MA by Creative Practice student Hilary Edwards-Malam recently presented at the international Textile and Place conference on her work with the charity Changing Lives in Cheshire.
Organised by Manchester School of Art and the Whitworth Art Gallery, the conference focuses on Manchester’s past histories and contemporary associations with textiles and place.
The two-day event explored several themes, including sustainability, displacement, collecting, architecture, and social engagement. Hilary presented her paper, Making People, Not Products in A forum focusing on Sites.
She said: “The conference was my first, and a wonderful experience! So many creative people generously sharing their knowledge, skills and expertise completely bowled me over.
I was very nervous, but my fellow delegates were extremely encouraging. When it was over, I just wanted to do it again! I spoke about Changing Lives in Cheshire (CLiC), a charity and social enterprise, I have begun to collaborate with, salvaging and reusing textiles from redundant settees. I’m excited by this project and grateful that CLiC are prepared to wait until I’m available to pick this up again, after I finish my degree.”
Hilary is the first MA by Creative Practice student to present at an external conference while studying. She said: “I would recommend speaking at a conference to everyone. This was completely outside my comfort zone, but it’s good to do something terrifying once in a while!”