Thread Count is an eclectic exhibition of artists working with textiles, artists from a broad range of cultural and educational backgrounds who employ the medium for its diverse creative possibilities. The exhibition takes a non-hierarchical stance; some of the artists have a practice dedicated to the medium, committed to their discipline they continuously hone their skill, and others use textiles within a broader practice embracing a range of materials and skills. Some artists are self-taught, disregarding or unaware of accepted rules or construction methods; some are highly trained, using their skills to subvert expectations. A large number of the artists were born or now live and work in East Anglia adding to the rich history of textiles in the region. Although this is often overshadowed by the more visible textile history and industry found in the midlands and north of England.

Thread Count presents textiles as a medium for self-expression and communication. Here, the role of textiles is not about its decorative and functional qualities, although these qualities are not to be disregarded. Materials and processes carry meaning, and the presence of skill does not indicate the absence of concept. The artists in Thread Count work with thread, fibre and cloth for many reasons, but there is a strong undercurrent of a desire for creative and physical freedom. This freedom is expressed through the choice of materials, processes and imagery. Working in textiles can give you the freedom to work wherever you want. For the most part, the work is light; it can be folded or rolled up and easily stored or transported. The materials are readily available and can be cheap or even free if you reuse fabric items from around the home. Textiles and textile practitioners still find themselves and their practice undervalued or dismissed because of the medium’s enduring associations with gender and the domestic environment. This exhibition tramples over those preconceptions, evidencing the hard resolve of the soft discipline. Threads count.