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Colourful Pasts with Anita Quye
12th May 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Anita Quye (Professor of Heritage Science at School of Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow) reveals how science can unravel the past and inform the future of colour.
For thousands of years, people have created colourful dyed textiles for clothing, and to furnish and decorate homes and special places.
Coloured textiles become fragile with time and need the special care of museums and archives to protect the precious dyes. This is important because dyes are a connection to where, when and how these treasures were made and to the artistic traditions of dyers. Dyes can even reveal something about the person who owned or used the textile.
What do historians know about dyes from the past? Where are the clues? How can scientists help discover the ancient art of dyeing and protect our textile heritage? All will be revealed in this talk at Sunny Bank Mills Archive.
This event is taking place as part of Sunny Bank Mills’ first ‘Threads Textile Festival’ – a weekend celebrating textiles through a series of talks, workshops and a textile market featuring over 40 stallholders per day!
Visit our website for more information > https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/gallery/threads-textile-festival-2023/
About Anita
Anita Quye is Professor of Heritage Science in History of Art and the Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research at the University of Glasgow where she specialises in dyed historical textiles. Her research and teaching involve material chemistry, scientific analysis and art history as well as collaborations with museums and archives to study and preserve their collections.
Industrial dyeing methods and textile samples in dyers’ books are a particular interest for Anita, and she led the research of the eighteenth century Crutchley Archive in Southwark Archives, London which resulted in it being added to the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register in 2020. Anita is a chemist and a forensic scientist by training and was an analytical research scientist at National Museums Scotland before joining the University of Glasgow.
About the venue
Sunny Bank Mills is an inspirational cultural destination in the heart of the local community of Farsley, Leeds. Founded in 1829, these glorious Mills are being regenerated by the sixth generation of the family owners, creating a wonderful blend of work, leisure and culture.
Terms and conditions
Tickets for this event are non-refundable.
If the event is postponed or cancelled for any reason your ticket will be fully refunded.