 50,000 fashion and print designs. Coinciding with the exhibition is the one-day symposium on socially engaged art, Uncommon Ground, at The Lowry (more info here, Thu 22 Mar). Other special events and workshops are planned – watch this space.

Sat 17 Mar-Sun 22 Apr, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, Tel: 0843 208 6000, Sun-Fri 11am-5pm & Sat 10am-5pm, free -donations welcome, www.thelowry.com