Rag Manifesto: Making, folklore and community

The value of waste is being reconsidered, with projects made in the artist's studio and with a community group highlighting a reverence for lost textiles and a response to the environmental impact of fast fashion. Rachael Matthews' book gives us permission to cut up our old fabrics and offers a support structure for decision-making and a chart on how to make liberating decisions about destroying a garment.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 01 March 2024
Publisher: Quickthorn

It's time to reassess the worth of our waste, which in the past were prized commodities that could be sold. Rag and yarn weaving was a rich source of possibility, allowing for the creation of various items. This Manifesto presents a distinctive artist's perspective on the traditional art of rag rug making for the Anthropocene era. Projects crafted in the artist's studio and with a community group showcase a reverence for our lost textiles, a response to the environmental impact of fast fashion, and evidence that rag is a valuable resource that is wrongly considered taboo. In this book, Rachael Matthews encourages us to repurpose our old fabrics, offering a decision-making framework and a chart on how to make liberating choices about destructing garments, whether they are worn out, emotionally charged, or brand new and guilty.

A modernist interpretation of rag weaving emerged in the 1920s, with European modernist painters like Ben and Winifred Nicholson showing interest in rag rug making. Picasso, inspired by freedom in creativity, embraced found materials and recognized the skilled craftsmanship of primitive art. Unfortunately, the art world overlooked these painterly rag works, leading to the loss of many.

A century later, in the aftermath of the pandemic, a shared concern about textile waste found on the streets where they lived strengthened the need for a community to gather and make textiles. This led the artist to establish Rag School, an online studio dedicated to rediscovering the lost ways of creating things. This initiative eventually led to the establishment of a real-life rag studio in collaboration with East London Textiles Arts, piloting innovative methods for diverse communities to re-learn how to process textile waste in beautiful and caring ways, fostering a sense of togetherness along the way.

Weight: 224g
Dimension: 170 x 238 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781739316037