Threads
4/19/20263 min read
Threads binds together the tapestry of stories that make up a community. Inspired by the beautiful heritage site Coldharbour Mill, with its rich and layered history of producing yarns, cloth and textiles, the project weaves together lives from the local community.
ColdHarbour Mill, Uffculme, Devon
26th June 2026
This event was a wonderful celebration of textiles, contemporary dance, sound, art & heritage. Local dance artists Ruth Bell & Tamsin Evans with Swift Dance Co. were joined by elders from Markers Housing Residents & children from Culmstock Primary. Bringing together people of all generations through exploring important themes of threads which connect us through ancestry & community, fast fashion, sustainability and our shared local textile heritage.
If you missed the performance, don’t worry - you can still experience Threads! The exhibition is on display until Saturday 11th and is included with any Mill entry ticket. Come and discover the local stories, creative displays and inspiring objects behind the performance.
This beautiful film shares the journey of threads....so far....
We have been kindly supported through Uffculme Parish Council and an anoymous donor to run workshops with Markers Housing and Culmstock primary school.
Funding for the arts is becoming a rare bird and we were unsuccessful in our bid for the many hours of creation and sharing of this event. We are passionate about bringing arts into rural communities and are continuing on unfunded.
Combining a love of textiles and dance this project has been a dream of mine for many years. Upon approaching our local mill in the summer of 2025, I was met with warm enthusiasm by Meg Stavaru and from inspired conversations the project took its first steps. Tamsin Evans jumped on board and many strands began unravelling as our enthusiasm for this project took hold.
There are already so many strands to Threads, research visits to the mill bring more ideas each time and now we have begun engaging with local community groups, Threads is beginning to grow and re-shape, unravel and reform, then tangle and knot to the point that I have no idea what colour, pattern or texture this creation will become. Yet its wonderfully complex shape is forming
The Journey
Where else to begin...learning about the process from fleece to fabric and recording movement and sounds of the machines to inspire the choreography and soundscape
Coldharbour Mill
The Elders
Through movement and creative exploration we have gathered memories in relation to textiles with some of the residents from Markers housing. They have generously shared their stories of reuse, thrift and mending. We are especially interested in those threads which connect us to our ancestors and the memories of that which is handed down through the lines of our families and the sharing of these skills.
We are also celebrating those threads which connect us as communities, to each other and across the generations. Thank you to these beautiful women who have generously shared time with us.
Co-choreographing in the Mill
Elements are coming together as we gather layers, choreography influenced from the elders memories, motion of the machines and aesthetics of the mill.
