Tartan – An Exhibition

Tartan – An Exhibition –  Tolbooth Gallery will host a unique exhibition looking at Tartan from different perspectives.  Forth Valley College students have created designs looking at contemporary use of tartan in modern day Scotland.  Tolbooth will also screen a documentary created by the Costume Institute of the African Diaspora – Tartan: Its Journey through the African Diaspora.   This documentary tells the story of  how tartan travelled around the world and through its influence led to aspects of material culture being developed  in various parts of Africa and the Diaspora. The documentary looks at how these cultures adapted, adopted or absorbed this influence.

The students are in Year 1 of and HND Art & Design, within the course they study a variety of subjects including Textiles, Mixed Media, Wearable Artform, Printmaking and Illustration. For this brief they researched the use of Tartan within contemporary contexts, particularly focussing on the work of designers such as Vivien Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Students were encouraged to have an individual response to the brief and some students also used historical references to create contemporary designs.  Following 2 years of disruption to education it’s great for the students to have the opportunity to exhibit publicly at the Tollbooth.

In 2022 Tolbooth turns 20 years old.   To celebrate we’ll be hosting a series of 20 special events across the year, ranging from music, art, film, festivals and workshops. Each of these events will be listed on our Festivals page, check back as we’ll be announcing more soon!

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