The Bradford Print Collection 2025

This print was inspired by the many viewpoints across Bradford, being the highest city in the UK.  These views are often overlooked, however they speak of our city geographically, socially and tell the story of our industrial heritage, which is why I wanted to celebrate them.  Lister Mills in particular is often a dominating presence, it was the largest Mill in the north, its workers also helped establish the Independent Labour Party.  In the centre of the image is Lister Park, which for years was home to the vibrant Bradford Mela, the first Mela to be held in Europe.

Social Fabric celebrates the breadth of Bradford’s communities throughthe inherent presence of textile narratives. The work explores collections and archives to identify motif, colour, pattern, and texture, building a visual representation of this unifying material culture.

Emily Brontë rescued a merlin from an abandoned nest on the moors and named it Nero. In an untitled poem, she alludes to fantasising about the freedom of the bird and herself. This image captures the magic of the moorland surrounding Bradford; how easily we can step out of the hustle and bustle to escape into an expanse of sky, heather and ferns. The moor doesn’t judge or discriminate, here we can just be; we can fly free. To create this screen print, I made a papercut illustration of the merlin, layered with hand-written text.

Bradford Twill is a bold, abstract print that celebrates Bradford’s legacy as ‘Woolopolis’, home to over 70 worsted mills. Inspired by the Twill weave used in worsted cloth, the composition encodes ‘BFD’ (Bradford) using Morse code translated into weave sequences, embedding Bradford’s identity into the structure itself. Colours evoke the moorlands that supplied wool and the soot-darkened stone of the mills, with the gold 'threads' symbolising industrial wealth. Combining digital design, algorithmic colour generation, and handcrafted Pochoir technique, this layered print honours Bradford’s past — not through literal depiction, but through encoded pattern, symbolic colour, and daring visual rhythm.

Inspired by the multitude of open questions in the DIY material of the Bradford LGBTQ+ Archive, my print invites you to consider how you feel, personally and politically. The writers of the pamphlet Bradford Gay were funny, politically savvy and posed questions which still feel relevant to being queer here now. My print playfully illuminates one which feels important, as our physical meeting spaces dwindle, our trans loved ones face hate and finding joy can be hard. Asking where the excitement has gone provokes another, more urgent question: how can we get it back?

Kashmir Bloom draws on the history of South Asian migration and its contribution to the textile industry. The red colour palette and ‘Paisley’ pattern pays homage to its origins and also to its popularity, as it is featured on shawls made in the Kashmir region. Overall, it's a design that represents how Bradford is a collection of all these cultures that have contributed to the art and textiles we see today.