Or Nué to Change Colour

Heritage

Traditional

A technique of Goldwork embroidery which uses coloured threads while couching metallic thread to create imagery, in this case being used to suggest a new colour for the couched thread

Material

Metal
Other

Craft

Textiles

General Technique

Surface modifying

Specific Technique

Silk thread wrapped in a metallic material, which can be called a number of things depending on its composition, is a staple of goldwork embroidery. In this case Passing Thread was used. By laying down the thread in rows using various coloured threads, an image can be created. In this case I was experimenting to see if a specifically desired shade of orange could be achieved.

Properties & Qualities

Application

Art Clothing Furnishing

Colour

Orange Yellow

Sample Information

Date of creation

June 2022

Culture & Context

Goldwork is a branch of embroidery, usually seen in military and ecclesiastical settings. Goldwork’s most celebrated era is usually considered to be Opus Anglicanum which took place between the 12th and 14th centuries in England.

Fine examples of goldwork can also be seen in textiles from China, Japan and France. In my own practice I use goldwork removed from its colonial and secular origins to ask what traditional artwork for a country founded in the 20th century (Ireland, 1921) might look like.

Credits

Craft Maker

Sorcha O’Raw

Library Contributor

National College of Art & Design Ireland

Photographer

Sorcha O’Raw

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