The Constellations — Glyphs and Loops

Discover The Constellations — Glyphs and Loops, a series of handwoven wall reliefs by British textile artist Katharine Swailes. Inspired by ancient weaving, architecture, and the constellations.

The Constellations is a body of contemporary textile art exploring the origins of weaving and our connection to landscape, structure, and time. After many years researching textiles and landscape, this series grew from a search for a space that existed before humanity shaped the world. Looking to the skies — the constants — I found inspiration in the beginnings of the ancient craft of weaving.

Structurally, the art of weaving has changed little in four millennia. Through projects such as the Historic Scotland tapestries for Stirling Castle, I experienced a kind of time travel — observing the process, uncovering hidden paths, and connecting with the long history of handwoven textiles.

Museums play a central role in my textile practice, offering rare access to collections and archives. For The Constellations, I researched ancient and historic textiles at the British Museum and the V&A, alongside South American woven fragments from the archive of Atelier Weftfaced.

Working with linen and cotton, I build structures that link my background in costume design for film and theatre with my ongoing exploration of fibre, form, and surface. The natural and bleached tones of the materials allow the fibres to speak, forming woven wall reliefs that suggest the parallel evolution of weaving, architecture, and sculpture.

The works take two forms — glyphs and loops — both labour-intensive acts of observation and rhythm that adhere to the binary system at the heart of weaving.

This collection sits within my wider exploration of handwoven textiles, textile sculpture, and contemporary British weaving, reflecting an enduring dialogue between ancient craft and modern material practice.