July 21, 2018
12-8 pm

at BIG on Bloor Festival,
Bloor Street from Lansdowne to Dufferin

FREE & ALL AGES

Xpace is pleased to present Bloordale Rug Social, a project by Lauren Cullen, as part of JOUEZ participatory/performance art projects at BIG on Bloor Festival 2018!

Bloordale Rug Social is a participatory rug-hooking project using recycled
materials from the community. You are invited to learn the technique of rug
hooking – a method of pulling thin stripes of fabric through a loosely woven
backing that results in a loopy, soft rug pile.

This project is inspired by social conventions of craft; in rug hooking cultures
women often gather to work on individual or collective projects while exchanging
conversation over and around handwork. Referred to as ‘gatherings’ or ‘hook-
in’s’, these events continue to draw people together to create active spaces of
making, sharing and knowledge production.

The practice of making hooked rugs dates back to the mid 18 th century in North
America, emerging alongside the settlement of the eastern seaboard. While
forms of craft like knitting and rug hooking have and continue to be employed as
tools celebrating colonization, textile-based craft also have a long history serving
as a means of resistance.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lauren Cullen is a PhD candidate in the joint Communication and Culture program at Ryerson and York University. Her work focuses on the material culture of hooked rugs and specifically examines social practices of craft as productive places for critical education. She has facilitated rug hooking workshops with the Girls Art League (Toronto), Street Meet Festival (Saskatoon) and the Carleton University Art Gallery. Follow Lauren on Instagram @tapestryhumour.