Winter weaving

Textile artist Liz Chester’s recent work explores themes of re-wilding, with a particular focus on rivers and the paths they naturally take through the landscape. Her investigations began after reading studies on river flooding, which deepened her understanding of the consequences of human attempts to control and manage water flow. Research has shown that preventing flooding upstream by forcing rivers into straight, narrow channels often increases the risk of catastrophic flooding downstream. In response, experimental approaches have allowed rivers to return to their natural courses, slowing the flow of water and giving surrounding landscapes time to absorb excess rainfall. 

 

Around the same time, Liz encountered a map illustrating the historic courses of the Mississippi River over hundreds of years, before human intervention. The map revealed sweeping curves and bends, tracing the river’s movement across the land. These ideas came together in a large tapestry titled Breaking the Banks, in which Liz weaves the rigid line of a human-made canal alongside the broad curves and oxbow lakes of the river. Whipped cords are layered across the surface, emphasising the unstoppable force of flowing water. 

 

This piece proved pivotal, prompting Liz to explore the subject further. Her research led her to the removal of dams on several rivers on the west coast of the United States. Ecologists were astonished to discover that salmon and trout, long cut off from their traditional spawning grounds, were beginning to return, and that vast fish migrations were once again taking place. 

 

In response, Liz created a smaller, curved work titled Free Running. Using whipped cords over a shaped weaving surface, she introduced simple fish motifs to represent the returning salmon. She revisited the theme in Fish Ladder, which depicts fish moving upstream and resting in the large, rounded potholes commonly found in rivers flowing through softer sedimentary rock. Once again, whipped cords traverse the curving woven surface, reinforcing the sense of movement and resilience. 

 

Liz is currently planning her next piece, continuing her exploration of migrating fish. While ideas often develop in fits and starts, this body of work has generated a sustained and abundant flow of inspiration which we look forward to displaying in months to come.