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Goldsmiths Textile Collection

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The Constance Howard Gallery and Goldsmiths Textile Collection

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Can you believe it was 25 degrees last week in September? Neither can we. We’ve curated a selection of exhibitions for you to put on your calendars to explore and enjoy some gallery hopping. So, hurry and get out to look at our selection of this week’s recommended exhibitions from the VCS Guide.

#visualculturessociety #goldsmithsuniversity #londonart #contemporaryart #londonevents

Goldsmiths university • Goldsmiths art • Goldsmiths Fine Art • Art History • London Events • Exhibitions in London • Visual Cultures • Curating • London Galleries • London Art • University Students • London • UK taken in Goldsmiths, University of London by @textilesgold

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4 days ago

Harsheen Kaur’s exhibition Play: Subversion and Emotional (De-Colonial) Refuge opened at the Constance Howard Gallery last night. It explores the relationship between British and Indian designs which emerged during the British Raj when the use of local materials and crafts people were exploited to create European furniture forms.

The central object is a dinning table charpoy hybrid made using Victorian lace techniques. A charpoy for those who don’t know is a multipurpose furniture for sleep, leisure, entertainment and meals in a South Asian home weaved in the past with natural fibre materials like coir (coconut husk fiber), jute, hemp, and moonj (a wild grass) and modern materials using cotton or nylon.

In one section of the exhibition space a video plays on loop showing modern makers at work, and recounts nostalgic memories of the many functionalities of a charpoy from those who came to Britain.

The charpoy isn’t a distant object from the past, it’s very much used in parts of South Asia to this day including in my family home (last picture). However the thing which struck me as most interesting is the notion that before the arrival of British colonial powers, the human body took as much time to relax as it did to create productive labour for the empire. That while the home was a space divided by many rooms, it did not require many items of furniture to function properly. Often I wonder if a modern home with so many things, clutters the mind and creative energy. Or our regimented ways of organising ‘time off’ leaves the human body fatigued. That the generations who came before us created art so freely and used it in everyday life with such ease. Was it the lack of material goods weighing them down, or was it that rest was such an integral part of everyday life or that they created beauty everyday of their lives through the textiles, pottery or the furniture like a charpoy?

Rest is something I think about deeply because it’s something I struggle with myself. So the exhibition brought up many feelings for me.

You can go view the exhibition and see what kind of feelings stir up in the realms of rest, play or British Indian designs for you. by @textilesgold

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6 days ago

As seen on the @selvedgemagazine blog today - De-Colonial Subversion and Emotional Refuge by Harsheen Kaur opens this evening at the Constance Howard Gallery!

The exhibition invites viewers to unlearn the imperial spatial disciplines embedded within our environments and to reconsider South Asian practices of collective rest, care and refuge. Drawing on Victorian lacework, soft-play environments and the traditional charpoy, Kaur subverts the forms and functions of colonial-era furniture to create spaces that challenge imperial ideas of architecture, authority and bodily control.

Join us for the Private View tonight
Thursday, 24 September
5pm-8pm

Then open weekdays
25th September - 30 October
1-4pm

#londonexhibitions #lace #textiles #decolonialart #goldsmithsuniversity by @textilesgold

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8 days ago

We are delighted to invite you to the private view of Play: De-Colonial Subversion and Emotional Refuge, a new exhibition by the 2026 Christine Risley Award Winner, Harsheen Kaur.

The exhibition invites viewers to unlearn the imperial spatial disciplines embedded within our environments and to reconsider South Asian practices of collective rest, care and refuge. Drawing on Victorian lacework, soft-play environments and the traditional charpoy, Kaur subverts the forms and functions of colonial-era furniture to create spaces that challenge imperial ideas of architecture, authority and bodily control.

Please enjoy these reference and process images as a taster for what's to come!

Private View
Thursday, 24 September
5pm-8pm

Then open weekdays
25th September - 30 October
1-4pm

Follow the link in our bio for more info and to book a ticket to let us know you're coming! taken in Goldsmiths Textile Collection & Constance Howard Gallery by @textilesgold

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15 days ago

We are delighted to invite you to the private view of Play: De-Colonial Subversion and Emotional Refuge, a new exhibition by the 2026 Christine Risley Award Winner, Harsheen Kaur.

The exhibition invites viewers to unlearn the imperial spatial disciplines embedded within our environments and to reconsider South Asian practices of collective rest, care and refuge. Drawing on Victorian lacework, soft-play environments and the traditional charpoy, Kaur subverts the forms and functions of colonial-era furniture to create spaces that challenge imperial ideas of architecture, authority and bodily control.

Private View
Thursday, 24 September
5pm-8pm

Then open weekdays
25th September - 30 October
1-4pm

Follow the link in our bio for more info and to book a ticket to let us know you're coming! by @textilesgold

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22 days ago

I'm so excited to be part of the second Selvedge London Textile Month, and thrilled that our event is nearly sold out!! I'm busy looking through drawers, boxes, and rails and picking what I'll be showing off next Thursday, if you'd like to join me there is just 1 ticket left - link in bio to book!

And while you're there, don't forget to check out the other incredible events happening all over London this September. There are so many I want to go to, from beautiful needle turn appliqué with Yasmeen @sand.and.stars (we hosted her workshop last year and it was dreamy), to behind the scenes tour of youth culture with @contemporarywardrobe, and 50 years of menswear with the legendary @cosproplondonuk - and so much more!

@selvedgemagazine #SelvedgeLondonTextileMonth #LTM2026 by @textilesgold

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a month ago

#Throwback to when BA Curating 2nd and 3rd year students at the Constance Howard textile collection in preparation for their exhibitions! by @textilesgold

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2 months ago

We are delighted to announce the 2026 Christine Risley Award Winner as recent Goldsmiths BA Design graduate, Harsheen Kaur.

Before the arrival of the British Raj in India, Vedic ideology underpinned most aspects of daily life, from Ayurveda and yoga to Vastu Shastra, an architectural philosophy for the interior. The home was a landscape of textiles, low-slung mattresses, and bolsters that prioritised how the body felt, not how it looked. The Victorian gaze viewed this indigenous fluidity not as a spiritual choice, but as a ‘primitive’ lack of structure, quickly replacing these pieces with large dining tables and high-backed chairs. Furniture fit to perform in. The home became an extension of power and another means of controlling the civilian body.

This piece subverts an object traditionally extended for formality, instead extending to make room for refuge, rest and intimacy. A filet crotchet net inspired by the traditional charpai, victorian lacework and indoor soft-play spaces, sits between both table halves.

The judges unanimously praised Harsheen’s thoughtful and powerful work, which spoke to contemporary conversations about colonialism and the impact of the British empire on specific cultural design languages. The work investigates the body, play, rest, and concepts of propriety, and the judges were enchanted by the reinterpretation and reappropriation of Victorian lacework in the rope canopy.

We will be exhibiting Harsheen's work in the Constance Howard Gallery, opening in September. Dates and times to be announced soon!

#christinerisleyaward #goldsmithuniversityoflondon @harsheenckaur by @textilesgold

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3 months ago

I'm getting ready for London Textile Month! I've been rummaging through boxes and scrolling the database, and I'm so excited to highlight and discuss some of my favourite objects from the collection - but it's hard to narrow down the selection, I want to show you everything!

Often I work to a brief - a visitor will tell me what materials, techniques, or even concepts they're interested in seeing, and it's so much fun to track down the perfect items for their appointment - every visit leads me down a rabbit hole of discovery. So tell me in the comments, what would you want to see?

And if you'd like to join me and see what I choose, head to the Selvedge link in bio or visit selvedge.org > Events > Textile Month to explore what’s on and book your place.
@selvedgemagazine #SelvedgeLondonTextileMonth #LTM2026

@uniofbrighton @charlestontrust @royalneedlework @the_woolmen @estbest01 @subrang.arts @vankar_vishram_valji @rubyjhodgson @nadia_embroidery @the_textile_society @readingmuseum @textileresearchcentre @wimbledonual @the.merl @contemporarywardrobe @fashiontextilemuseum @threads_unpicked ghailokesh @judyfrater @sufiyankhatri @vankar_vishram_valji @bhido.art @subrang.arts @satayam @shekantha @theschoolofhistoricaldress1 @prgita752 @micalasidoreltm2026 by @textilesgold

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3 months ago

Hi, I’m Ruby, the curator of the Goldsmiths Textile Collection, and I am so excited to be taking part in this year’s Selvedge London Textile Month. I will be opening up the collection for a behind-the-scenes viewing and discussion about all things textiles in Deptford Town Hall (part of the Goldsmiths, University of London campus).

Join me for a celebration of cloth, culture and creativity, explore a diverse range of exhibitors, connect with fellow textile enthusiasts, and immerse yourself in the beauty and history of textiles.

Head to the Selvedge link in bio or visit selvedge.org > Events > Textile Month to explore what’s on and book your place.
@selvedgemagazine #SelvedgeLondonTextileMonth #ltm2026

Photo courtesy of the wonderful @kevpphoto by @textilesgold

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3 months ago

The Goldsmiths Textile Collection is so excited to once again join London Textile Month! Join us for a month-long celebration of cloth, craft, and culture across London. From 1–30 September 2026, Selvedge is bringing together a hand-picked selection of artists, makers, brands, and institutions to share the textiles that connect us all.

Expect workshops, exhibitions, talks, open studios, and pop-up events – all designed to spark creativity and conversation. Whether you’re a lifelong maker, a collector, or simply curious, you’ll find inspiration, insight, and community at every turn.

The second edition of London Textile Month features a vibrant programme of events spanning fashion, interiors, art, and design. Discover rare vintage fabrics, learn new skills from master craftspeople, and hear the stories behind some of the world’s most sustainable and beautiful textiles.

Head to the @selvedgemagazine link in bio or visit the Selvedge website > Events > Textile Month to explore what’s on and book your place.
We can’t wait to see you!

#SelvedgeLondonTextileMonth #LTM2026

@rickard_dearie @illuminated_arts_peckham @sharon_kearley @alihollowayweaver @joannelambstudio @hannahrefaat @kimsutherlandstudio @cockpitstudios @ceres_naturaldyesprints @americanmuseumandgardens @warnertextilearchive @sand.and.stars by @textilesgold

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3 months ago

Goldsmiths’ Visual Cultures students are proud launch their degree show exhibition ‘Ravelling: Practices of Hope’ and associated publication ‘In The Meantime’.

📆Thursday 18th June, 17:00-19:00.
📍Goldsmiths’ Campus, the gazebo outside Richard Hoggart Building.

Ravelling: an exhibition and public events programme responding to the polycrisis and recently adapted to address the ongoing lockout at Goldsmiths. We invite visitors to learn from and participate in personal and communal acts of meaning-making and survival in the face of multiple crises.

In our current moment we are facing compounding crises: ecological, social, mental and indeed educational! These can make us feel as though the world is unravelling... To face this we present Ravelling, an attempt to recount and enact practices of hope by bringing past and present ideas together.

The exhibition draws from archives including May Day Rooms, Bishopsgate, and the Constance Howard Textile Collection addressing histories of collaboration, street occupation, housing struggle and ecological activism. A programme of events brings these archives to life, inviting people to take part in textile production, film screenings and workshops.

In the Meantime: We approach crisis as accumulated, fragmented and ongoing. Responding to the idea of polycrisis this publication brings multiple voices, visual languages and perspectives together. Collage, layering, archival imagery, and zine-inspired aesthetics run throughout, mirroring the density and overlap of contemporary instability.
Contributors explore colonial histories, environmental precarity, technological acceleration, labour, memory, and emotional exhaustion as realities entangled to shape everyday life.
Living within crisis while still finding ways to adapt, resist, create, and think, this publication is produced through collective practice to stay critically engaged.

PLEASE COME! READ, LOOK, LISTEN, PARTICIPATE!

If you miss the launch, the exhibition is also running 19-22 June, 13:00-18:00. If you would like to ask us about accessibility provisions/ arrangements for this event, please do dm us. by @textilesgold

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3 months ago