{"id":1031,"date":"2026-05-29T14:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:55:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:55:02","slug":"fabricateur-between-fibre-textiles-design-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/?p=1031","title":{"rendered":"FABRICATEUR \u2013 BETWEEN FIBRE, TEXTILES, DESIGN & MAKING"},"content":{"rendered":"

Machiko Agano and Anniken Amundsen\u2019s collaborative fiberwork in Through the Surface \u2013 photo c\/o Lesley Millar\/Transition & Influence<\/sup><\/p>\n

FABRICATEUR \u2013 BETWEEN FIBRE, TEXTILES, DESIGN & MAKING
\n <\/h3>\n

A midsummer medley of live Lewes talks and workshops from Fourth Door<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lesley Millar<\/strong>, LR Vandy<\/strong>, Elke Burmeister<\/strong> and Rudrapur Dipdii Textiles<\/strong>, Deborah Barker <\/strong>and FibreShed Southeast, and Diana Wildschut<\/strong> from De WAR Fablab (\u2026.and further speakers)<\/p>\n

Fourth Door Fabricateur* \u2013 fibre and textiles talks, workshops, and zoom events series in Lewes, Sussex, June and July 2026 at Fitzroy House and other Lewes venues<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fabricateur I \u2013 Transition & Influence: FiberArt, Textiles and Cross-Cultural Design
\n<\/strong>Friday <\/strong>\u2013 June 26<\/strong>th<\/strong><\/sup> Lesley Millar <\/strong>on her Transition & Influence<\/strong> projects. With Linda Brassington
\n<\/strong>7.30pm \u2013 Fitzroy House, Lewes, BN7 2AD map here<\/a>.
\nTickets \u00a310.00 (\u00a37.50 Lewes\/BN7 residents \u00a33.50 \u2013 benefits\/students) \u2013 Eventbrite<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

Lesley Millar<\/a> is Emeritus Professor University for the Creative Arts at the University of the Arts, Farnham. Millar curated the influential\u00a0Transition & Influence\u00a0<\/strong>exhibitions including Textural Space<\/em><\/a> (2001) Through the Surface<\/em><\/a> (2003), Cloth & Memory<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2013), and more recently, Fabric: Touch and Identity<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2020), and Soft Power<\/em><\/a> (2025) many of which pioneered cross-cultural explorations of fabric-based design, developing long lasting partnerships with Japanese textile designers, and museums and the country\u2019s broader fabrics and textile design community.<\/p>\n

Linda Brassington<\/strong> \u2013 is engaged with the experiential nature of textiles embodied relationship to space and place, as well as the importance of intangible cultural heritage for contemporary practice. Brassington is author of Indigo and Resist Dyeing: Performance, Metaphor and Materiality in Contemporary Cloth<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Machiko Agano and Anniken Amundsen\u2019s collaborative fibrework in Through the Surface \u2013 photo c\/o Lesley Millar\/Transition & Influence<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fabricateur II \u2013 Fabrics of Seafaring: Rope
Friday – July 3<\/strong>rd<\/strong><\/sup> LR Vandy <\/strong>\u2013 artist and maker whose exhibition Rise <\/strong>is currently showing at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
<\/strong>Venue to be confirmed
Tickets \u00a310.00 (\u00a37.50 Lewes\/BN7 residents \u00a33.50 \u2013 benefits\/students) \u2013\u00a0Eventbrite<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

LR Vandy<\/a>\u00a0is an artist and maker, who began working with rope materials in the aftermath of discovering the Chatham Historic Dockyards Ropery<\/a> in 2022, the last working ropery in Britain. Vandy\u2019s current exhibition, Rise<\/a>, at the Weston Gallery<\/a>, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, explores the sculptural forms and textural qualities of rope materials, linking its naval and seafaring uses to the industrial revolution, slavery, emancipation and to pre-modern seasonal celebrations, like the Mayday maypole.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LR Vandy,\u00a0Rise,\u00a0installation view at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2026. In collaboration with October Gallery. Photo \u00a9 India Hobson, courtesy YSP.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fabricateur III \u2013 Textiles and open-source tech, cross cultural conversations, and regenerating farming and natural fibres
Saturday July 11<\/strong>th <\/strong><\/sup>\u2013<\/strong> Elke Burmeister<\/strong> (live Zoom with Rudrapur Dipdii Textiles from Bangladesh) Deborah Barker <\/strong>(Fibreshed England SouthEast) Diana Wildschu<\/strong>t (De WAR Fablab) and others.
9.45 am \u2013 3.30pm \u2013 Fitzroy House, Lewes, BN7 2AD map here<\/a>.
Tickets \u00a312.50 (\u00a37.50 Lewes\/BN7 residents \u00a33.50 \u2013 benefits\/students) \u2013\u00a0Eventbrite<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

Elke Burmeister<\/strong> runs \u00d6couture<\/a> and is the European partner for the Dipdii Textiles<\/a> project in Rudrapur, Northern Bangladesh. Rudrapur has become known across the architectural world for its buildings realised by humanitarian architect Anna Heringer<\/a>, the most recent of which is Anandaloy<\/a>, which is the new home for the Dipdii Textile co-operative.<\/p>\n

Diana Wildschut <\/strong>is a co-founder of\u00a0De WAR<\/a>, the first grassroots Fablab, in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, which has developed many open-source forms of digital tech to help advance citizen science and social innovation. Diana will talk about the fusion of open-source tech and natural materials and lead a workshop, applying this approach to making one-off dedicated clothing.<\/p>\n

Deborah Barker <\/strong>is founder of the Southeast England Fibreshed<\/a>\u00a0and a natural dyer, connecting local natural wool, farming communities and fibre makers across the Southeast. Southeast England Fibreshed is part of the flourishing international Fibershed<\/a> network, linking place sensitive regenerative farming with designers and makers working with natural fibres, and, in the context of the Southeast England Fibreshed, particularly sheep wool, hemp and plant dyes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dipdii Textiles makers in Anandaloy, the most recent of Anna Heringer\u2019s buildings in Rudrapur, Northern Bangladesh \u2013 photo Kurt Hoerbst<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS, PROJECTS, AND THEMES \u2013 in further detail<\/h3>\n

Lesley Millar and Linda Brassington<\/b><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

Lesley Millar<\/a>, Emeritus Professor at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, is a textile designer and was director of the International Textile Research Centre<\/a>\u00a0until 2024. Beginning in the early 2000\u2019s through to the mid-2020\u2019s Millar<\/a>\u00a0curated the influential\u00a0Transition & Influence<\/a>\u00a0series of exhibitions including Textural Space<\/em><\/a> (2001), Through the Surface<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2003)\u00a021:21 <\/em>the textile vision of Reiko Sudo and NUNO<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2005-2007)<\/em>, Lost in Lace<\/em><\/a> (2011) Cloth & Memory<\/em><\/a> (2013) and more recently, Fabric: Touch and Identity<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2020),\u00a0Tansa<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(2022) and Soft Power<\/em><\/a> (2025). Many of these exhibitions pioneered cross-cultural explorations of fabric-based design, developing a long-lasting partnership<\/a> with Japanese textile designers, museums and the country\u2019s broader fabrics and textile design community. The exhibition projects were also noted for highlighting experimental materials, textile history and memory, and the interplay between sensuality, the erotic and fabric materials.<\/p>\n

Millar writes regularly about textile practice including co-editing, with Alice Kettle, the books The Erotic Cloth<\/em><\/a> (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018) and Reading The Thread: cloth and communication<\/em><\/a> (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025).<\/p>\n

In 2008 she was given the Japan Society Award for her contribution to Anglo-Japanese relations, followed by an MBE in 2011 for her contribution to Higher Education. In 2021 she was created Honorary Fellow of West Dean College of Arts, Design, Crafts and Conservation. She is currently a Trustee of the Crafts Study Centre at the University for the Creative Arts and Trustee of The Textile Society.<\/p>\n

Her presentation Transition and Influence<\/strong> will discuss ideas around the development and recognition of textile as a medium of choice today.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From 21:21 – Reiko Sudo exhibition. photo Roger Bamber<\/sup><\/p>\n

Fourth Door Review has featured several pieces on the Transition & Influence\u00a0<\/strong>exhibitions, and Millar has contributed both features and reviews to FDR.<\/p>\n

Linda Brassington<\/strong> is engaged with the experiential nature of textiles embodied relationship to space and place, as well as the importance of intangible cultural heritage for contemporary practice. Brassington is author of\u00a0Indigo and Resist Dyeing: Performance, Metaphor and Materiality in Contemporary Cloth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mashiko by Linda Brassington<\/sup><\/p>\n

FURTHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

String, Felt, Thread<\/a> by Eliza Auther \u2013 reviewed by Lesley Millar<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 9<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fine Art of Japanese Fibre work<\/a> by Tochimichi Kuwayama<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 9<\/a><\/p>\n

The Other Side of Surface<\/a>: the Through the Surface<\/em> exhibition by Lesley Millar<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 7<\/p>\n

Sculpting Invisible Space<\/a>: Machiko Agano by Oliver Lowenstein<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 7<\/p>\n

Through the Process<\/a>: Anniken Amundsen by Oliver Lowenstein<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 7<\/p>\n

The Space of Textures<\/a> by Lesley Millar<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 5<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lost in Lace exhibition artist Annie Bascoul \u2013 photo Transition & Influence<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

LR Vandy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LR Vandy,\u00a0Rise,\u00a0installation view at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2026. In collaboration with October Gallery. Photo \u00a9 India Hobson, courtesy YSP.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n

LR Vandy<\/a>\u00a0is an artist and maker, who began working with rope materials in the aftermath of discovering the Chatham Ropery in 2022, the last working Ropery<\/a> in Britain. Vandy\u2019s current exhibition, Rise<\/a>, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, explores the sculptural forms and textural qualities of rope materials, linking its naval and seafaring uses to the industrial revolution, slavery, emancipation and also to pre-modern seasonal celebrations, like the Mayday maypole dancing. Rise features Vandy\u2019s large-scale installation, Dancing in Time: The Ties That Bind Us<\/em><\/a>, a five-metre-high rope sculpture originally commissioned for the Liverpool Docks International Slavery Museum\u2019s Martin Luther King celebrations in 2023.<\/p>\n

Prior to her immersion in rope and its physical and material qualities, Vandy\u2019s earlier work includes her Hull <\/em>series, exhibited<\/a> at the October Gallery in 2019. Vandy\u2019s Fabricateur talk continues our Artist, Maker, Craftsperson? All of the Above<\/em> theme begun last year with our Alison Crowther and Walter Bailey<\/a> evening.<\/p>\n

Vandy is featured in its special themed feature on El Anatsui, October Gallery, and its Global African artists in the recent Fourth Door Review no 12.<\/a><\/p>\n

FURTHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

A to Z and back again (from El Anatsui to Zena Masombuka)<\/a> – October\u2019s Global African artists by Chris Spring<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 12<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dancing in Time: The Ties That Bind Us installation Liverpool Docks \u2013 National Museums Liverpool<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elke Burmeister, Diana Wildschut and Deborah Barker<\/h4>\n

Elke Burmeister<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dipdii Textiles makers in Anandaloy, the most recent of Anna Heringer\u2019s buildings in Rudrapur, Northern Bangladesh \u2013 photo Kurt Hoerbst<\/sup><\/p>\n

Elke Burmeister, Diana Wildschut and Deborah Barker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elke Burmeister <\/strong>runs \u00d6couture<\/a>, a small eco-textile design company in Salzburg, Austria. Elke is also the current European partner for the Dipdii Textiles<\/a>, part of the Dipshika<\/a><\/u> project in Rudrapur, a small village in Northern Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

Rudrapur has become known across the architectural world for a series of buildings realised by humanitarian architect Anna Heringer<\/a> the most recent of which is a home to Rudrapur\u2019s textiles community. Anandaloy<\/em><\/a><\/u>, the latest of Heringer\u2019s Rudrapur series \u2013 described by Dezeen<\/em><\/a> as the \u2018most significant building of 2020\u2019 \u2013 houses both the Dipdii Textiles project and a disabilities centre.<\/p>\n

A live zoom link to Rudrapur and the textiles building is planned, with Elke acting as go-between to\u00a0both the Dipdii textiles centre and a virtual tour of the building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Elke Burmeister<\/sup><\/p>\n

Elke\u2019s Lewes visit follows on from Martin Rauch, and his son, Sebastian\u2019s in the last two years. Through Heringer\u2019s buildings, particularly her first building, the HomeMade METI school<\/a>, Rudrapur has become well-known and inspirational project across the forward looking architectural world, This will be the first live link up with Rudrapur and one of the few times where the focus has been on the\u00a0Dipdii\u00a0<\/a>textiles dimension.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anna Heringer and her Rudrapur work was featured as part of the Ground Up Architecture<\/strong> themed feature on Humanitarian architecture in Fourth Door Review 9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dipdii Textiles exhibition \u2013 photo Die Arge Lola<\/sup><\/p>\n

FURTHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sustaining Beauty<\/a> by Anna Heringer <\/em>in Fourth Door Review 9<\/a><\/p>\n

Anna Heringer\u2019s Journey to the East<\/a> by Oliver Lowenstein<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 9<\/a><\/p>\n

Spirit of the METI-Handmade School<\/a> by Rabeya Rahman<\/em> in Unstructured 6<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Anandaloy \u2013 home of Dipdii Textiles \u2013 photo Kurt Hoerbst<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diana Wildschut<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Before the clear-up: De War Fablab\u2019s textile\u2019s studio \u2013 photo Oliver Lowenstein<\/sup><\/p>\n

Diana Wildschut <\/strong>is a co-founder of\u00a0De WAR<\/a>, the first grassroots Fablab in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Diana will be talking about how open-source digital tech can create individually dedicated clothing and textile fabrications. She will detail and show earlier workshops and clothing and other fabrications that she and colleagues have created at De WAR.<\/p>\n

Diana will also run a De WAR Fablab inspired workshop, making and illustrating how one-off dedicated clothing can be created through the fusion of open-source digital tech and natural materials.<\/p>\n

Wildschut and partner and De WAR co-founder, Harmen Zijp, are long term Fourth Door collaborators. Last year Zijp was part of our Intersections sustainable transport micro-seminar, and in 2023 Wildschut and Zijp led a workshop, PARTICULATE, building open-source sensors to track and trace air quality pollution levels across the town, before co-creating a publicly accessible online map of Lewes\u2019s air quality, to be used as a citizen led co-created monitoring tool.<\/p>\n

FURTHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born stubborn \u2013 sticking with open technology and social innovation<\/a>\u00a0by Harmen Zijp and Diana Wildschut<\/em> in Fourth Door Review 12<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Diana and Harmen during the PARTICULATE workshop, Lewes 2023 \u2013 photo Zuky Serper<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Deborah Barker<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\nIn more detail<\/i><\/summary>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bioregional wool top @2025\u2019s Future Fashion Landscapes \u2013 photo Mila Burcikova<\/sup><\/p>\n

Deborah Barker & South England East Fibershed <\/strong>\u2013 Deborah Barker is founder of the Southeast England Fibreshed<\/a>\u00a0and a natural dyer, connecting local natural wool and fibre makers across Sussex and the South East. She was a founder of the Brighton contemporary art space, Fabricate.<\/p>\n

Southeast England Fibreshed is part of the flourishing international Fibershed<\/a> network, linking regenerative farming with designers and makers working with natural fibres, and in the South East context particularly sheep wool, hemp and plant dyes. In 2024 Southeast and Southwest England Fibreshed co-published Farming Fashion: Wool<\/em><\/a>, an introductory guide to partnerships between bioregional farmers and designers to restore wool supply networks across the southern Britain.<\/p>\n

Deborah will be talking about the work of the Fibreshed and running a workshop during the course of the day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Regenerative sheep and regenerative shepherdess \u2013 photo Deborah Barker<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other Information\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fourth Door<\/a> \u2013 is a media, communications, events, and research platform, generally working in collaboration with a variety of partners. In addition, Fourth Door Research provides one-off consultancy and research.<\/p>\n

For further information please contact Oliver Lowenstein, Fourth Door:
\n0044(0)1273 473501<\/a>
\n0044(0)7527 206856 <\/a>
\neditorial@fourthdoor.org<\/a>
\nwww.fourthdoor.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Fabricateur is supported by the Chalk Cliff Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"human-nat\"\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Fourth Door<\/a> \u2013 Making the Connections<\/p>\n

*Organised by Fourth Door<\/strong> and supported by Making Lewes<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Machiko Agano and Anniken Amundsen\u2019s collaborative fiberwork in Through the Surface \u2013 photo c\/o Lesley Millar\/Transition & Influence FABRICATEUR \u2013 BETWEEN FIBRE, TEXTILES, DESIGN & MAKING   A midsummer medley of live Lewes talks and workshops from Fourth Door Lesley Millar, LR Vandy, Elke Burmeister and Rudrapur Dipdii Textiles, Deborah Barker and FibreShed Southeast, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ongoing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1031"}],"version-history":[{"count":53,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1100,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions\/1100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourthdoor.org\/ongoing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}