London to Lithuania | International Artists’ Exchange Programme

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new initiative for artists from London and Lithuania. The international artists’ exchange programme is a new partnership between London Printworks Trust and the Kaunas Artists’ Association. The programme has been devised following London Printworks Trust’s involvement in the Textile 05 Biennial in Kaunas and is part of our ongoing plans to develop stronger international links. The hope is that this will be the first of an on-going programme of artists’ exchanges between the two countries.

The programme enables artists to visit both London and Kaunas. Kaunas is Lithuania’s second city (after the capital Vilnius), with a strong traditional textile history and a growing contemporary textile art and design scene. The artists will make new work based on their residency in each city, working in both London Printworks’ and Kaunas Art Institute’s textile studios. The residency will allow the artists to develop their creative and technical skills in print and weave, to make new contacts and to broaden their cultural understanding of both countries.

Two artists have been selected for this first exchange – Eleanor Pritchard (UK) and Gierde Valtaite (LT). Gierdre will visit London in November 07, with Eleanor due to visit Kaunas in early December 2007.

Eleanor Pritchard’s work explores the contrasts in colour, surface and texture. Her love of pattern is inspired by landscape, hum drum everyday domesticity and a celebration of traditional British textiles in a contemporary context. Since graduating from Chelsea College of Art and Design with first class honours in 2001, Eleanor has gone on to win various awards including the ‘Lee 400’ trust award (Texprint), Craft Council Business Development award, and 100% Design bursary.

She now combines bespoke commission work with designing for production. Alongside her own work, Eleanor is also an assistant lecturer at Central Saint Martins. www.eleanorpritchard.com

Read Eleanor Pritchard's diary from London to Lithuania here.

Gierde Valtaite’s current work entitled ‘Napkins’ aims to communicate her own personal relationship with inanimate objects which has been shaped over the years by the influence of her parents, society and by personal opinion. She explains that once an integral part of her daily life, napkins now seem to be inconspicuous items especially since the introduction of disposable paper napkins.

During her residency with London Printworks Trust Gierdre will be furthering her work on ‘Napkins’, exploring the techniques of screen-printing onto Tyvek for her final pieces.

The exchange programme is part of the Textile 07 Biennial in Kaunas, which runs from 30 November 2007 to 2 March 2008. There is a strong London Printworks and UK presence during the Biennial. Linda Florence’s Sugar Dance performance, Janis Jefferies’ (LPT Trustee) Loom Tales and Sash Songs, Danica Maier and Gerard Williams’ Unpicked and Dismantled, featuring 10 UK artists including Hetain Patel, and Fernando Marques Penteado’s curated show of 13 Brazilian artists Sheer and Shallow. Find out more at www.bienale.lt