With Flax Turns Foundation Cloth, Deveron Projects and Christine Borland marked the end of Christine’s project Flax (2019 – 21), Flax Turns (2021-22) and Foundation Cloth (2022), on Saturday 24th September from 10am – 6pm at the OAP Hall in Huntly.
The starting point for Christine’s project was Huntly’s heritage as a centre of Scotland’s linen trade during the late 18th Century. Between 2019 and 2022, she drew on communal experiences of growing and hand-working flax into linen to engender intimate connection to ecology and heritage and to develop matrilineal, alternative forms of knowledge generation and archiving.
The event was structured around a new work The Distaff Dialogues: Christine Borland & Grace Borland Sinclair, performing alongside special guest turns. Invited artists and speakers included: project collaborators Daisy Williamson, Lynne Hocking and Cath Snape; Dr Sally Tuckett (Glasgow University, discussing the Scottish women spinning linen in the 18th century and the enslaved people of the British colonies who wore it); Christiane Seufferlein on the Berta Flax Project; Annalee Davis; Caroline Gatt.
The day ended with the local Scottish Country Dancer’s demonstration of weaving-inspired dances for which the attendees had a chance to join in, fuelled by food specially developed for the occasion by Deveron Projects’ artist chef in residence, Kawther Luay.
Christine Borland performing; photo: Jassy Earl
Christine (middle) in conversation with Annalee Davis (left) and Grace Borland Sinclair (right); picture: Jassy Earl
Scottish country dancers’ performance of flax-related dances; photo: Jassy Earl
Grace Borland Sinclair performing, photo: Jassy Earl
