Unravel aims to give these areas of GTC's collection greater context, visibility and care, and improve how they are understood, interpreted and accessed.

GTC holds more than 30,000 textiles and craft objects spanning five centuries, from all over the world, including objects made in Lancashire and across the UK.

Many objects entered the Collection at a time when information about their origins and cultural contexts was not recorded in the way we would expect today. As a result, there are significant gaps in what we know about parts of the Collection, including where objects came from, who made them, how they were made or used, and their cultural significance.

Unravel brings together visiting curators with specialist knowledge, artists and researchers, communities and GTC's collections team. The project focuses on West African and South Asian textiles, alongside textiles made in Lancashire for export to these and other global markets.

It is hoped that this research will develop a broader understanding of how materials, designs and skills moved between continents, and how these movements connect to histories of trade, colonialism, industry, migration and identity.

Each residency has a total budget of £7,500:

£5,000 Artist/Researcher Fee
Up to £1,500 Materials Budget
Up to £1,000 Travel Budget

Each residency will take place over approximately six months.