Flax Futures Dunbar | Exhibition
John Muir Birthplace
Closing Friday 15 September 2023
Where does flax and linen meet local resilience and climate change?
In times past, the capacity to turn this ‘straw into gold’ meant a handsome wage. Today, there is an urgent need for textile design that’s kind to the planet. Moving flax seed to linen yarn as part of a local ecosystem, again represents a valuable transition.
Flax Futures Dunbar: its our last week at the wonderful John Muir Birthplace Museum, including the creative cluster of events below. Follow along @journeysindesign and link to our Flax Futures collaborative projects here.
Flax Routes to a Regenerative Future | Twilight Talk
Dunbar Town House
Thursday 14 September 2023 6-8pm
Scotland’s linen heritage inspires innovative contemporary projects, from eco-education to regenerative farming. Join us for some truly fascinating chat as we hear how flax is on the rise again in Scotland.
Flax is at the root of the strong collaborative ethos underpinning the work of each of our panelists. A big welcome to Jenny Bruce and her Flax Class initiative, Colleen McCulloch with news of Soil Association’s Flax test fields, and East Lothian’s own Rosie Bristow, launching her new Fantasy Fibre Mill.
Spaces limited, registration via Journeys in Design Eventbrite essential.
Linen Routes in Dunbar | Walk by Design
John Muir Birthplace
Sunday 10 September 2023 2.30 – 4pm
With the help of locals on last Sunday’s walk, we have co-designed this latest Linen Route through Scottish townlands; these form part of our Walks by Design series, linking heritage with contemporary urban design.
Join us for a Sunday stroll around ‘sunny Dunny’, High Street and Harbour, with key stops en route. If the weather turns, we can explore East Lothian Linen Stories together inside. For a place on our Walk register here.
Seed to Shelf | Flax Chat & Demo
Dunbar Town House
Thursday 14 September 2023 4.30 – 5.30pm
Breaking, Scutching, Heckling, Spinning… join Rosie and John for the latest in our series of flax chats and demos going seed to shelf, this time in association with East Lothian Museums.
Growing and processing flax in community or school settings offers both the beauty of the emblematic bloom and a focus to engage in conversation and activism, joining a growing movement in regenerative design.
We’ll be in the yard behind the Town House, more details here.
Linen Works Kirkcaldy | Letters from the Lang Toun
Century Store, 260 High Street Kirkcaldy
Wednesday 27 September 2023 11am to 3pm
Our Linen Stories research began in 2017, and an extraordinary journey has followed, gathering local tales from around the country and beyond, hearing stories of art and industry and celebrating contemporary design en route. Kirkcaldy in Fife has always offered a quality base, and we’ve gathered many a good yarn, from our first visit in October 2018 to our hosting Scotland’s first Flax and Linen Festival there in 2021 – check out our Tours webpage here.
From this month, in collaboration with residents past and present, Kirkcaldy Heritage Group and Fife Archives, we’ll begin to set down Y/Our Linen Stories together in a book, a collaborative account called ‘Linen Works Kirkcaldy’, tales from one of Scotland’s foremost Linen Towns.
Come by for our first meet up on Wednesday 27 September, and the last Wednesday of every month, 11am to 3pm. With thanks to Stephen Kirkwood, we’re at Century General Store, a wonderful creative hub on the High Street.
What a summer!
Up next is our Autumn Newsletter, and a review of our Journeys in Design this year: thank you for all your support and intetest to date.
Meantime, keep an eye on @journeysindesign for news of the Linen Biennale in NI, the British Textile Biennale in Blackburn, and the extraordinary gathering for Planet Local in Bristol.
Best wishes, John
Early notice of all our events at Journeys in Design on Eventbrite