The Work House, Southwell

 

Ideas for a site based project. Looking at the textile collective exhibition and after today's printing session. I was wanting to print the dress in one continuous flow and was thinking about the mangles at the work house. There's no bed on them but they are pressured for drying clothes so would it be possible to pass a long gown/ dress through, coated in ink like today's experiment and sandwiched between paper? 

Even looking at buying a mangle for the purpose of converting to a press as this person has blogged about below( they probs won't let me get paint and ink anywhere near their museum but the connection with place and process would be really cool staring point especially if I could get historical garments to press. ( its an idea to bank  and approach with after graduation) 

Examples of victorian mangels

They are beautiful and decorative, reminds me of bow top caravan and fair ground signage. Would be great to convert one and use for workshops with community or schools with Victorian/ female labour/prison or workhouse themed printing. Something to think about.