A woman from Preston chose to do a work placement 53 miles away in Macclesfield, and has created art referencing our town's silk industry.

Artist Maariyah Patel (24) has been working with the Silk Museum In Macclesfield for the last month to create a site specific installation inspired by the museum's collections. 

In particular, her work is inspired by Jacquard cards. The Silk Jacquard Handlooms at Macclesfield's mills used Jacquard cards punched with holes to automate the process of weaving patterns.

The Jacquard cards each contain a pattern, and they can then weave a bespoke design. And now the Lancashire-based artist has made some of her own.

An original Jacquard card in a loom at Paradise Mill in Macclesfield. (Image - Macclesfield Museums)

The UCLAN Fine Art Foundation Degree graduate was delighted to complete the work referencing our town's historic silk industry.

Maariyah says: "I love the interaction that you get from working with unusual materials. Many of the things that I use are not naturally pleasing to the eye but they have something attractive about them that I can see, whether that is a colour, form or texture. 

"It is a meditative process. I love working in the museum, as the collections are historically interesting. I was immediately drawn to the Jacquard cards and the hole punches in them. It is great to use something old to create something contemporary. 

"I knew that I wanted to create a hanging installation for the stairwell and I have been working for the last few weeks to create something suitable that works for the space using Jacquard cards." 

Paradise Mill: This museum has almost 30 working Jacquard looms, which would process the cards. (Image - CC 3.0 Unchanged Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent bit.ly/3tlcYNy)

Describing her work as sculptural, Maariyah is drawn to textiles and likes the sensory experience of working with different materials and the playfulness that brings to her work. 

Previous installations for her degree show saw Maariyah working with vent hosepipes and sandbags. 

Maariyah sites other artists such as the great Lousie Bourgeoise as an influence. She begins the process of her work by sketching and then uses software on the computer to develop her idea into more of a three-dimensional installation. 

Maariyah added: "when I first visited Paradise Mill I was drawn to the Jacquard cards hanging from the looms. I think about the people who have used these machines and the different stories behind them and the fact that they inspired the binary code, which is so important for modern computing." 

Macclesfield Museums chronicles our town's 300-year relationship with the silk industry. The Silk Museum is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10.00-16.00 and is Free to attend but donations are welcome.

Director of the Museum Emma Anderson says: "We're so lucky to have had Maariyah here on a placement with us. We're thrilled to be able to reveal this new work and visitors will be able to see her installation at The Silk Museum." 

Maariyah Patel's installation will be revealed on Saturday September 3 between 18.00 and 20.00 at Silk Museum on Park Lane. The event is free but donations are welcome. 

The event will feature more of Maariyah's work inspired by Macclesfield Museums, including a colourful piece called 'Bridge'.

The Jacquard-inspired work follows March's meticulous restoration of the historic silk handlooms at Paradise Mill.

Macclesfield: You can view Maariyah's full portfolio on this link.

See Also: Stunning Danes Moss mural artwork done by Plums Kitchen Macclesfield 

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