Last year, while undertaking repair and restoration work at Blackburn Colleges Victoria Building (in conjunction with The National Festival of Making), we were asked if we would be interested in collaborating on a commission celebrating 30 years of rave culture and its links to post industrial East Lancashire? Of course we jumped at the opportunity!

Commissioned as part of the British Textiles Biennial and produced in collaboration with BTB Artist in Residence; Jamie Holman, the piece of glass sat alongside many other works that would form the basis of Jamie’s exhibition “Transform and Escape The Dogs”.

Entitled “Sunday Morning”, the panel features a faithful rendering of a photograph taken at the “Live The Dream” rave at Tockholes, Blackburn in 1989 and was based on a design produced by Jamie and Secret Industries. Traditional techniques were used in its execution including staining, enameling, silver staining, kiln firing and leading.

“Transform and Escape The Dogs” ran from October to November 2019 as part of The British Textile Biennial in Blackburn and surrounding East Lancs towns. We were very pleased to be invited to the opening night of the Biennial which also included the opening party for the Adidas Spezial Exhibition held in the old Corn Exchange. On the night we were fortunate to meet Gary Aspden (Adidas designer and Spezial Exhibition curator) and Tommy Smith; one of the organisers of the Live The Dream rave alongside numerous other celebrity guests.

Our images include the completed commission, Jamie’s design, the original source photograph from the Live The Dream rave, the commission during production and exhibited at Transform and Escape The Dogs.