Celebrating Tim Parry-Williams: Winner of the 2025 John Ruskin Prize
Selvedge Magazine is delighted to share the news that textile artist and weaver Tim Parry-Williams has been awarded the prestigious 2025 John Ruskin Prize for his work Dinner Service. Selected from nearly 3,000 entries and shortlisted alongside 85 artists, Parry-Williams’ extraordinary piece has been recognised with first prize at this year’s exhibition, From the Eye to the Hand.
The announcement was made at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, during the exhibition launch and awards ceremony. This moment marks a significant achievement for Parry-Williams as an artist and, more broadly, for the textile arts. “It is thrilling to be placing textiles at the top of an art prize,” he shared, underscoring the importance of elevating the medium within the fine art world.
Tim Parry-Williams’ Dinner Service is a testament to the depth and richness of textile art. This handwoven damask tablecloth reflects a profound engagement with material, technique, and tradition. Drawing from the cultural and historical significance of linen, Parry-Williams worked with unbleached linen spun at Andrews Comber’s Mill in Northern Ireland—the last stock produced before the mill's closure in 1997.
The tablecloth features woven depictions of tableware, drawn from the collections of the Ulster Folk Museum. Each item tells a story, connecting past and present through the act of gathering. Plates, cutlery, and glassware are brought to life on the woven surface, blending analogue craftsmanship with digital technology via a Norwegian TC loom. The result is a poignant exploration of community, sustainability, and heritage. It invites reflection on the rituals, values, and histories that shape our lives and asks us to consider the threads that connect us all.
Parry-Williams’ career is defined by his commitment to textiles as a craft, a practice, and a field of research. As a Professor of Textiles at the University of Bergen, his work bridges disciplines, drawing on a global understanding of weaving and materiality. From training in Japan to publishing internationally, his contributions to the field have been profound.
You can read more about Tim Parry-Williams and his work in the latest issue of Selvedge (Winter White Issue 122, p. 24, Upstairs Downstairs by Mariette Turkenburg). We are so pleased to have been able to feature this remarkable artist, and to celebrate his well-deserved recognition on such a prestigious platform.
The John Ruskin Prize Exhibition runs until February 2nd, 2025, at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London. Admission is free, and we encourage you to experience the beauty and thoughtfulness of Parry-Williams’ Dinner Service firsthand.
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For further information:
https://www.ruskinprize.co.uk/
https://kmd.uib.no/en/Calendar/news/meet-tim-parry-williams-new-professor-at-kmd
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Image Credits:
Tim Parry-Williams / University of Bergen