Spin Me Some Flax

摘要

In this paper, I present my recent work to revive the traditional skill of flax spinning and linen weaving in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. Since 2009, I have carried out historical research, as well as a hands-on, systematic study of flax cultivation, processing, spinning and weaving in an attempt to bring these skills back into public awareness. Working closely with the local community, I have observed a renewed interest in hand skills and an appreciation for how textile objects are made. Traditional textile processes, such as flax spinning and linen weaving, have an inherent value. A hands-on approach is both a joyful experience for the maker and an opportunity to develop an intuitive comprehension of one's materials. The result is a more exploratory and innovative approach to design. Working at a local level further imbues an object with a sense of time and place, impacting the way in which we, as designers, respond to our communities and express their distinctiveness. In our contemporary world, where our material objects are increasingly depersonalized and disconnected from their origins, handmade objects provide a means through which to establish connections, between our shared cultural history and present day, between artist and community and between designing and making.