Sinéad Travers Student Award

We are delighted to announce that Grandey's Place tenant Sinead’s MA collection ‘Diaspora’ has recently been chosen for the Postgraduate Student Award from The Textile Society. Her work will be featured in the society’s journal ‘Text’ later this year

About the collection:

'For this MA collection I have been reflecting upon my dual nationality and re-connecting to my Irish heritage by exploring the diaspora of people and craft. I was ultimately inspired by my mother’s journey. Uprooting from Ireland and taking her craft of Aran knitting with her to her new home, she saw craft as a way of weaving her culture into her relocated life in London.  

I became fascinated with the craft processes that had been passed down throughout my childhood, unaware of how important a role this became in moulding my own journey in textile design. I began exploring the boarders, burred lines, divides and cultures of each home, ultimately finding connections through traditional materials, patterns, processes, and colours. 

Focusing my research toward four key Irish craft textiles; Aran knitting, hand woven Crios belts, Donegal tweed and Ulster patchworking, I found beautiful stories of culture, family and survival to be retold through a textile narrative.'