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Mining Couture: A Manifesto for Common Wear

The remit for a £20,000 art commission entitled ‘Mining Couture’ was to engage with museum workers and public audiences over a six-month residency period and produce a major piece of artwork for Snibston Discovery Museum, Leicestershire. The commission funded by Arts Council England was the result of an open call national competition from Leicestershire County Council. The commission united Snibston’s coalmine colliery museum with its major fashion collection. Through the notion of ‘seam’, the research conceptually explored a relationship between coal mining and fashion references. The outcome resulted in a series of new apron garments based on the ‘Pit Brow Lass’ and coal miners workwear – natural dyes collected from Snibston spoil heap were used to dye the apron fabrics making the garments site-conditional. The garments now form part of Snibston’s fashion collection. Further output included a large inflatable sculpture, entitled ‘Ventilation Dress’, which was based on a Snibston ventilation fan, embellished with the dress design of the 1972 National Coal Queen. ‘Ventilation Dress’ is now on permanent display within the museum. Additional works included photography, drawings and video. Open studio days during the residency period enabled museum workers and public audiences to interact with the work in progress. Snibston attracts over 120,000 visitors per annum. The commission also incorporated an artist book called ‘Mining Couture’ (Black Dog 2012). Barber Swindells are editors of the book; pagination 160 pages, 120 colour plates. Contributors to the book include textile-art critic Dr Jessica Hemmings, textile artist Shelly Goldsmith and interviews conducted with the 1972 National Coal Queen Margaret Dominiak. The artefacts of Mining Couture were exhibited at Huddersfield Art Gallery (June 2012), Snibston Discovery Museum (September 2012).