Helena Britt

Interwoven Connections: The Stoddard Templeton Design Studio and Design Library, 1843-2005

The historical importance of carpet design and manufacture to the West of Scotland is now largely forgotten, eclipsed by heavy industries such as shipbuilding for which Glasgow is justly famous. Yet, in their heyday, carpet manufacturers A. F. Stoddard of Elderslie, Renfrewshire and James Templeton of Glasgow Green provided employment for thousands of workers. Indeed, by the 1950s Templeton was Glasgow’s largest single employer. For decades the companies supplied carpets to the world’s ocean liners, heads of state, royalty, corporations and state institutions, yet in 2005 the combined companies filed for bankruptcy. This paper describes efforts to save and interpret the historical collections, principally concentrating on the design library now held at the Glasgow School of Art. It follows a recent research project, exhibition and publication that explored the development of the Library and its use within the design process.

Digital Textiles: An Investigation into Technology Utilisation, Teaching and Significance of Educator Creative Practice

This paper examines the utilisation of digital design and output technologies from the textile educator perspective. Educator approaches to working with digital technologies in own creative practices are described, as are variations in involvement with teaching digital technologies. Connections between educator approaches to digital technology utilisation in creative and teaching practices are highlighted. The impact of educator engagement in creative practice is discussed, given the continually evolving nature of digital technology and factors existent in the contemporary higher education system, which can be counterproductive to educator creative practice. Conclusions are made with regards to different approaches to digital technology utilisation and significance of educator engagement in creative practice activity. The methodology used to undertake the research disseminated through this paper include self case study, survey and case study methods. The paper focuses on textile design higher education in the United Kingdom, printed textiles and surface pattern design; however, the content is intended to be insightful to others who are operating outside of this context.