776 PIECES OF CLOTH
Rethinking structures of value and significance through collaborative research into Platt Hall’s West African and Manchester textile archive.
776 Pieces of Cloth is a project to re-evaluate, re-document and rehouse a collection of textiles that connect Manchester and West Africa through long histories of trade and manufacture, power and resistance. It’s a project that asks fundamental questions about the inherited structures of knowledge and value that underpin the museum, and takes on the challenge of developing culturally appropriate approaches for better understanding of the rich significance of this material.
The collection comprises hand-dyed and printed cloth made across several West African countries and collected by Manchester manufacturers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside an archive of factory-produced textiles made in Manchester for export to Western Africa. It has a particular resonance in the context of Platt Hall, a former textile merchant’s house. It embodies aspects of the trade that generated the wealth that built this house. It reflects the working-class history of the neighbourhood, which once housed textile workers. And it connects the global diversity and cultural complexity of historic and contemporary communities in the area today.
The collection has been in storage for most of its Gallery life. It has minimal documentation, is unphotographed and poorly housed, all of which make it difficult to access and at risk of damage. The limited information on record reflects the legacies of colonially infused knowledge structures and needs sensitive redress. These conditions stem from the low value the material has been accorded since its original acquisition, and low priority in terms of limited resources of care. But they also work to reinforce a lack of value as the collection remains constrained by problematic knowledge structures and physically inaccessible storage. The 776 Study Group was formed to address some of these challenges.
The study group
The 776 Pieces of Cloth Study Group is halfway through a six-month programme to develop a framework to rehouse and re-document a collection of 776 pieces of textiles connected to West Africa located at Platt Hall. The Study Group comprises six freelance creatives with a deep passion for West African textiles, working alongside conservation, learning, curatorial and collections management staff members. The Study Group conversations are being documented and will help support how the collection is understood, valued, re-situated and used within Platt Hall in the future.
In West Africa, textiles are passed down through generations, a valued and important tradition in my history. I was curious to unravel the secret of the textiles, safely boxed away in the attic of Platt Hall
Maimuna Ndow – Vinyl DJ and artist
With deep roots in Moss Side, I have a personal connection to Platt Hall, having visited this historic house for years. I am dedicated to fostering inclusivity and engagement within the diverse communities of Moss Side, Rusholme, Fallowfield, and Longsight.
Erinma Bell – Community leader and peace activist, founder of CARISMA
My grandfather was a textile merchant who came to the UK to foster relationships with textile mills. 776 brings life to the stories my grandfather told us as children and a perspective on the cultural significance of West African textiles.
Jumoke Quadri – Chief Executive of Nurturing Foundations
My motivation for joining the 776 Pieces of Cloth study group stems from a deep commitment to preserving and interpreting African textiles and promoting inclusive cultural landscapes.
Dr. Ehinomen Oboh – Researcher and Curator of African textiles
With roots in a family of West African cloth merchants from Ghana, I am committed to collaborative knowledge-sharing, where I hope to contribute meaningful insights while learning from others.
Adelle A’Asante – Storyteller and a multidisciplinary artist
The study group offers a way to connect to my own heritage.This is a unique opportunity to shape how these pieces come out of the archive and back to their communities.
flematu sessay – British-Sierra Leonean creative and cultural producer
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