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Cally Booker MSDC

Woven Textiles

About Cally
Cally Booker is a handweaver based in Dundee and draws much of her inspiration from the city: from the grandeur of its waterfront setting to the details of quirky buildings and everyday living. In both exhibition pieces and micro-collections of functional textiles under the Bonny Claith label, Cally makes extensive use of multi-layered weaves. The interplay of different layers of colour gives her work its distinctive appeal. Cally is passionate about making things by hand and shares her love of weaving through The Weaving Space, a programme of workshops based in her colour-filled studio.
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Biography Back to top

Cally is a textile designer, a maker, a writer and a teacher, but above all, she is a handweaver. Everything she does in her creative practice, from drawing to dyeing, ultimately leads back to the interlacement of warp and weft. Weaving is a craft which can be meticulously planned or improvised at the loom, and a combination of these approaches appeals to the different parts of her nature.

She makes extensive use of multi-layered warps and complex weave structures. The interplay of different layers of colour gives her work a distinctive appeal. In her most recent work she has begun to explore the natural colour palette, using up-to-date ecological methods of working with natural dyestuffs, and is focused on developing the sustainability of her practice.

Cally has a longstanding interest in using social and environmental data as a design source. Since 2018 she has been a participant in the Aural Textiles project, which explores the use of the Scottish soundscape as a basis for collaborative design practice.

Resumé Back to top

Recent Exhibitions and Events

Borders Art Fair, Kelso (2020)

Shift Canada residency, Nova Scotia (2019)

Scottish Craft Showcase, Yokohama (2019)

Hybrid Contemporary Art Fair, Madrid (2019)

Tangible Sounds, Forres, Scotland (2018)

Craft Scotland Summer Show, Edinburgh (2018)

The Hand of the Maker, Society of Designer Craftsmen, London (2018)

Complexity, Reno, NV (2018)

Meet Your Maker, National Museum of Scotland & Craft Scotland, Edinburgh (2016)

Dundee International Design Festival, Dundee (2016)

Crafted, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee (2015)

Meet Your Maker, Craft Scotland, Fife (2015)

Education

HNC Handwoven Textile Design, Bradford School of Arts & Media (2007)

Affiliations

Past President, Complex Weavers

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