Gayfield Projects
Home > Tours

Tours

Linen Journeys in Design

Welcome to Our Linen Stories Tours page, a rolling programme across Scotland and beyond.

Our Linen Stories explores Scotland’s extraordinary relationship with this quintessentially European fibre, offering context to contemporary designers and makers, gathering stories from around the country, and reaching out to our neighbour linen nations, Ireland, Belgium, France, The Netherlands and beyond.

Visit our News page here to read more Flax Futures and if you like, to offer Y/Our Linen Stories too.

 

Our Journey to Date

  • 2017 Research and liaison with key allies in Scotland, visiting centres in Holland, Belgium and N.Ireland,
  • 2018 Our Linen Stories launched in Leith in May 2018, touring to Kirkcaldy, Selkirk, Newtonmore, Lisburn
  • 2019 Retracing steps to thank communities and develop our Flax Futures programme with key allies.
  • 2019/20 Our major Exhibition and Events series at Dovecot Studios Edinburgh, design culture in the capital.
  • 2020 Pop Ups during Lock Down, thanks to Kirkcaldy Galleries and R Space Lisburn.
  • 2021 Scotland’s first Flax and Linen Festival, in venues across Fife, event locations here
  • 2022 Growing Community with #flaxScotland and launching our new Flax Futures Exhibition

From the first presentation of our core stories we began an extraordinary journey, gathering local tales from around the country and beyond, of art and industry, celebrating contemporary design in each region, evolving our exhibition and archive en route. We are deeply grateful to all those who have added to our journey and look forward to more.

 

Scotland
Scots have been growing Flax for centuries and were once central to the world’s Linen trade. The flax fields of Fife alone employed thousands, this industry preceding those more celebrated of cotton, paisley and jute. Our Linen Stories tours to sites of significance throughout the country platforming contemporary Scottish designers and highlighting links between art, design, trade and industry.
Ireland
‘Irish’ and ‘Linen’: two words that run together to create a brand in themselves. Through a traditional craft base, migrant skill, Acts of Union, and hard work, industrialisation brought wealth and an international reputation to the country’s northern counties. Our Linen Stories explores the sometimes rivalrous Scots Irish linen links and exhibits contemporary design talent from N.Ireland.
The Low Countries
Exciting developments in material innovation and a commitment to product development continue to set Holland apart as a true Design Nation; ‘twas ever thus, the country giving name to a type of linen and a machine to pulp textile. In former times, The Netherlands were crucial to Scotland’s foreign trade efforts and the eastern ports like Leith and Kirkcaldy were once vital hubs. Later imports of seed and flax from Northern France, Belgium and The Netherlands for linen production and finishing provided essential revenue. Our Linen Stories reflect on these former European Unions.

Our Tour Locations

With each location, we offer new displays and community events produced local to each of our chosen venues, thanks to the support and skill of the venue teams local residents.

Onward Journeys

2023: Our Linen Stories continues in Scotland this year with our new Flax Futures tour and we visit Shrewsbury Flax Mill and Maltings with our award winning Making Millie project. Look out also for a series of community flax chats and workshops.  Our Events page gives details of all our latest programmes.