New website to explore history of ‘Conflict Textiles’

A new website charting the development of an international collection of over 270 textile pieces which depict conflict situations around the world is to launch next week at Derry’s Tower Museum.

The vibrant collection brings together local and international pieces including textiles, arpilleras, quilts and wall hangings, and will find a permanent home as part of the archive collection of the Tower Museum.

Working in conjunction with the Ulster University’s CAIN project, the website charts the journey of curator Roberta Bacic who has been custodian of the growing collection over the past three decades. A special event marking the launch will take place in the Museum on Thursday, November 19, and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Elisha McCallion, said she was delighted to see the launch of the new website.

“The new website is an excellent resource offering a fascinating insight into the development of the collection, which depicts the experiences and suffering of women affected by conflict across the world. “It is particularly fitting that the collection will find a home at the Tower Museum given the city’s own troubled history and our strong links to the textile industry.

“I would really encourage people to access the new site or come along to see how women have used their creative skills to reflect their life experiences in such a moving way.”

The website will be regularly updated as the collection grows and travels around the world for exhibition events.

You can find out more about the pieces when the site goes live at cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles