Mr Gatty’s Experiment Shed was an immersive installation shown as part of the first British Textile Biennial in October 2019. This project was supported by Arts Council England and I am grateful to Hannah Lamb and Chris Squires for their additional curatorial, installation and technical support, Community Solutions North West who hosted the work at Elmfield Hall, Super Slow Way and all the volunteers who contributed and supported the work when exhibited.

Mr Gatty’s Experiment Shed explored the layered histories of a former industrial site in Accrington, East Lancashire, the purpose built ‘experiment shed’ of F.A Gatty, 19th century textile industrialist and dye innovator. In the bicentenary year of Gatty’s birth this new interdisciplinary work, created through an authentic engagement and co-production process with local residents produced an installation in this unique space. It allowed a reimagining of the physical ephemera of the industry and the raw materials that drove it. A focus on the heritage of the madder plant, slow growing, entangled and embedded in the place added to this sensory experience. Madder was a significant dye in this part of Pennine Lancashire from the late 18th century and used in Turkey red dyeing and printing.