Curating Heritage: Investigating The Textiles and Papers of Fraser Taylor 1977–1987

The curatorial research project ‘Instant Whip: The Textiles and Papers of Fraser Taylor 1977–1987 Revisited’ explored printed textile design, interdisciplinarity and recurring links to Glasgow as a place of creativity during the 1970s-1980s. The exhibition was co-curated with curatorial arts organisation Panel, working with Fraser Taylor and project partners The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) Archives and Collections, Reid Gallery and inclusive screen-printing studio Print Clan. The project built on and used findings arising from studying Taylor's archive held by GSA, which includes items related to Taylor's time as a student at GSA (1977-1981) and the Royal College of Art (1981-1983) and connected to the ground-breaking collaborative studio The Cloth, formed by David Band, Brian Bolger, Helen Manning and Taylor in 1983. The Instant Whip exhibition presented archive material that has never been publicly exhibited, alongside new work by Taylor created in response to the archive. The exhibition increased understanding of textile practices and processes and highlighted this aspect of Scotland's textile heritage to new and diverse audiences. Outreach activities included gallery tours, drawing workshops, talks, relaxed sensory-friendly exhibition viewing, and screen-printing workshops. An edited publication and catalogue explore and document aspects of the research and exhibition. This presentation will share insights into the investigation that informed curation and discuss the importance of collaboration in producing and disseminating this work. Instant Whip was funded by Creative Scotland and The Hope Scott Trust, with earlier research supported by the Leverhulme Trust and The Textile Society.