Post-equinox, we’re undoubtedly all seeking ways to bring some cheer as we march towards the darker months. Happily, we bring you five inspiring events to add to your diary for October, from ecofeminist explorations and modernist textile retrospectives to farm-to-table feasts that make the most of seasonal spoils.
RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology at the Barbican Art Gallery
The Barbican’s new major group exhibition explores the relationship between gender and ecology to trace the systematic parallels between the persecution of women and the exploitation of the planet. Bringing together a global community of 50 pioneering artists and platforming those from the Global Majority and Indigenous peoples, the show surveys the intrinsic links that bind environmental and social justice. Through a mix of media and ideas, it presents an urgent and compelling call to arms, posing an ultimately hopeful offering: a diverse, decolonised and equitable future that protects and nurtures the planet and its people.
RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology and its accompanying events programme is at Barbican Art Gallery, London, from 5 October to 14 January
Double Weave: Bourne and Allen’s Modernist Textiles at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
Celebrating a decade since its major redevelopment, the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft presents an exhibition on the museum’s co-founder Hilary Bourne and her partner in life and creative practice, Barbara Allen. Having been historically overlooked, they were two of the most prolific textile designers of the modernist period, designing and making fabrics for Fortnum & Mason, Liberty and Heal’s, the newly-built Festival Hall, the UK’s first jet planes, and crafting costumes for Oscar-winning 1959 film Ben-Hur. Displaying a wealth of the pair’s work, spotlighting their innovative use of natural dyes and early adoption of Lurex, the exhibition seeks to highlight the untold stories of women leading the design movements and how relationships inform and inspire creative pursuits.
Double Weave: Bourne and Allen’s Modernist Textiles is at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Sussex, until 14 April
A Day at Our Farm at L’Enclume
As the owner of Cumbrian farm-to-fork restaurant L’Enclume, three-starred Michelin chef Simon Rogan is passionate about sharing the journey our food takes from growing beds and polytunnels to tabletop. Having launched the traceable dining experience A Day at Our Farm this summer, he’s taking the unique culinary offering through to early autumn. Make the most of the last of daylight savings with the farm tour, which shares how food is grown, harvested and prepared, followed by a seasonal feast served al fresco, including dishes cooked over an open flame.
Book now to join L’Enclume in Cumbria for A Day at Our Farm on 3 October and 10 October
The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion at Somerset House
Through themes of home, tailoring, performance and nightlife, Somerset House hosts a major exhibition charting the impact and influence of Black British culture on the UK’s rich fashion history. Curated by the Black Orientated Legacy Development Agency (BOLD) and presented within a broader socio-political context, garments, artworks, music and artefacts tell the ongoing story of how Black British style has evolved and innovated on its own terms, with a spotlight on leading creatives whose legacies have been previously excluded from the narrative.
The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion is at Somerset House, London, until 7 January
Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery at Kettle’s Yard
Curated by Rachel Dedman, Material Power thoughtfully examines the historical context and cultural impact of Palestinian embroidery. Mapping the evolution of the primarily female-owned craft alongside the complex history of the country and its people, every dress in the exhibition tells a story: a look into the lives of the women who crafted them; the trauma of displacement; of the ancient practice of decorative embroidery. With the work of contemporary artists sitting alongside a rich display of historical pieces made with vibrant colours and intricate patterns, the show serves to connect the symbolic threads between person and place.
Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery is at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, until 29 October
Image 1: Palestinian Embroidery at Kettle’s Yard. Photography by Jo Underhill.
Image 2: Fern Shaffer, ‘Nine Year Ritual of Healing,’ 1998.
Image 3: Hilary Bourne at a spinning wheel. Photography courtesy of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.
Image 4: Bourne and Allen's Royal Festival Hall Sample, 1951. Photography by Sara Morris.
Image 5: A Day at Our Farm, L’Enclume. Photography by Nina K Claridge.
Image 6: Coxsone Outernational Sound System, 1980. Photography by Jean Bernard Sohiez and urbanimage.tv.
Image 7: Palestinian Embroidery at Kettle’s Yard. Photography by Jo Underhill.
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